How to Calculate Your Due Date: Episode #85

All the different ways to calculate and accurate due date in a pregnancy.   How to utilize the calender, ovulation and ultrasound technologies to determine when is the best estimated due date. 

Due dates are in some ways misleading because most babies are not born on their due dates.  In some cases, it could be more accurate to give a due range rather than an acutal date.  Nonetheless, due dates are essential in planning for the safe management and delivery of babies in the world today.  So, what is the best method to calcuate your baby's due date?

For most pregnancies, the best estimate of the delivery date is cacluated using a reliable last menstrual period (LMP) and confirming that date with an ultrasound as close to 8 weeks as possible.   The problem with last menstrual periods, is that the cacluation of the due date assumes a patient has 28 day cycles and ovulated on the 14th day.  We now know that there can be a wide range of normal variation when it comes to ovulation time in a month and also menstrual cycle lengths.  This is why a first trimester ultrasound is often used to confim a due date calucated using a last menstrual period alone. 

In this epsiode, our True Birth experts discuss how to most accurately cacluate the due date, other methods of calcuating the date such as conception date and quickening and why it's improtant to have an accurate date.  

We'd love to hear from you and get your feedback. Send us a topic that you'd like us to revew!  Reach out to us on www.truebirthpodcast.com

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