How many weeks does pregnancy last?

The question about the duration of pregnancy may seem trivial, but not everyone is able to answer it.

How many weeks does pregnancy last?

9 months, i.e. the known duration of pregnancy is only a contractual value, calculated as 40 weeks. Such an approximation has its own "error" margin. It happens that children are born at the 38th week of pregnancy, and later than their parents expect, even at the 42nd week of pregnancy. Why are there such fluctuations? What is the reason for an early or late birth?

How many weeks a pregnancy lasts - calculator

The duration of pregnancy is defined as 9 months, but these are lunar months and not, as most people think, calendar months. Lunar months are 28 days. From a medical point of view, pregnancy does not start at the moment of conception, but a dozen or so days earlier - during ovulation. During ovulation, a new egg is formed in a woman's body and a foetus can be formed from this material in combination with a sperm. If fertilisation occurs, the start of pregnancy is the same as the start of the last menstrual period. It happens, however, that a woman is able to indicate the exact day of conception. This is the difference, because the child will be about two weeks younger, even though its development will be at the same level as the child, about which it cannot be clearly stated when it was conceived.

40 weeks - what does the length of pregnancy depend on?

The most important thing during pregnancy is that the birth should not take place in the 37th week or earlier. Children born at this time are premature babies who do not have fully developed organs to function properly and independently outside the womb. How long a pregnancy lasts does not depend on a woman's weight or age. It should also be taken into account that only 5 out of every 100 children are born by the set deadline. When the birth does not come 2 weeks after the deadline, the woman has to go to hospital. In this way, they will protect their child from being in an environment that is no longer suitable for such a large child. Fortunately, nowadays medicine is able to help children who were not born in the set time limit to develop well and grow into healthy people.

40 weeks - risk of premature and delayed labour

Childbirth in the 37th week or earlier and transferred pregnancy is a danger for the baby and its mother. The following complications may occur in preterm birth:

respiratory failure syndrome;
bronchopulmonary dysplasia;
necrotizing enteritis;
retinopathy of a premature infant.

Conversely, a transferred pregnancy may result:

difficulty breathing;
malnutrition;
The result is a decrease in immunity, which gives the effect of susceptibility to bacterial infections and other complications.

Preventing preterm birth and the transmission of pregnancy is very difficult. That is why it is important for a woman to be under the care of a gynaecologist, and to take care of her health and well-being. In the event of a bad condition or a bad condition, you should consult a doctor immediately.