Four Different Ways to Calculate your Pregnancy Due Date

"So when is the baby due?" is the first question any one asks you when you announce you are pregnant. Even though your doctor can give you a more precise date, many people rely on online pregnancy due date calculators.

Last Period

All you have to do is enter the date of your last period as well as the number of days in your menstrual cycle. The calculator will give you the due date based on the accuracy of your memory as well as how regular your cycle is. This is very simple for those women who have regular periods and can easily guesstimate the day their baby will arrive. However, for many other women who do not have an exact date for their period, they have to rely on other means that involve a trip to a doctor's office or laboratory.

Urine Sample

A urine sample can not replace a pregnancy due date calculator but by calculating the Hcg count it can tell if you are 'really' pregnant or if you just conceived as that hormone rises with each consecutive week.

Blood Work

Having your blood drawn is another (slightly more painful) method of calculating your pregnancy due date as again the hormone levels are calculated and you can confirm the results of the above two methods.

Fool Proof Method - Ultrasound

Despite the success of the above mentioned methods, nothing is as fool proof as the ultrasound when you want to calculate the due date for your pregnancy. So early on in the pregnancy, expect to have an internal ultrasound where a probe will be inserted in your vagina (much like a tampon) and then the ultrasound technician will measure the size of the embryo and give you a confirmed due date.

The ultrasound also helps eliminate the possibility of a tubal pregnancy or a false positive in any of the above methods. Even though you can get pictures 'confirming' your pregnancy, it is difficult to actually see anything 'baby like' as compared to an ultrasound later on in the pregnancy where you can even determine the sex of the little one growing in your belly.

Despite all these methods, some babies just decide to arrive much sooner than any doctor or parent expects them to. Some stick around for even after the 41st week. Therefore, pack your hospital bag in advance and get the nursery ready, because your baby is not going to wait for the results of your pregnancy due date calculator!