Estimated due date: why and how to calculate it?
The expected due date is one of the first steps in the new adventure of pregnancy.
Understanding its importance and how to calculate it is very important. You can find all this information by continuing to read this article.
1. What is the expected date of delivery (EDD)?
The expected due date is the date on which the baby is most likely to be born .
This calculation is indicative , meaning it is not possible to know the exact date of delivery unless a cesarean section is scheduled.
This is calculated based on the first day of the last menstruation and is considered to be 280 days, or 40 weeks.
How long does a pregnancy last?
In fact, a physiological pregnancy can end between the 37th and 42nd gestational week .
Gestational age is considered from the first day of the last menstruation and is indicated as “x weeks + y days” (example: 32 weeks + 3 days, or 32+3 gestational weeks).
2. DDP anamnestic vs. ultrasound?
We can identify two types of DDP : the anamnestic one and the ultrasound one.
The first is calculated on the data collected by the doctor at the time of the first visit with the future parents if the woman remembers the first day of her last menstruation. In addition to this data, the average length of menstruation and its regularity will be taken into account to understand the possible day of ovulation.
The ultrasound DDP, instead, occurs during the first trimester ultrasound . This will correspond to the anamnestic one if the fetal growth parameters correspond to the gestational age.
If there is no match, the expected due date will be re-dated.
3. What is the point of knowing the expected date of delivery?
Knowing the DDP precisely allows you to monitor the growth parameters of the fetus and carry out visits and tests at the right times.
Therefore, it allows you to plan an adequate care plan for monitoring the ongoing pregnancy.