Dating Your Pregnancy
Pregnancy terminology can be confusing. There are two ways of dating pregnancy.
Gestational age is the term traditionally used by health care professionals to date pregnancy and refers to how long it’s been since the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period. The gestational age is used throughout these articles.
Fertilization age refers to how long it’s been since conception: the fertilization of the egg by the sperm.
Most women ovulate (release a mature egg from the ovary) in the middle of their monthly cycle. If a sperm fertilizes the egg, at that moment a new life begins, and this becomes the first fertilization day.
You can estimate your due date by taking the first day of your last menstrual period, subtracting 3 months, and adding 7 days.
Gestational age is the term traditionally used by health care professionals to date pregnancy and refers to how long it’s been since the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period. The gestational age is used throughout these articles.
Fertilization age refers to how long it’s been since conception: the fertilization of the egg by the sperm.
Most women ovulate (release a mature egg from the ovary) in the middle of their monthly cycle. If a sperm fertilizes the egg, at that moment a new life begins, and this becomes the first fertilization day.
You can estimate your due date by taking the first day of your last menstrual period, subtracting 3 months, and adding 7 days.