Calculation of the Expected Date of Delivery

Pregnancy lasts an average of 280 days (40 weeks) from the first day of the

pregnant woman’s last menstrual period (LMP). The first day of her LMP is

considered day one of pregnancy; even though she probably didn’t conceive

until about two weeks later (fetal development lags two weeks behind your

pregnancy dates).

There are two ways to calculate due date:

i. Naegele’s Rule

Naegele’s Rule involves a simple calculation: Add seven days to the

first day of the pregnant woman’s last menstruation period (LMP) and

then subtract three months.

For example, if her LMP was November 1, 2017:

 Add seven days (November 8, 2017).

 Subtract three months (August 8, 2017).

 Change the year, if necessary (to the year 2018, in this case).

ii. Pregnancy Wheel

The other way to calculate the due date is to use a pregnancy wheel.

This is the method that most doctors use. It’s very easy to estimate the

due date if the pregnant woman have access to a pregnancy wheel.

 The first step is locating the date of the pregnant woman’s LMP on the

wheel. When the doctor lines up that date with the indicator, the

wheel displays the due date.

The chances of actually having your baby on that exact date are very

slim.

 What if the pregnant woman doesn’t know the date of her

last menstrual period?

There are ways to figure out the due date when the woman can’t

remember the first day of her LMP:

>If she knows she had her LMP during a particular week, her doctor can

estimate her due date accordingly.

>If she has no idea when her last period was, her doctor may order an

ultrasound to determine her due date.