The time of pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP), which is typically two weeks before conception actually occurs. This means the first two weeks of the 40-week count are before fertilization, during which your body prepares for ovulation and a new cycle begins
The latter. This is not about politics but about medicine and it’s nothing new. Calculating weeks of pregnancy from the previous menstruation is generally a lot more reliable in predicting the date of birth than calculating from conception.
The mother may not remember the exact day she had sex, she may have had sex multiple times and not know which time led to conception and as an additional hurdle, sperm may need multiple days to to reach the egg so even if she had sex only once and remembers the exact date, that doesn’t really help to know when the egg was fertilized.
On the other hand, there is a relatively narrow window (a few days) during a cycle when fertilization is the most likely, so calculating from a known point of reference relative to her cycle gives good results.
I needed that clarification. It is for practical medical reasons. Not so much about biological facts. I take from this. Thanks.
The due date is just a guide. In,y abou 10% of births are on the due date.
So? It’s not like pregnant women are planning weeks in advance for an exact date to give birth. An estimated due date is exactly that: an estimate. I don’t have exact statistics on hand but if I remember correctly, your 10% are even a bit high and it’s more like 3% on the exact date. But about 50% are within +/- one week of the original due date and 80% are within +/- two weeks which is pretty good accuracy for a 40 week time span¹. If you adjust based on ultrasound results, you can get even more accurate estimates but the original due date gives you a good timeline when those ultrasounds (and other examinations) should be done.
¹ seriously, try estimating any other 40 week project to within a week with 50% accuracy.
Oh, I get that. The point is that it doesn’t really make a difference for the woman or the healthcare delivery if it’s out be a few days due to sperm migration or being unsure which activity caused conception to occur.
However, it makes sense from a biological point of view to track the full pregnancy. From egg release onwards. Without egg release, there is no pregnancy. Without fertilization, there is no pregnancy.
It also makes sense to have it be standardized across disciplines. There is no logical reason to change it from its current definition. It’s not perfect currently, being an estimate, but it’s the closest we have.
However, what is importtfrom a reproductive rights point of view is for people to understand how little time there is to make a giant decision about whether to abort or keep the baby. Often there is just a 2 week window, which in that time there needs to be a doctor’s consult and a procedure scheduled, irrespective of work, family, health, study or other commitments. When people hear 6 weeks, they think that’s a reasonable time frame to make a big decision and arrange it. When it drops to 2, that’s different.
There’s a few days when it’s likely a woman will be fertile. It’s like 8 hours of fertility total. The few days allow sperm to be present during that window. It’s a miracle anyone gets pregnant