Show Pregnancy > Due Date Calculator When is your baby due? Use this pregnancy calculator to find your due date based on the date of your last menstrual period, conception date, IVF three-day or five-day transfer date, or date of your last ultrasound. Most pregnancies last around 40 weeks (or 38 weeks from conception), so typically the best way to estimate your due date is to count 40 weeks, or 280 days, from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). You could also subtract three months from the first day of your last period and add seven days. The first day of your LMP is how most health care providers estimate a baby's due date. But remember, it's only an estimated due date, not a deadline for your baby to arrive. Just 4 percent of babies are born on their estimated due date. If you've been tracking ovulation symptoms or have been using ovulation test strips, then you may be able to use your conception date to calculate your pregnancy due date. Just add 266 days to get your estimated due date (or select "Conception Date" from the menu above, and let our Due Date Calculator do the math for you). If you conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), you can calculate your due date using your IVF transfer date. Most embryo transfers occur either three days or five days after egg retrieval and fertilization. If you had a day-three transfer, count 263 days from the transfer date to calculate your due date, and if you had a day-five transfer, count 261 days. (Or select "IVF" from the menu above.) Even if you can’t pinpoint when you conceived, forget the day of your last menstrual period or aren’t sure when ovulation occurred, other clues can help you and your practitioner determine your due date at your first prenatal appointment, including:
Whether you're trying to avoid being very pregnant in the middle of summer or are a teacher who wants to maximize time off with your little one, you can try to time when you conceive in order to "plan" your due date. But even if you're one of the lucky ones who's able to get pregnant when she really wants to, just remember that you probably won't be able to map out exactly when you'll give birth to the day (or even the week or month!). Still, you can try our Ovulation Calculator, which uses the date of your last menstrual period and your typical cycle length to discover the days you're most likely to be fertile and increase your chances of conceiving. Yes, your due date can change. While it’s definitely not a reason to worry, your doctor may change your due date for a number of reasons as your pregnancy progresses. It may be that you have irregular periods and your early ultrasound dating was off, or that your first ultrasound was in the second trimester. It could also be because your fundal height is abnormal, or your levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a protein made by the baby, are outside the usual range. Talk to your practitioner if you have any questions or concerns. Find advice, support and good company (and some stuff just for fun). The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff. This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy. © 2005-2022 Everyday Health, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. A property of Conception is the moment when a sperm cell fertilizes and egg, which initiates pregnancy and embryonic development. Calculating the exact date of conception can be difficult, as women do not usually experience any symptoms and unprotected sex could have occurred during multiple days of the fertile window. Therefore, conception dates are calculated as an interval of 10 days, which represents the period when fertilization could have happened.
There are 3 possible ways to calculate your conception date: 1. Using your last menstrual period dateEnter the first day of your last period below to use your conception calculator: It is important to note this calculator is most accurate for women who have a regular, 28-day cycle. You are advised to use the alternative methods below if your cycle is longer, shorter or irregular. For women with a 28-day cycle, conception generally occurs between 11 and 21 days after the first day of your last period. Therefore, if you know the first day of period, you can add 11 to 21 days to this day to have an idea of when conception occurred. For example, if you are pregnant and your last period started on March 5, that means you likely conceived between March 16 and 26. 2. Using your estimated due dateThis method is similar to calculating your conception date using your last period. It is especially used by women who do not remember when their last period was, and for women who have irregular periods. By knowing your estimated due date, you can calculate when your last period started, and from there, you can calculate your conception date. Generally, the due date is calculated 40 weeks after your last period. Therefore, if you have your due date, you can subtract 40 weeks from this date to determine your last menstrual period. Once you know the first day of your last period, you can add 11 to 21 days to figure out your conception date. For example, a woman who is due on November 10 can calculate the first day of her last period by subtracting 40 weeks. This means her last period started on February 3. By adding 11 to 21 days, you can calculate that the conception date would have been between the 14th and 24th of February. 3. Using your gestational ageYou can use your gestational age to figure out when the first day of your last period was, and from there you can calculate the conception date. For example, if you are 20 weeks pregnant and it is November 15, you should subtract 20 weeks to determine when your last period started. In this case, the first day of your last period would have been June 28. Then, by adding 11 to 21 days, you can conclude that the conception date would have been between July 9 and July 19. |