Methods of determining the time of delivery

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How to determine the approximate date of birth? What does it depend on? Or does the unborn child decide for himself when he will be born?
Knowing that she is pregnant, any woman first begins to calculate exactly when her baby will be born. Someone is trying to remember the day they were on the beach, someone is guessing based on an ultrasound or doctors ’words. But the result is a "surprise" for expectant mothers, and the date of birth rarely coincides with the approximate calculations. There are 4 main methods used by doctors today to determine the day of birth:

• By the date of the last menstrual period (obstetric method);
• By day of ovulation (embryonic method);
• According to the date of the first visit to the women's clinic;
• According to the results of ultrasound examination.

Obstetric method

The most popular and widely used method of determining the day of birth is the Negel formula or calculation by the last menstrual day. According to this formula, special obstetric calendars are created.Negel formula: 3 days are added from the first day of the last menstrual cycle and 7 days are added. That is, exactly 40 weeks is added to the first day.

For example, if the first day of the last menstrual cycle falls on August 1, we add 7 days to that date. It will be August 8th. Subtracting 3 months gives the approximate date of birth. That is, August 8 - 3 months = May 8.

Although this method is the most common, it cannot be said to be accurate.

Embryonic method

The embryonic method refers to the calendar period of pregnancy determined by the day of ovulation.

Ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary) is the optimal period for pregnancy. Therefore, this date is the basis for calculating the estimated date of birth.

When the menstrual cycle is 28 days, ovulation occurs on the 14th day. If the cycle is shorter (21-25 days) or longer (31-35 days), the calculation is done on the basis of special tables. Even when you know the exact day of sexual intimacy, it is impossible to say with certainty exactly when fertilization took place. What for?

Sperm live an average of 3-5 days, a week with treatment, and an egg cell up to 48 hours. To calculate the embryonic period, 38 weeks are added to the day of ovulation.

For example, suppose the cycle is 28 days, the first day of the last menstrual period is August 1, sexual intercourse is on August 9, and ovulation is on August 14-15. We start the calculation from the day of ovulation, not from the day of sexual intimacy. Therefore, the embryonic method of determining the approximate date of birth is 7-8 May. As you can see, it is almost no different from the obstetric method. But this is only true for regular situations where the menstrual cycle lasts 28-30 days.

In addition, it is necessary to take into account the specific characteristics of the organism, as well as the fact that when there is physical and mental stress, the day of ovulation can be delayed by factors such as stress, illness.

But in any case, if a woman knows the day of ovulation, and can remember the day of sexual intercourse, it will give the doctor a lot of information about the approximate date of birth.

For the first time in a women's clinic…

When you first come to the women's clinic (after estimating or knowing exactly about your pregnancy), the obstetrician-gynecologist will come to a conclusion based on the following indicators after the examination.

• Determining the size of the uterus;
• Determining the height of the uterine fundus;
• Abdominal volume;
• Fetal size.

The earlier the expectant mother goes to the women's clinic, the more accurately the duration of pregnancy is determined.

Ultrasound examination

Today, this method is the most accurate. It is only necessary to take into account the timeframe for this inspection.

Based on the results of the ultrasound examination obtained at the initial screening (11-14 weeks), the approximate date of birth can be accurately determined with a difference of only 1-3 days.

A late UTT, on the other hand, may not give a more accurate diagnosis. This is due to the assessment of gestational age based on fetal size in the study.

When planning a pregnancy, it is good to know not only the duration of your menstrual cycle and the last menstrual day, but also the day of ovulation and the day you may be pregnant. The more information you give to the doctor, the more accurately he will be able to determine exactly when your child will come to the bright world.

Expert: Hamida Maksudova, doctor of the highest category.
Journalist: Nilufar VAHOBOVA.
Source: Sogdiana newspaper.