The Lie of the EDD: Why Your Due Date Isn’t when You Think
The above article has two pages.
This article covers one of the hottest topics in the doula world. Your Due Date. There is so much pressure on women today to have their babies by their due dates. One day past their EDD and they are “Overdue”.
A pregnancy is considered “term” from anywhere between 38 weeks to 42 weeks, but for some reason, doctors only stress the 38 week part and then lead mom’s to believe that anything past 40 weeks is no longer term, but overdue. The fact is, if left alone, almost all women will have their babies by week 42.
It’s this misleading information, and the fact that not all women ovulate on cycle day 14 (which is the general assumption when you are given a due date based on LMP, or Last Menstrual Period), that can lead to a preterm baby when an induction or early scheduled c-section is performed.
In the article it mentions the inacuracies of ultrasound. Here is a short explanation of the chart:
First trimester: 7 days
14 – 20 weeks: 10 days
21 – 30 weeks: 14 days
31 – 42 weeks: 21 days
If you have an ultrasound in the first trimester, the gestational age can be off by 7 days, in either direction. In an ultrasound at 14-20 days, the gestational age can be off by 10 days. If you get an ultrasound in weeks 31-42, it’s possible that the gestational age given by the technician may be off by as many as 21 days. That means that the ultrasound may date your pregnancy at 40 weeks, when you are actually 37 weeks.
What can you do about this? Learn about your cycles and how your body works. With an accurate date of ovulation you can achieve a more accurate due date, though this wont pinpoint the exact date of birth.
How does it help? It allows your Dr. to accurately base your due date on YOU and not the cookie-cutter formula that is usually used on every woman regardless of their cycles.
