Pregnancy due date calculator

From Adoption Information

Knowing When: The Pregnancy Due Date Calculator

One of the first questions that you'll ask after the pregnancy test comes back positive is, "When am I due?" Counting ahead nine months on your fingers will give you a rough idea, but for more accuracy, you can visit one of the many online pregnancy calculators.

The average human pregnancy lasts 280 days, with day 1 being the first day of your last normal period. You could count out the days on your calendar, but the computer is easier. Simply go to any search engine (Google, etc.) and plug in pregnancy calculator. You'll get links to many sites that offer this service.

A typical pregnancy calculator will ask for the first day of your last period, though some will give you the option of using the date you think you conceived. Put in the dates, press the button, and presto, you have a due date. Some sites will also let you conduct the process in reverse. That is, if you already know your due date, you can plug that in and learn the date on which you conceived.

Some sites will go no further than determining your due date, but every pregnancy calculator is different. Some will calculate how far along you are by percentage, as in, "You are 11% through your pregnancy, with 89% left." Some give you a week by week breakdown, letting you know exactly when you will be ten, twenty, or however many weeks pregnant. Many will plot out significant dates, such as when you will enter your second and third trimesters, when your baby's heart will start beating, when you can expect to feel movement, and the date of viability – the earliest point at which your baby could survive if born. Of course, it's important to remember that every pregnancy is unique, and some babies will develop faster or slower than others.

Of course, as your medical practitioner will be quick to remind you, only about 5 percent of women deliver on their actual due date. The odds are far greater that your baby will be born within a week (more or less) of that date. But using a pregnancy calculator can give you an initial idea as to when you'll stop carrying your baby in your uterus and start carrying her in your arms.