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It is a simple process that can be performed quickly and easily, that has no known risk to babies, and can be an accurate estimate of the due date early in the pregnancy. Thus, the due date is usually estimated by calculating the date that is 40 weeks from the start of a woman's LMP.Įstimating due date based on ultrasound involves the use of soundwaves to look inside the body and compare the growth of the fetus to typical growth rates of babies around the world. In terms of gestational age, pregnancies typically last between 37 and 42 weeks, with 40 weeks often being used as an estimate in calculations. Although there is some debate regarding when pregnancy technically begins, whether at fertilization of the egg (conception), or when the egg adheres to the uterus (implantation), gestational age does not vary based on different definitions of pregnancy since it is based on LMP.
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The default for this calculator bases the calculation on a woman's last menstrual period (LMP), under the assumption that childbirth on average occurs at a gestational age (age of a pregnancy calculated from the woman's last menstrual period) of 280 days, or 40 weeks. 1ĭue dates can be estimated using a number of different methods, including the last menstrual period, ultrasound, conception date, and IVF transfer date. While the due date is often estimated as a single date, it can be helpful to consider a range of due dates, since only 4% of births occur on the estimated due date. The due date, also known as the estimated date of confinement, is an estimation of when a pregnant woman will deliver her baby. If the father also provides an X chromosome, the baby will be a girl.Related Pregnancy Calculator | Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator Estimation of due date Because the mother is only able to provide an X chromosome, the father must provide a Y chromosome if the baby is going to be a boy. It is at this moment that the genetic makeup of the baby is determined, including the sex. After the sperm enters the egg, the coating around the egg is altered to keep other sperm from also penetrating the egg. What happens during fertilization?įor fertilization to occur sperm must first be introduced to the egg and must then penetrate the egg.
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If you don't ovulate, you can't get pregnant. For about twenty-four hours after ovulation, the egg can be fertilized.įinding out when and if you ovulate is one of the most important factors when trying to get pregnant. This is ovulation and it typically occurs approximately two weeks prior to your menstrual period. Eventually, the follicle matures and releases the egg from the ovary. Usually one of these follicles will begin to mature and the others will stop growing and eventually degenerate. That is usually the day when most people consider pregnancy to begin What happens during ovulation?Įvery month, one of your ovaries has immature eggs that begin to develop in what are called follicles. Finally, implantation is when the embryo attaches to the uterus, which is the day of conception. Fertilization occurs when the sperm penetrates the egg. Ovulation is the first step, the ejection of a mature egg from the ovary. There are three primary steps in a pregnancy: ovulation, fertilization, and conception/ implantation.
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