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Knowing the gestational age is important to know what stage of development the baby is in and, thus, to know if the date of birth is close.
Insert in our gestational calculator when it was the first day of your last menstrual period and know the expected date of delivery and how many weeks and months of pregnancy you are:
How is the calculation of gestational age done?
Gestational age corresponds to the number of weeks of gestation, which is calculated taking into account the date of the last menstruation. So, to know which week of pregnancy you are in, just count on a calendar how many weeks there are between your last menstrual period and the current week.
According to the gestational age, it is also possible to know in which trimester of pregnancy the woman is and how the baby is developing:
- First quarter, which corresponds to the period up to the third month and up to the middle of week 13;
- Second quarter, which corresponds to the period up to the sixth month and runs from the middle of week 13 to week 27;
- Third quarter, which corresponds to the period up to the ninth month and runs from week 28 to week 42.
In this way, knowing the gestational age is interesting to know how the baby is developing and whether he already hears vision and hearing development, for example. Learn about the baby's development each week.
What if I don't know the date of my last period?
Although the calculation of gestational age takes into account the date of the last menstruation, it is also possible to know through laboratory and imaging tests. Thus, when the woman does not know the last day of her menstrual period, the gynecologist can recommend the beta HCG test, in which the concentration of this hormone in the blood is checked, which varies as the pregnancy develops. See how to understand the result of the HCG beta exam.
In addition to the beta HCG test, the doctor can also indicate the gestational age through the ultrasound test, in which the baby's growth is observed, in addition to the height of the uterus, which can be checked during the consultation prenatal.
How to know the baby's date of birth?
In addition to the concentration of beta HCG in the blood and ultrasound to check the baby's growth pattern, the likely date of delivery can be verified using a calculation that takes into account the date of the last menstruation. Thus, to know the possible date of delivery, it is recommended to count 7 days after menstruation and 9 months after the month of the last menstruation.
That is, if the last menstruation took place on January 14, the likely date of the baby's birth is between October 20 and 21. However, this calculation considers that the baby's birth will happen at week 40, however the baby is already ready from week 37, and may be born until week 42.
Check out more information on how to know the likely date of delivery.
Created by: Tua Saúde Editorial Team
