How Many Weeks Have I Been Pregnant?

Every expectant mother wants to know how long the pregnancy is, and thinks at the beginning of the pregnancy how many weeks I have been pregnant. Pregnancy is always talked about over a nine-month period, and is measured during the weeks of pregnancy – but is it true that pregnancy lasts exactly that nine months, and how accurately can the time of conception be estimated? And why is pregnancy calculated to start in the last months?

Knowing how far your pregnancy has progressed is important for health care professionals to be able to monitor your pregnancy properly. Being aware of the progress of the pregnancy is also helpful in giving the expectant mother a better understanding of the changes in her body and the growth of the fetus.

Let’s start with a few basic information about the progress of pregnancy:

• Duration of pregnancy: The time during which the fetus has grown. This information is important to assess fetal development and to detect any abnormalities.

• Premature childbirth: Childbirth is premature when it occurs more than three weeks before the calculated time, ie before weeks 37 + 0 of pregnancy.
• Full- term pregnancy : The duration of a full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks from the date of the last menstrual period.

The duration of pregnancy is thus measured in the weeks of pregnancy, as it is the most concrete way to determine the duration of pregnancy. At first, converting the weeks of pregnancy into months may seem difficult, but once you get used to the practice, the so-called pregnancy language becomes easier.

The duration of pregnancy is calculated from the last menstrual period

Why is this done, i.e. why does the decline in pregnancy begin in the last menstrual period, if once fertilization occurs earlier? The reason is clear: we do not know exactly the day it all started, and in terms of a clear procedure, it  is more accurate to determine the beginning of pregnancy for the first day of the last menstrual period.

This adds about two weeks to the actual duration of the pregnancy. Although ovulation occurs about 15 days after the last menstrual period, the perfect time to conceive varies depending on the woman.

There are pregnancy tests that tell the time of conception, i.e. they not only tell about the pregnancy but also give a generous duration of the pregnancy.

The reliability of these tests is not complete, but they do tell you how long you have been pregnant for weeks. These tests can be done at home, and you can get them purchased from a pharmacy. Nevertheless, it is best to go to a doctor or gynecologist to get the best possible tests.

Ultrasound is the surest way to find out the duration of pregnancy

These tests are most effective if you want to know how long you have been pregnant. An ultrasound image can be taken from inside the uterus.

Your doctor will do more ultrasounds during your pregnancy, and you can see your baby grow – you can hear his heartbeat, find out his gender, and so on. Ultrasound can be used to make various measurements of a baby’s size to better determine the duration of pregnancy.

Many women ask the following questions at the beginning of their pregnancy when they go to the doctor because they want to know more about how long they are waiting: When  exactly is a pregnancy considered to have started? Why is it said that the duration is nine months? We will now share the answers to these questions.

Pregnant for nine months or not?

In fact, this topic is not quite as simple as is usually suggested. A full-term pregnancy lasts 38-42 weeks. If we count each month for about four weeks, we actually get about ten months of pregnancy.

When calculating the time from the beginning of the last menstrual period, the amount should be added to about two weeks, as fertilization usually occurs during the ovulation process, and this is generally a phenomenon that occurs in the mid-cycle.

We recommend that you ask your doctor, gynecologist or midwife everything that comes to your mind, as as experts in the subject they will know everything you need about the duration of your pregnancy. The nursing staff is also on hand to guide you through the whole process so that you feel more secure.