How many full weeks the pregnancy lasts. State and pregnant. So how many days does pregnancy actually last?

It is not clear why people say that pregnancy lasts 9 months, but in fact it is 40 weeks. If it lasts a little less, it should be considered premature. Of course, it is impossible to determine with certainty the exact date of birth. Of course, you can calculate the preliminary date of birth quite accurately, but it is not a fact that it will be true. Almost no one, even doctors, will be able to say with certainty how many days your organism's pregnancy lasts, and what date the birth will take. There is no single answer to the question of how many weeks pregnant women go, since this period depends on a huge number of factors. Even if you know exactly when conception occurred, you will not be able to know how fast the sperm turned out to be, how long it took to implant into the egg, how long it took to move through the fallopian tubes, how long the fetus will develop in the womb. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. However, there is still a small pattern of how long pregnancy lasts most often, and when the baby is ready to be born. You can only rely on these calculations, but not one hundred percent hope. Certain calculations have shown that pregnancy ends at 37-42 weeks. In the event that it is 43 weeks, labor is called artificially so that there are no problems with the placenta and the baby's breathing.

So how long is pregnancy according to the midwife count? In most cases, women have 38 weeks from the moment of fertilization to the onset of labor, which is 266 days in terms of days. However, most often women do not know the exact moment of fertilization. But, most likely, they perfectly remember the date of the last menstruation. It is she who is taken for the basis of the calculation. Gynecologists say that on average, 280 days pass from the first day of menstruation to childbirth. Most likely, the actual gestational age is two weeks less than the so-called menstrual period.

If you count the number of days, you can see that the period is exactly nine months, as people are used to saying. The average cycle lasts about 28 days and is the standard for most women. That is why a period of 40 weeks is calculated mainly for a cycle of 28 days.

How long a pregnancy lasts will be influenced by many other factors: first of all, the state of health of the expectant mother will have an important influence. Depending on what lifestyle the woman led, the speed of his condition and psychological background will depend. It also happened when a woman gave birth on a day set for herself, for example, for a holiday, or for the return of her husband from a long business trip. However, the psychological attitude is not always decisive. A factor such as heredity has a huge impact on how long a pregnancy lasts. If your mom gave birth to you before the due date, chances are good that you will have the same. Almost all calculations are arbitrary, and it is impossible to try to conceive a child in order to give birth on New Year's Eve. If at the end of the term you have some doubts about whether you have carried the child, you should pay attention to your well-being and to the behavior of the baby.

In any case, doctors are closely monitoring pregnancy and all recommendations must be followed. It's hard to disagree that no matter how long or hard this period is truly magical! You don't need to worry about trifles, you just have to enjoy your state, because it will end pretty soon. It remains to wish only easy childbirth and health to the baby!

Pregnancy is an incomprehensible mystery of nature, when a new life is born and develops from the fusion of two microscopic cells. Almost every woman remembers this time to the smallest detail, including how many weeks pregnancy lasts, and considers it the happiest days of her life! Any mother will never forget that amazing feeling of joyful and anxious expectation and those indescribable sensations when her child grew and pushed deep inside. Despite frequent ailments, poor health, increased irritability, any woman blooms during pregnancy, acquires a proud gait, a sense of the greatness of the mission of continuing life comes to her.

But it all ends someday, and pregnancy naturally ends with childbirth. Over millions of years, nature has perfected the mechanism that starts when a child is ready to be born. And yet, be that as it may, any future mom thinks and calculates when it will come, this long-awaited day.

So how long does a woman's pregnancy last?

It is impossible to determine with certainty the exact day of the onset of labor. Many factors affect the duration of pregnancy, from heredity to environmental conditions. The physical health and psychological state of the expectant mother, the intrauterine development of the fetus - all this is important for the moment of onset of childbirth.

Fetal growth during pregnancy

Each organism is individual and the processes of fertilization and conception proceed at different rates for everyone. Even if a woman knows the exact day of conception, which rarely happens, it is impossible to calculate the sperm rate, how long the fertilized egg will go down the tubes, how long it will take to implant. Therefore, we can only talk about the expected date of the onset of labor.

Usually, the gestational age is calculated from the day of the last menstruation, which is easier to remember, and it is 280 days (40 weeks) - the same "9 months" that we talk about in everyday life. This period is called menstrual or gestational.

It is clear that in the first days after menstruation, pregnancy is not yet. In most (80%) women, ovulation occurs on the 13-15th day from the beginning of menstruation, therefore, in reality, pregnancy lasts 280-14 = 266 days, which is 38 weeks. This period is called ovulation or fertility.

Sometimes you can hear from obstetricians-gynecologists that pregnancy lasts 10 months! There is no contradiction here - doctors count in the lunar months, which have 28 days.

But all these calculations are approximate and are suitable only for those women who have a regular cycle of 28 days. And even in them, due to the characteristics of the body, ovulation can occur a little earlier or a little later, therefore, a normal full-term pregnancy is considered to be one that lasts from 266 to 294 days or from 38 to 42 weeks.

Premature pregnancy

Pregnancy that ends in childbirth before the expiration of 38 weeks (recently, this period has been reduced to 37 weeks) is called premature. Prematurity can be caused by many reasons: past diseases, stress, previous abortions, neuroendocrine disorders, smoking of the mother or others.


Having a premature baby can be fatal

Premature birth is a serious factor that threatens both the health of the woman in labor and the life of the baby, whose life-supporting systems and organs have not yet been finally formed. However, in the arsenal of modern medicine, there are many methods to reduce the risk and complete the process safely.

Postterm pregnancy

There is also the opposite situation. Pregnancy lasting over 42 weeks is called post-term and most often women who are treated for the threat of miscarriage or become pregnant for the first time at a later age are prone to this. Also, overdue can sometimes be caused by psychological factors, for example, an unconscious fear of childbirth or the fear of losing a child.


Postterm pregnancy is no less dangerous than premature pregnancy

It is generally believed that "tolerating is better than not communicating." Far from it. Postterm pregnancy poses a significant risk to both mother and baby. With a delay in labor, the fetus gains excess weight, which complicates the birth process itself and increases the incidence of birth injuries, placenta dysfunction is also often observed, which disrupts the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the child, and changes in the skin. In women in labor after late childbirth, there is a high probability of damage to the uterus and birth canal, internal bleeding.

As you can see, the calculation of the due date is very approximate and a "fork" of 4 weeks is allowed, and recently it has even been extended to six weeks, getting a range of 37-43 weeks. In any case, if you suspect overmaturity, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor and do an ultrasound scan to determine the condition of the child, placenta and amniotic fluid.

Conclusion

Childbirth is a complex process, both physically and psychologically. This is literally a shake-up of the mother's body and an even greater shock for the child who was born, because he leaves the familiar environment in which he spent such a long and such short 9 months of life!

The main thing for a future mother is an optimistic attitude towards a successful outcome and a calm expectation of a joyful meeting with the most dear creature on the planet.

Every woman, having learned that she is in a position, immediately asks the question: how long does pregnancy last? And here a lot of misunderstandings already arise. After all, this question can be answered in different ways: 40 weeks, 9 or 10 months, 280 days, and so on.

Let's try to figure out the methods for calculating the duration of a normal human pregnancy.

How is the gestational age determined?

First of all, you need to know that in the world there are two ways to calculate the term in a pregnant woman:

  • True or ovulating. It is produced from the moment of ovulation and, accordingly, conception.
  • Obstetric. It is calculated starting from the day of the last period.

The average woman with a menstrual cycle of 28 days will ovulate, and thus expected to conceive, around day 14. It is for such a period (14 days) that the obstetric term is usually "ahead" of the true one.

Ovulation and conception

It is very difficult to calculate the exact moment of ovulation or conception. The normal duration of the menstrual cycle for different women varies in a fairly wide range: from 21 to 35 days. Accordingly, they will have different ovulation dates.

It is known that the ovum after ovulation is capable of fertilization for only one day. But sperm can be in the female genital tract for a relatively long time: from several days to a week. Also unknown is the speed of their progress on the way to the ovum.

Rarely, but it happens that ovulation occurs several times in the same menstrual cycle.

It is for this reason that for the convenience of calculating the expected date of birth for all women, it is the obstetric gestational age that is taken as the basis.

How to calculate the due date?

The obstetrician leading a pregnant woman uses several data in calculating the date of the expected birth: information about the menstruation that preceded conception, examination results, ultrasound, etc.

However, for a simplified version of calculating the expected date of birth (PDD) of the pregnant woman herself, the so-called Negele formula can be used. For this purpose, seven days must be added to the date of the first day of the last menstrual period and three months must be subtracted.

Of course, the date obtained from this calculation is very approximate.

Full-term pregnancy

The date when a child will be born is very difficult to predict. This fact is influenced by a lot of factors - the date of conception, the development of the fetus, the course of the pregnancy itself.

So how much does a pregnant woman walk? Let's try to find out by means of simple calculations.

In days

Scientists have found that from the moment of conception to childbirth, in most cases, it takes about 266 days, which is 38 weeks. However, this number is a rather conventional concept. We already know that it is almost impossible to establish the exact date of conception and predict how the pregnancy itself will proceed.

According to doctors, a full-term pregnancy is considered, the duration of which ranges from 266 to 294 days.

In weeks

So how many weeks does pregnancy last? Divide 280 days by 7 (days in a week) and get 40 weeks. In the same way, we find that a full-term pregnancy is considered a pregnancy, the duration of which is from 38 to 42 weeks.

Counting months

Confusion often arises with the following question: how many months does a pregnant woman walk? Some will claim nine, others ten. And what is most paradoxical, both opinions are correct.

Lunar or calendar?

There are concepts such as a calendar month, which is 30–31 days, and a lunar month, which contains 28 days. If we take as a starting point the duration of pregnancy 280 days, then we get just nine calendar months (280/30 = 9.3) or ten lunar (280/28 = 10).

Obstetricians use the 28-day lunar months to calculate the gestational age and expected due date.

For example, 38 weeks are 9.5 lunar (or obstetric) months. The calculation is as follows: in one lunar month there are 28 days, and this is 4 weeks. Divide 38 by 4 and get the desired number.

Obstetric and ovulation timing

So, we found out that according to doctor's estimates (obstetric term) a woman walks on average 280 days. This equals 40 weeks, 10 lunar or 9 calendar months.

From the moment of conception (ovulation period) to the birth of a child, an average of 266 days or 38 weeks pass.

Pathological timing of labor

There are many factors that affect the course of pregnancy in a person as a whole. Their influence before or during it can lead to both undermaturity and overmaturity. In this case, a woman walks less or more than the established period for a normal pregnancy.

For example, these factors include:

  • The influence of heredity.
  • Intrauterine development and fetal health.
  • The psychological state of the pregnant woman, etc.

How many weeks does a pregnancy last when it is premature or prolonged? And what difficulties can arise in this case? Let's try to figure it out.

Premature pregnancy

A baby who is born between 22 and the full 38 weeks is considered premature. However, according to WHO criteria, the weight of such a newborn is also assessed: it should be from 500 to 2500 grams. If the termination of pregnancy occurred before 22 full weeks, the fetus in this case, unfortunately, is not viable.

Until recently, in Russia and some other countries, delivery in the period from 28 to 38 weeks was considered premature. And termination of pregnancy up to the full 28 weeks was referred to as "miscarriage" - early (up to the full 12 weeks) or late.

Causes

We will not now dwell on the reasons for miscarriage - there are a lot of them. These are socio-demographic factors (too early or late age of a pregnant woman, stress, bad habits, etc.), and medical - pathologies of the uterus, hormonal disorders, chronic diseases of internal organs, various infections.

Why is the premature birth of a child dangerous?

The main problem of preterm birth is the immaturity of the newborn and his inability to adapt to the new environment. It is because of this that the mortality rate among such children is quite high.

Now, when the development of the resuscitation service for nursing newborns has made great strides, it has become possible to ensure the vital functions of such children, even if they are too early to be born.

It is very important with a high risk of miscarriage in a particular woman to make every effort to achieve a successful and, most importantly, timely completion of pregnancy.

Postterm pregnancy

If a pregnant woman walks 42 weeks or more, then in this case they talk about prolongation.

The reasons that can lead to a delay in the due date can be of a medical and psychological nature.

Medical (obstetric) reasons

The medical aspect of post-maturity includes a woman's physical unpreparedness for childbirth - the immaturity of the birth canal. This condition can be caused by some diseases of the expectant mother, pathologies from the uterus or other genital organs, various hormonal disorders and even heredity.

Psychological factor

The psychological cause is difficult to identify. The most common fear of childbirth is absolutely unjustified. This fear is especially pronounced in women who have already experienced the loss of an unborn child.

In these cases, the help of a psychologist or a confidential conversation with an obstetrician, whom the pregnant woman trusts, is often needed.

Why is overburdening dangerous?

There is a misconception that a post-term pregnancy is "better" than a premature one. This is not true. The main consequences of overburdening are:

  • Disruption of normal function (dysfunction) of the placenta, which develops in about half of cases. This can cause a deficiency in the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus, thereby causing suffering and even death.
  • The weight of the fetus increases. This often leads to trauma to the newborn and the mother's birth canal during the birth process.
  • The bones of the fetus begin to grow together. Such changes make it difficult for him to move through the birth canal. This increases the risk of birth trauma to both the fetal head and the maternal birth canal.
  • There is a sharp decrease in amniotic fluid. This factor can contribute to the development of weakness in labor.

If the gestational age has reached 42 weeks, and labor has not begun, then it is necessary to urgently consult your obstetrician to determine further management tactics.

04/25/2017 / Heading: / Mari no comments

All women learn about pregnancy in different ways. Someone is waiting for two strips on the test for a long time, and someone accidentally finds out about it during the next visit to the doctor. In any case, this news changes a lot in understanding the surrounding reality. Many questions immediately arise in my head, and one of the main thoughts is when the baby should be born? On what day will this wonderful event happen? How to calculate the expected due date?

How many weeks do women get pregnant?

Despite the seeming simplicity of the question, there can be several answers to it, although the preliminary date of birth will be the same. How is it that the period in weeks is different, but the date of birth is the same? Let's try to figure it out.

Pregnancy usually lasts 38 weeks from the moment of conception. More precisely, 266 days. As a rule, few people can say for sure on which day ovulation occurred and conception occurred. But almost everyone knows the date of the last menstruation, since now every girl has an application on her phone, where an accurate calculation of all female physiological processes is carried out. Therefore, this date is taken as the starting point.

It is known that ovulation occurs approximately 2 weeks after the onset of menstruation. And to determine the gestational age based on a known date, just 2 weeks are added to this period of 38 weeks. Therefore, it is generally accepted that a normal pregnancy lasts 40 weeks or 280 days. And it is these 40 weeks that are counted from the start date of the last menstrual period to calculate the due date! Divide 280 by 30 and we get about 9 months that everyone knows about.

We all understand that the first 2 weeks, which are just the interval between menstruation and ovulation, there is no pregnancy yet. Therefore, weeks calculated in this way are called obstetric weeks. And the period of real pregnancy from the moment of conception in ordinary weeks is always 14 days less, just those 266 days that we talked about earlier.

But that's not all! 9 months - ordinary people, not doctors, are accustomed to think so. And in obstetrics and gynecology, it is customary to say that pregnancy lasts 10 so-called lunar months. Why? It's simple. The duration of a girl's normal cycle is 28 days. Divide 280 by 28 days and get 10 months.

Your head is spinning, isn't it? But don't panic. Everything was invented before us long ago. In order to find out the date of the expected birth, you just need to use a calculator, of which there are a lot of them on the net. You can enter either the start date of the last menstrual period or the date of the expected ovulation, and you will get the date of birth - in other words, the PDD. And the weeks will be counted in your antenatal clinic.

Is the DA date correct

Why is it so often shown in the movies how the onset of labor takes a woman by surprise, and someone gives birth before reaching the hospital. After all, if you know the exact date, can you prepare in advance? This is all true.

But, firstly, no one can say for sure on what day ovulation occurred, when the egg was fertilized, therefore, the calculations of the exact duration of pregnancy are very conditional. Secondly, the duration of pregnancy depends on many factors: the health of the mother, her mental state, heredity, the development of the baby, and so on. Therefore, it is generally accepted that a normal pregnancy lasts from 38 to 42 weeks: plus or minus 2 weeks from 40.

As you can see, the difference in the amount is about a month. There is nothing to worry about if you listen to your own condition, visit the antenatal clinic on time, undergo all the necessary examinations. This means that doctors are constantly monitoring your condition, and you will be ready for childbirth whenever it begins.

Does the gestational age depend on the sex of the child

Pregnancy with a girl is considered to be shorter than pregnancy with a boy. And that the mothers of boys usually go over the PDD period by at least 1 week. But there is no scientific confirmation of these popular beliefs (and there is no other way to call them): according to statistics, the number of boys born at 38 weeks is equal to the number of girls born at 42 weeks.

Also, there is no scientific confirmation and talk that the first pregnancy lasts longer than the second or third. Perhaps each subsequent birth is easier than the previous ones, but exactly how long each pregnancy will last does not depend on the number of children a woman has. Therefore, try not to get hung up on what gender you are expecting or what kind of pregnancy it is. This is not so important, your baby knows better when to be born.

IMPORTANT! The gestational age does not depend on the sex of the child or the number of children already born. It all depends only on the body of the expectant mother. The most important thing that she can and should do is to lead a correct lifestyle, eat well, be less nervous, worry and get as many positive emotions as possible. And then the baby will develop correctly, will be born on time and healthy!

Enjoy your pregnancy and easy delivery!