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.
How is the gestational age calculated?
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 what week you are pregnant, just count on a calendar how many weeks there are between your last 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 trimester, which corresponds to the period until the third month and until the middle of week 13;
- second trimester, which corresponds to the period up to the sixth month and goes 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.
Thus, knowing the gestational age is interesting to know how the baby is developing and if he/she already hears the development of vision and hearing, for example. Learn more about your baby’s development each week.
What if I don’t know the date of the 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 she menstruated, the gynecologist may recommend a 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 beta HCG exam.
In addition to the beta HCG exam, the doctor can also indicate the gestational age through the ultrasound exam, in which the baby’s developmental growth is observed, and the height of the uterus can also be verified, and these exams are performed 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 performing an 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 menstrual period. So, 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 period.
That is, if the last period was on January 14th, the likely date of the baby’s birth is between October 20th and 21st. However, this calculation considers that the baby will be born in week 40, but the baby is already ready from week 37 onwards, and may be born until week 42.
Check out more information on how to know the probable date of delivery.
