Before the days of ultrasounds and home pregnancy kits, when women suspected they were pregnant, they calculated the approximate due date by starting with the first day of their last menstrual period, added on seven days and then counted back three months. When they visited the doctor for a urine test to confirm the pregnancy, the doctor used a cardboard wheel, called a pregnancy wheel, to come up with the same calculations. Now with the advances in technology, this wheel is now available in electronic form. The wheel is a useful tool to use when you are planning to get pregnant so that you can actually know when your body is in its most fertile state.



When you turn the wheel, you will see when you are most likely to conceive during the month. You will also know when your baby will likely be born if you do become pregnant during this month. The wheel also contains a pregnancy planning guide so that you will know what to expect at each stage with the a glance?feature. Along with knowing what to expect in the changes in your body and your emotions, you will be able to see the stages of development of the fetus and know when different parts of its body are developing, such as the facial features and the vital organs.

When you use the wheel to determine the due date, it will also tell you how long it will be before you see positive results on a pregnancy test. Some other valuable information you can gain from using this device include knowing when the first ultrasound will show the baby in the womb and the various types of screening tests that your doctor will likely order. This is comforting because many women become very worried in their first pregnancy when they have to have a test to see if the baby has Down's Syndrome or when the doctor orders a glucose test. When you know that this is routine procedure for pregnancy, you are able to have peace of mind.

There is valuable information on the reverse side of this wheel as well. Here you can get answers to questions that you probably have and may feel silly asking your doctor. Although the questions and answers are very general, you may get the answer to your question by consulting this feature of the wheel. Most women are concerned about how much weight they will gain during pregnancy and if they will be able to lose the extra weight after the baby is born. Weight gain is one of the facets of pregnancy addressed on the wheel, but you should realize that each expectant mother is unique. You may gain more or less than the amount mentioned on the wheel. When in doubt, you should always ask your doctor.

To find your due date using the wheel, you will find that it is the same process used for decades in determining the approximate date when the baby will be born. The wheel assumes that the time in between your menstrual cycle is the same each month ?28 days. This is not true for all women, as some have longer lengths of time between periods. However, you will have a pretty good idea of a due date, but an ultrasound will tell you for sure.