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How
to Determine your Due Date
How can I determine
my due date
A pregnancy generally lasts for 40
weeks from first day of your last menstrual period, or 38 weeks from conception.
If you know the date of your last menstrual period, or the date of conception
(some women do!), and your cycles are regular, you should be able to determine
your due date sitting at home.
Based on LMP:
If your cycles are regular and 28
days long, then you can determine your due date by adding 9 months and
7 days to the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). For
example, if your LMP began on September 5, then your expected due date
(EDD) would be June 12 of the following year.
Based on date of Conception:
If your cycles are 28 days long
and you know your date of conception, you can determine your due date by
first subtracting 7 days, and then adding 9 months. However, this method
will probably not work for most women unless they have had intercourse
only once during the fertile period of that cycle and remember the date.
How does the doctor
determine my due date
Abdominal Examination:
The doctor will examine your abdomen
at each of your regular monthly visits. One of the things that the
doctor will be checking for is the size and growth of the baby. Although
this method cannot pinpoint a specific date for delivery, it can certainly
tell the doctor if the due date estimated by either the LMP or the date
of conception is in the correct range or not. For instance, sometimes
the LMP may predict the due date as April 15th. But based on an abdominal
examination the doctor may feel that the baby is very big (growing too
fast), he/she could revise the due date and move it up by 5-10 days (or
even more) to perhaps April 8th.
Ultrasound Scan:
One of the reasons that the doctor
asks for frequent ultrasound scans, especially in the last few months,
is that they can determine the development of the baby and provide a more
accurate due date. This method is superior to other methods because
the doctor is able to examine and measure each of the baby's organs on
ultrasound screen. These measurements can then help in determining
the size of the baby, i.e. stage of fetal development, and consequently
the due date. It is possible that each of your ultrasound scans gives
a different due date. The date computed from your last ultrasound
scan is likely to be the most accurate. Again, remember that these
dates are simply estimates, and therefore are only indicative of the actual
delivery date.
Can different methods
give different due dates
Yes. Each method will most
probably give a different due date, but most of the time, they will vary
only by a couple of days. However, if the woman has an irregular
menstrual cycle, or her cycles are very long or very short, then the LMP
method will not be accurate. In this case, an ultrasound scan will
be most accurate.
Can I also plan to
have my baby on a particular day
Yes, you can try to plan your baby
for a particular day. However, remember, your menstrual cycles and
ovulation times would have to cooperate! If you want to have your
baby on a particular day, you can subtract 38 weeks from the planned due
date. If it is easier to work in months and days, you should first
add 7 days from your planned due date, and then subtract 9 months.
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