As soon as you find out you are pregnant the good news spreads to family and friends. The next question is "When are you due?" Even though most babies do not arrive on their due date, there are a few ways to calculate when your due date should be.
1. Date Of The Mother Last Menstrual Cycle
The date of the mother's last period is ofton used to calculate your due date since the exact date of conception is seldom known. Normally, the due date is 40 weeks after the first day of the last menstrual period.
2. Conception Date
If known, another way to calculate your due date is your conception date. Ovulation and conception generally occurr 2 weeks after the first day of the last menstrual period, hence the pregnancy due date is 38 weeks from conception.
3. Ultrasound
Having an ultrasound is the most accurate way to confirm a baby's gestational age in order to calculate the due date. An ultrasound measures the baby and these measurements are used to calculate the baby's gestational age. An ultrasound can be performed 5-6 weeks after the last menstrual cycle with the most accurate results being obtained 8-18 weeks from the beginning of the last mestrual cycle. An accurate due date can be provided with the help of an ultrasound and the calculated date from the first date of the last period.
In conclusion, for woman with irregular mestrual cycles, the most accurate way to determine your due date is with an ultrasound. However, if the baby is unusally large or small an ultrasound may not be able to provide enough information to give you an accurate due date.
Brett Roberts is a professional web writer for baby and new mother topics and pregnancy websites: www.easypregnancytips.com <---****HYPERLINK****--->"www.easypregnancytips.com">www.easypregnancytips.com