For expectant mothers, pregnancy is a difficult and happy thing, and the gestational cycle refers to the complete process from pregnancy to childbirth. But when does pregnancy start counting? Many pregnant mothers are confused and can only go to the hospital to listen to the doctor's explanation.
In fact, it is difficult to calculate the time of pregnancy. There are many methods, but the main one is still based on the menstrual cycle and ovulation period of the pregnant mother. For pregnant mothers who have normal menstrual periods, we usually start calculating pregnancy time from the first day of the last menstrual period. However, if we calculate based on the day of conception, the gestational age may be about two weeks shorter than what we calculated based on the last menstrual period.
Although the date of conception is indeed the actual day when expectant mothers become pregnant, most people, including your doctor, do not start calculating the pregnancy cycle from that day because expectant mothers themselves cannot determine which day they ovulate and become pregnant. Therefore, most medical staff will choose a simpler calculation method, starting from the first day of the last menstrual period of expectant mothers. Pregnant mothers cannot make mistakes about this day.
According to medical regulations, the pregnancy period and due date are calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period. Pregnant women have a total of 280 days of pregnancy, with 28 days being one gestational month, which is exactly 10 gestational months. Pregnant women who give birth within 38-42 weeks of pregnancy are considered full-term. Due to the different menstrual cycles of each mother, it is also common for the estimated due date to differ by 1-2 weeks from the actual due date.
