Planning a child is a difficult process. The thing is that some couples cannot become parents for decades. In this case, any hint of a successful conception of the baby makes you nervous. Therefore, we will further try to find out how to correctly determine the gestational age. By menstruation? Ovulation? Delay critical days? Below is information on the conception and definition of DA. It’s best not to experiment on your own and ultimately see a doctor. Only a specialist can accurately determine the stage of development of the fetus and the duration of the "interesting position". The recommendations below are not 100% accurate. They only help to suggest the gestational age in a particular case.
Determination methods
Can a pregnancy period be determined by menstruation or not? And if so, how to do it?
Today, women can define an “interesting position” in a variety of ways. Among them, the following techniques are distinguished:
- by the last menstruation (or by delay);
- by ovulation;
- by date of conception;
- by ultrasound.
You can cope with the task with the help of pregnancy tests. Electronic devices for home diagnostics of an "interesting position" often have indicators of the duration of fetal development.
About Conception
You can calculate the period of pregnancy by menstruation, but this technique does not differ in its accuracy. The thing is that the female body is a huge mystery to humanity. Some processes familiar to the girl are influenced by external factors. Because of this, some changes in the body as a whole are not excluded.
For example, external factors accelerate or delay ovulation. This is an extremely important process for conception. Usually it is during this period that the chances of getting pregnant are maximum.
The conception process usually happens like this - at first the egg matures in the body, then during ovulation it breaks out of the follicle and begins to move to the uterine cavity. If during this period of time the egg collides with active sperm, conception occurs. The fetal egg attaches to the uterus. So pregnancy occurs.
If the sperm did not meet the egg, then, reaching the uterus, the female cell will die. It will retain its reproductive properties only 2-3 days after ovulation. After that, the body will prepare for the start of a new cycle.
Important: ovulation lasts about 48 hours. This means that the chances of becoming pregnant as a whole are extremely small. Especially if a woman and a man do not plan to become parents.
When is ovulation?
Calculating the gestational age for the last month and determining the estimated date of birth is not so difficult. But first, a woman needs to know when she is ovulating.
Usually this period falls in the middle of the menstrual cycle. On average - on 14-15 days after the start of the next critical days.
To help determine the appropriate period for conceiving a baby, ovulation tests or ultrasound of the pelvic organs will help. So it will be possible to "catch" ovulation with maximum accuracy.
By ovulation
Monthly gestation is calculated without much hassle. The main thing is to know how to act.
You can determine the estimated date of birth by ovulation. To do this, you need to find out the day of ovulation and add 280 days to it. Only to the gestation period this technique has nothing to do.
Usually, the "interesting position" for ovulation is calculated somewhat differently - you just need to calculate how many days have passed since the "X-day". This is the duration of fetal development. It is called the fetal gestational age.
Critical Days Delay
Do you need to calculate the gestational age by menstruation? This is not so difficult to do this weekly. It is enough to be guided by the simplest rules.
The thing is that ovulation usually comes in the middle of the menstrual cycle. As already mentioned above, on the day of delay of critical days, the duration of embryonic pregnancy can be calculated in weeks and days.
There is also the concept of an obstetric term for an “interesting position”. It is determined by the last monthly. What does it mean?
The period of pregnancy by the menstrual period is determined as follows - you need to remember when the last menstrual bleeding began. The time elapsed before the date of calculation - this is the obstetric period. Usually it is more embryonic by 2 weeks.
DA for the last monthly
The date of birth is what every expectant mother wants to know. This information will help prepare for replenishment in the family.
We were able to calculate the gestational age by the date of the last menstruation. And what to do to install the DA?
You can subtract 3 months from the date of your last menstruation, and then add a week to the resulting "figure". This is how labor is calculated taking into account the obstetric period of an “interesting situation”.
Ultrasound and check
Now it’s clear how you can calculate the gestational age for the last month. And how the date of birth is calculated is also clear. Now consider the other methods for determining an "interesting position."
Some are convinced that ultrasound will help doctors to easily understand when the conception occurred. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. Yes, ultrasound diagnostics help to clarify, but it is better not to accept the data obtained as an axiom.
Usually, an ultrasound test clearly shows a fetal egg as early as 4-5 weeks, and a heartbeat is heard at the embryo at 5-7 weeks. These data will help to suggest pregnancy and the stage of development of the fetus.
Important: during a visit to the ultrasound room, it is worth remembering when the woman had her last menstruation and unprotected sexual intercourse. This will help the specialist in confirming the diagnosis and establishing the DA.
Tests to help
Does the girl have a delay in her period? The gestational age at this point is usually about 1 month. This is an obstetric "period." The embryonic gestational age by the time the critical days are delayed reaches 2 weeks. This discrepancy often confuses girls.
As we already said, if desired, a woman can buy an electronic pregnancy test. Such a device helps not only to determine the "interesting position" with maximum accuracy, but also indicates the obstetric period of pregnancy.
What to do? You just need to substitute the test receiver under the stream of morning urine (or apply a little biomaterial to the receiving area), and then look at the information window. The result of the diagnosis is displayed here. On some tests, there will be an inscription next to it with the term "interesting position".
Important: even this technique cannot be considered reliable. It helps to draw conclusions about pregnancy by the level of hCG in the blood. It can be produced in greater or lesser amounts during pregnancy pathology.
Online Calendar
You can calculate the gestational age for the last monthly period if you find out how much time has passed before the delay of menstruation. This is an "obstetric pregnancy."
To date, the network can find a variety of online calculators. With their help, a woman is able to calculate pregnancy and determine the estimated date of birth.
What to do to implement the task? A woman will have to:
- Find a special "pregnancy calendar". Such services are usually found in women's forums.
- Indicate the date of the last menstruation.
- Set the day of inspection.
- Enter the estimated date of conception. Some calculators can print the day you have unprotected sex and the length of your menstrual cycle.
- Click on the "Calculate" button.
The requested data will appear on the screen. Namely, the gestational age and estimated date of birth. You can consult a doctor to clarify the situation.
Signs of pregnancy
Everyone can now calculate the gestational age according to the last menstrual period. A woman who carefully monitors her body to do this will not be difficult. The main thing is to determine ovulation and accurately find out the day of delay of critical days.
Some girls are interested in the first signs of a successful conception. Unfortunately, they are easily confused with PMS.
Here are the main signs of pregnancy in the early stages of menstrual retention:
- lack of menstrual bleeding;
- mood swings;
- nausea and vomiting;
- general weakness of the body;
- pain in the lower abdomen and pelvic area.
Sometimes girls experience implantation bleeding. These are smears of blood secreted when a fetal egg is attached to the uterus. They are easily confused with the onset of menstruation.
As practice shows, the very first (and most often obvious) sign of pregnancy is a delay in menstruation. To determine the beginning of new critical days, it is recommended to use special calendars.
Negative Test and Delay
We found out how to calculate the gestational age by the date of your period. And what if the woman had a delay in menstruation, but the test shows one strip?
The problem is that late critical days can be caused by various factors. For instance:
- belated ovulation;
- gynecological diseases;
- anovulation;
- stress
- the presence of tumors;
- taking hormonal drugs.
If the test shows one strip with a delay of menstruation, it is recommended not to rush to conclusions. Home diagnosis of an "interesting position" is not accurate.
What should a woman do? You need to repeat the test after a few days. After that it is recommended:
- make an ultrasound;
- donate blood for hCG;
- go to the gynecologist.
All this will help determine the duration of pregnancy. According to menstruation and their delay, gynecologists often put PDR. Moreover, they have special calendars that help you quickly set the deadline for an "interesting position".
Conclusion
Now it’s clear how a girl can calculate the stage of development of the fetus. We also talked about ways to diagnose pregnancy in the early stages.
All the tips listed above really help when planning your baby. Moreover, a woman is advised to combine all of the above suggestions to clarify the DA.
It is important to remember that pregnancy and childbirth are processes that can be triggered absolutely unexpectedly. And even the DA is not the exact date of replenishment in the family. These are guidelines that help women and doctors prepare for childbirth.
If a woman keeps a graph of basal temperature, she can see the conception on it. Usually in this case, the body temperature is set at a value above 37.2 degrees for several days longer than usual.
As a rule, the period of pregnancy on a monthly basis is calculated without much difficulty. The simplest mathematical abilities will help bring the idea to life.