How to determine the duration of pregnancy - the definition of gestation

The term of pregnancy is necessary to know in order to correctly determine the time of birth of a baby. The doctor will be able to schedule timely tests and examinations, thanks to which it is possible to determine the intrauterine development of the fetus, to prevent the development of various pathologies. Ultrasound diagnosis is carried out in strictly defined periods, due to which the sex of the child is determined, but also the exact date of his birth. Maternity leave, timely preparation for childbirth, the acquisition of everything necessary for the new little man also depend on the period of pregnancy.

To determine the duration of pregnancy, several methods are used

1) Ovulation, that is, the date of possible conception.

Ovulation is the period when the egg ripens and can be fertilized. Therefore, a woman can become pregnant. During this period, the "ready" egg from the ovary moves to the fallopian tube, "waiting" for the sperm. Open sexual intercourse at this time is most likely to lead to conception.

A woman is ovulating somewhere in the middle of the menstrual cycle.

On the question "How to accurately determine the duration of pregnancy?" Each gynecologist confidently responds: "On the day of ovulation."

There are special tests in order to calculate this day. You can buy this test at every pharmacy.

In the absence of a test, one can rely on basal temperature measurements, - temperature in the rectum. The first half of the menstrual cycle is characterized by not more than 37 ° C.One day before ovulation, the mercury column will fall somewhat to then rise to 37-37.2 ° C.Thanks to this, it is possible to calculate the exact day of pregnancy, provided that the conception is made during the measurement period.

Some women define the days of ovulation for their characteristic symptoms: pain in the lower abdomen, increase in the number of secretions from the sexual gap, increase libido.

The most accurate way to determine the day of ovulation is ultrasound diagnosis. But walking every day for examination is very problematic.

2) For the last period of menstruation.

This applies the formula of Negele. The method allows you to determine the date of birth, but to calculate the day of conception is also suitable. Birthday of the baby = the first day of the last month period - three months + seven days.

3) During the examination by a gynecologist.

The doctor sets the gestational age to the size of the uterus. With a four-week pregnancy, the uterus has the size of a hen's egg, with an eight-week goose. A good specialist can easily determine the date of fertilization. But this method does not work during pregnancy of the second or third month. It is complicated by a different dynamics of fetal development, depending on the individual physiology of each future mother.

4) Using ultrasound diagnostics.

The accuracy of the determination depends on the gestational age, as in gynecological examination. The deadline is set by the size of the uterus, so you can not exclude the error. Only two percent of women give birth at the "appointed hour".

Beginning with the twentieth week of pregnancy, ultrasound often shows a small uterine size, so doctors diagnose intrauterine fetal arrest in its absence. The reason for this is initially incorrectly fixed term of pregnancy or just a small size of the baby. Most often, such a diagnosis is heard by women who have a shallow constitution of the body. The machine does not take into account the size of the mother and her physiological characteristics. Although often fragile women give birth to large babies. Results of ultrasound in the second and third trimester, determining the duration of pregnancy, in general, are optional. Basically, women undergo a screening at this time to establish the baby's gender.

5) On the first stir.

Women who first wear under the heart of a baby, feel the stirring at the twentieth week of pregnancy. Mom, waiting for the second baby, feel movements in the abdomen somewhat earlier - on the eighteenth week. It is recommended to remember this day. The doctor will ask about this date and bring it to the dispensary card. This day is very important for the subsequent determination of the period of pregnancy and the date of birth.

The delivery time can be set by adding twenty weeks or five months to the day of the first stirring, and the second pregnancy - eighteen weeks or four and a half months. Day of the first stirring is considered the middle of pregnancy.

But this method is not always true. Everything depends again on the physiological characteristics of each woman. There are mothers who feel the wiggling earlier, and some, on the contrary, later. Little and fragile women are characterized by baby movements on the seventeenth week. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the constitution of a woman before determining the duration of pregnancy. In addition, many women intensified work of the intestine perceive, as movements of the baby. Future moms are characterized by increased gas formation.

6) By measuring the length of the fetus and uterus.

This is the most difficult method of determining the duration of pregnancy. It is not recommended to use this method on your own.

For the examination, the woman is put on the couch, asking her to straighten her legs. The bladder of the mother should be empty, otherwise errors in the measurements and, accordingly, the establishment of the gestation period, are not ruled out. The gynecologist measures the length of the uterus using a centimeter tape or tasomer. In most cases, the length of the uterus corresponds to the number of weeks. For example, with a uterine size of thirty centimeters, the gestation period is defined as thirty weeks.

If you want to know when the baby is born, you should not rely on a hundred percent on the results of the surveys. Each woman is individual in her physiology. Modern medicine does not yet have the opportunity to establish the exact date of conception, and therefore can not determine the exact day of childbirth. Every woman is able to feel the "moment of truth".

Childbearing is a miracle that nature has given us. And miracles, as you know, do not require specificity, but only acceptance and admiration.