Conception or ovulation date Date of your last period Measurements taken during an ultrasound Transfer date (if you had in vitro fertilization)
Calculating Due Date
Your due date is considered to be 40 weeks (280 days) after the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP) or 38 weeks (266 days) after ovulation. Even if an early ultrasound is used to determine or shift your due date, it’s still based on the basic idea of a 280-day gestational period. Assuming you know the date of your last period, your primary care provider will use this to figure out the due date. Many midwives and obstetricians use a pregnancy wheel, which is a simple tool that quickly gives the 280th day from your last period. Another way to find your due date is using a formula known as Naegele’s rule. This is what is used for the due date calculator at the top of this page. It’s also how a pregnancy wheel works. You can calculate the date yourself using Naegele’s rule. For example, if the first day of your last period was August 11, 2022 you would:
Add 1 year (making the date August 11, 2023)Add 7 days (becomes August 18, 2023)Move the date back 3 months (to May 18, 2023)Your due date would be May 18, 2023.
If your fertility app gives you a different date than the one calculated by your doctor, it most likely is because it was based on the ovulation date and not the date of your last period. If you ovulated earlier or later than day 14 of your cycle, this would shift your due date accordingly.
Ovulation vs. Menstruation
Your due date in relation to ovulation, which is calculated at 38 weeks, is considered to be more accurate than one calculated based on your last menstrual period. This is because you may not have ovulated exactly two weeks after your LMP. If you know when you ovulated, or you know your cycles are longer than average, share that information with your doctor. The due dates calculated from your LMP and ovulation might be just a week apart, but that week can make an important difference. For example, if you’re having a scheduled C-section, you wouldn’t want to schedule it too early. If your doctor is trying to decide whether your pregnancy has gone too far beyond your due date, you might want to wait another week before considering induction.
Using Ultrasound
An ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy—prior to 13 weeks—can be used to provide an estimated date of delivery or confirm a due date determined by your last period. Not every expectant parent will need an ultrasound done unless the date is uncertain. A transvaginal ultrasound is usually performed between 9 weeks and 13 weeks of gestation. During the procedure, the technician measures the fetus’ length from crown to rump. This information is how the age of the fetus and due date are estimated. Another method, called a biparietal diameter (BPD) ultrasound, measures the diameter of the baby’s skull and may even be more accurate than the other methods. With all that said, ultrasound due dates are still not perfect. If the ultrasound due date is different from the date determined by your last period, both dates should be noted in your medical records. If the ultrasound due date is less than seven days different from the menstrual cycle due date, your due date wouldn’t change. If it is off by more than seven days, your due date may be altered.
Using IVF Due Date
If you had IVF treatment, your due date will never change. IVF due dates aren’t determined by your last period, the date of conception, or even the egg retrieval day. They are determined by embryo transfer day and the age of the embryo at the time of the transfer.
Role of Fundal Height
Your midwife or doctor may measure your fundal height at your pregnancy well-checks. The fundal height is the measurement in centimeters from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus. It should grow at a predictable rate as your pregnancy continues. After 20 weeks, your fundal height in centimeters will typically be the same as the number of weeks you are pregnant. In other words, at 21 weeks pregnant, your fundal height should be around 21 centimeters (10 inches). Sometimes, the fundal height won’t match perfectly. Slight variations are normal, but if you are measuring much smaller or larger than expected, your medical care provider may want to investigate with another ultrasound.
Why Your Due Date Is Important
Your due date is likely one of the first bits of information you’ll seek out after you find out you’re pregnant. Friends and family will want to know so they can look forward to greeting your new baby (and supporting you). Doctors, midwives, and nurses will want to know so they can track important health milestones and make decisions about any potential interventions and prenatal testing. Your due date (sometimes called the estimated date of delivery) is less of a deadline and more like a time marker. Your due date indicates the 40th week since your last menstrual period or the 38th week from ovulation. Once your due date is calculated, you’re likely to give birth within a four-week period that surrounds your due date. In other words, sometime during the two weeks prior to and two weeks after your assigned due date, you’ll likely meet your baby. The due date is valuable for many reasons, including the preparation of your home and family for the new arrival. There are also several other reasons it’s helpful to know your due date.
Tracking Fetal Development
Your healthcare provider will consider which week of pregnancy you are in when determining if the pregnancy and fetal development are on track. Your doctor will look for several indicators, such as:
When a heartbeat should appear on a transvaginal ultrasound When a heart tone should be detectable with a handheld Doppler When the baby should start moving What the fundal height should be
Scheduling Tests
Some prenatal tests need to be conducted during a particular time frame. For example, an ultrasound to determine viability shouldn’t be done before six weeks. An AFP blood test—used as a screening for birth defects—should ideally occur between week 16 and week 18. An ultrasound to determine whether twins are sharing a placenta or amniotic sac needs to occur between week 11 and week 14 of the pregnancy.
Determining If Labor Is Premature
Babies who are born too early are at risk for numerous health problems. There are steps we can take to slow or halt preterm labor. With that said, there are also risks to the medications used to stop preterm labor, both to the mother and the baby. You and your doctor have to decide together when the risks of allowing labor to continue to outweigh the risks of intervention. This is partially determined by knowing which week of pregnancy you are in. There are also risks to the baby and mother if a pregnancy goes on for too long. Post-term pregnancy is when birth does not occur by week 42 (14 days after the estimated date of delivery). If this happens, your midwife or doctor may decide to induce labor.
Average Length of Pregnancy
While 40 weeks is the average, it’s not unusual to deliver your baby earlier or later. In the past, 37 weeks was considered to be a full-term pregnancy. This definition impacted when it was considered safe to induce labor or schedule a cesarean section. However, we now know that being born at 37 weeks can increase health risks. It’s not nearly as risky as being born before 37 weeks, but it’s not ideal. Research shows it’s typically better for a baby to stay in the uterus a few weeks longer to at least 39 weeks, if possible. In response, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has created new definitions to describe the timing of labor: Sometimes, when talking about twins or triplets, you will hear people say things like, “Twins are full-term at 37 weeks.” But this isn’t truly accurate. All pregnancies—including twins, triplets, or more—aren’t truly full-term until they reach 39 weeks. While you might be at greater risk of earlier labor with twins, that doesn’t affect how the timing of labor would be classified.
Factors Affecting Due Date
With so much focus and excitement over an assigned day, you’d think it’d be an accurate number—but it’s not always the case. The simple truth is that only 5 out of 100 people will deliver their babies on their actual due date. Still, determining which week of pregnancy you’re in is crucial to receiving good prenatal care and planning for your upcoming life change. The majority of babies are born over a 35-day span, with birth typically occurring anywhere from about 37.5 weeks to 42.5 weeks. Due dates are also not deadlines. You could have your baby a week later than your due date and still be considered on time. There are many factors that can influence your due date. First, each pregnant person has their own predetermined schedule. Many people will tell you that their pregnancies were all about the same length. If you had two kids, each delivered around 41 weeks, your third kid is likely to arrive around 41 weeks. People who are pregnant for the first time tend to go into labor later. You’re more likely to go a few days past your due date with your first baby. And finally, some people are at risk of preterm labor. About one in 10 pregnancies end with premature delivery. Maternal risk factors for premature babies include having a previous preterm birth, vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and even periodontal disease.
A Word From Verywell
Your due date helps you and your healthcare providers track your pregnancy and plan for labor and delivery. It’s an important date, but it’s just an approximation of when you may go into labor. You may have your baby before or after your due date—and either can be OK. If your due date comes and goes, you might start to wonder if you’re going to be pregnant forever. Don’t worry. While those last days can feel like an eternity, your baby will arrive when it’s ready and not a minute earlier. To be sure the baby isn’t brought into the world too soon, ACOG recommends that induction of labor not be considered until week 41 begins (or seven days past your official due date), unless complications necessitate an early delivery.
