Due Date Calculator

When you find out you are pregnant, you may be wondering how a due date calculator can help you find your due date. You may be wondering how long you have to prepare and when to ask for time off work to give birth to your baby. Unfortunately, babies do not follow an exact calendar, so you may not want to book your hospital room just yet; however, you can calculate an estimated date of birth with a due date calculator.

Locating a Due Date Calculator

Due date calculators can be found online, or your OB provider will calculate the estimated due date for you when your pregnancy status is confirmed during your office visit.

Information Needed for a Due Date Calculation

Many online due date calculators, such as the one at BabyCenter.com only require the date your last period started and the number of days in your normal menstrual cycle. A due date calculator of this type works on the assumption that you will ovulate approximately halfway through your menstrual cycle, and you will have conceived within 72 hours of your ovulation date. In other words, it can narrow down your due date to the approximate week that you will give birth deliver, on the normal forty week gestation period.

Other online due date calculators, such as the one at Parenthood.com give you the option of calculating your due date based on:

• First date of your last menstrual period
• Likely date of conception
• Estimated due date

You will still be asked for the normal number of days in your menstrual cycle.

Irregular Menstrual Cycle

Online due date calculators work best when you do have a regular period. It is advisable to discuss your due date with your health care profession, in the event your cycle is irregular. Your OB care provider will suggest the use of ultrasound/sonograms to make clarify your possible conception and due date.

Calculating Your Due Date Manually

Take the date of the first day of your last normal menstrual period and add 7 days to it. Now, add nine months to get your due date.

Information Learned From an Online Due Date Calculator

With the results to your online due date calculation, the website may also offer you a Pregnancy Calendar Overview, links to other pregnancy related information, and resources for receiving online support during your pregnancy.

In Conclusion

While due date calculators can give you a general idea of when to expect to birth your baby, there are many factors that may lead to your having your baby before or after that date. Less than ten percent of all pregnancies result in a deliver on estimated due date, so many of us call it a guess date.

Babies who are born at full term will be born, in general, somewhere between 37 and 40 weeks from the first date of your last period, but not all babies are born at full term. Health concerns, accidents, and Multiple Births can all play into when your baby will actually be born. The best you can do is look at anytime during your last trimester as a likely date for having your baby, and prepare well ahead of time.

• Winter Maternity Clothing
• Maternity Polo Shirts
• Summer Maternity Fashion
• Gender Selection and Conception
• Conception Myths

• How Soon Can I Take a Pregnancy Test
• Natural Ways to Induce Labor
• How to Conceive a Boy
• How to Conceive a Girl
• Early Pregnancy Symptoms

• Fetal Surveillance vs. Labor Induction
• Estimated Date of Conception
• Estimating Conception Date
• Conception Date
• Pregnancy Due Date Calendar