how do you calculate how many months pregnant you are...?

l.m.k. · February 2010

This seems like a really dumb question, so I apologize in advance for asking.

It is obviously pretty easy to figure out how many weeks pregnant you are (esp with the bump tickers!) but how do you figure out how many months pregnant? Are you exactly 9 months pregnant on your due date, and you count backwards from there? Is it approximately the fetal age? Because if I go by my due date I was 1 month pregnant on Janauary 22, but at that point I was actually 5 1/2 weeks.

I can't believe this is so confusing to me. Where is my brain today? Embarrassed

kyfirewife · February 2010

I would go by your date of conception, if you know it.

Oh, and you're actually pg for 9 1/2 months if you go full term, so the 9 mo thing isn't that accurate.

Don't feel bad. It can get confusing. To this day I swear the dr office got my due date wrong.

JenRose05 · February 2010

I've never really understood this because typically you get 4 weeks in a month...divide that by 40 (the amount of weeks you are typically pregnant) and you get 10 months, not 9. Who knows.. I just go by every 4 weeks... i.e I am 12 weeks so I consider myself to be 3 months along. I may be totally wrong.

sistrkate · February 2010

Don't feel stupid, it's hard to figure out. Since most months have at least 30 days, and some 31, the number of weeks will never correspond to the number of months. To me, the craziest thing is that most people are 1 month pregnant when they get their BFP.......which is totally nuts since it's based on 1 month since your last period. Even that is off for some people since people ovulate at different points in their cycles......not everyone ovulates on the 14th day.

The way I figured it was by the date too. On my due date, I was at the END of my 9th month. I've seen some pregnancy calculators say to take the date of your last period, add 9 months plus one week, and bam! There's your due date.

I'm sure everyone will have a different way of doing this, but I stopped counting in months and just went by the week (much easier!).

Lucky_N_Love · February 2010

ha ha yeah don't feel stupid. This was a huge eye opener to me when I got pregnant that technically you are 2 weeks pregnant before you even conceive. I always just go by weeks when talking to friends with kids/doctor etc. because that is what they go by. If talking to people who had no idea I just would round to closest or just say my due date.

Moesten · February 2010

The 9 month thing is not accurate. You are really pregnant for 9.5 months from last period to due date and of course 4 weeks is only 28 days so 4 weeks doesn't make a month. It's really 4.5 weeks to a month. Most OBs don't talk in terms of how many months along, always weeks. Your due date is calculated at 40 weeks from the start of your last period. So I would just ballpark a little more than 4 weeks to a month when people ask how far along you are.

Have a healthy and happy 40 weeks! LOL

JenRose05 · February 2010

LOL Moesten...thanks for clarifying. I never really went by months in the first place...always weeks so I didnt really think too much in to it

adamsbabble · February 2010

I had the same questions when I was PG and I've seen plenty of others ask too... so if you're stupid then so am I.

I delivered Ava at 38 weeks 1 day but that was 38 weeks and 1 day from the first day of my last period, so she was techinically more like 36.5 weeks gestational age. With Charlotte I never had any idea how PG I was because I hadn't really gotten my period back when we conceived, so the due date was also just a best guess and then in the end she started measuring ahead just to make it extra confusing. I was HUGE too at the end with her.... I still say she came out a month old!

cops_wife · February 2010

Congratulations, Laura! How exciting.

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