{"id":926,"date":"2022-09-23T20:05:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T20:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/powermom.scripps.edu\/?p=926"},"modified":"2022-10-30T20:12:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-30T20:12:13","slug":"pregnancy-tracking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/powermom.scripps.edu\/es\/2022\/09\/23\/pregnancy-tracking\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to Start with Pregnancy Tracking"},"content":{"rendered":"

An expecting mama has a lot of dates to keep track of over the course of their pregnancy. After all, the number of doctor visits only goes up as the weeks fly by. Baby showers and maternity leave can fill up calendars fast, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

But at the end of the day, only one date really matters to a mom-to-be: their due date. And yet, that single day can be the most difficult to understand. That’s because when someone asks, “How far along am I?”, the answer depends on how they define the word ‘along.’<\/span><\/p>\n

How Do You Calculate Your Pregnancy?<\/h2>\n

If a person tracks the time since the first day of their last menstrual period, that’s known as the gestational age. It may also be referred to as Last Menstrual Period (LMP). This is the standard for ‘far along’ that healthcare providers use.<\/span><\/p>\n

If someone’s counting the days since sperm met and fertilized the egg, though, that is the time since conception. When calculating a pregnancy by weeks, the number can change if you use the first or second measurement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gestational age tends to be around two weeks more than the amount of time since conception. This aligns with the 28-day ovulation cycle, which is known as the average for most women of childbearing age.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the <\/span>28-day framework<\/span><\/a>, the days are broken up in this general way:<\/span><\/p>\n