Determine your expected due date using the first day of your last period and the mean duration of
the cycle with our Due Date Calculator.
The output of many other data, such as fertilization date and dates of the child's developmental phases
make the calculator a comprehensive information medium for expectant parents.
Date of birth: What do you need the first day of your last period for?
Using this data and the duration of your cycle,
the date of your last ovulation can be determined. This gives
us the time of fertilization, i.e., when the sperm cell enters the egg cell. From this point on, a pregnancy l
asts an average of 266 days or 38 weeks. With this, the expected date of birth can be calculated on the basis
of the data entered. Fertilization occurs 14 days after the start of the last menstrual period, assuming 28 days.
If the duration of the cycle involves more or less days, an adjustment of the calculation is necessary.
Since the exact time of fertilization is usually unknown, the duration of a pregnancy is measured in
medicine from the beginning of the last menstrual period. Therefore, the defined duration of a pregnancy
is 14 days + 38 weeks = 40 weeks of pregnancy.
Date of birth: What role does the length of the cycle play?
The cycle lasts from the first day of menstruation up to and including the last day before the next menstruation.
Using the cycle and the beginning of the last
menstrual period, the date of fertilization (conception) can be determined. Together with the average duration
of pregnancy of 38 weeks from fertilization, the date of birth can then be calculated on the basis of the week
of pregnancy.
Generally, ovulation and thus possible fertilization
takes place 14 days before the start of the next period. With a cycle of 28 days, possible
fertilization takes place 14 days after the first day of the last bleeding. With a cycle of 32 days, for
example, the time from ovulation to the next menstruation is 14 days. However, it takes in this case 32 - 14 = 18
days from the start of the last bleeding to possible fertilization. Therefore, the
cycle length for calculation of the birth date
is also taken into account: The calculated due date for a pregnant woman with a 28-day cycle is 40 weeks after
the start of the last menstrual period (38 weeks from fertilization plus 14 days). On the other hand, with a 32-day
cycle, 4 days more are calculated, since fertilization is assumed to take place 18 days after the start of the last
bleeding.
The calculated due date is a 28-day cycle, which
is exactly 40 weeks after the first day of the last period. Around 4 percent of children are born exactly on the
calculated due date. Around the date within one week, 26
percent are born and around the delivery date within
three weeks, 66 percent are born. Around 90 percent of all children
are born between the 37th and 42nd week of pregnancy. They are called "term babies". About nine percent are born
before this period, which means they are premature. Meanwhile, only about one percent of children are born after
this. These late births are called post-term. It should be noted that the natural course of the pregnancy is
usually influenced here to prevent transmission.
What is the relationship between the due date and the week of pregnancy?
The term "week of pregnancy" is certainly familiar to every pregnant woman. The
pregnancy week mark often relevant events during pregnancy.
For example, when do the organs develop, or the hearing, or when does the child move for the first time?
Feel free to use our Pregnancy Week Calculator to find out your
current week of pregnancy. The calculated date of birth or due date is exactly 40 weeks after the first day
of the last period in a 28-day cycle. As the individual time periods slightly vary from woman to woman, the
gynaecologist may still correct the expected date of birth in the course of the pregnancy.
