Expecting your little bundle of joy soon? Want to do a ground study about EDD (Expected Due Date)? Well, a lot of science is involved behind them. There are some handful ways to calculate the due date. Before reading further, please understand that the due date calculator can provide the nearest estimate of when the baby arrives in the world. It can never be 100% accurate. Only 4-5% of babies are born on their pre-calculated exact due date.

Do you remember the starting day of your recent menstrual cycle (LMP last menstrual cycle)? Do you have knowledge about the exact day of ovulation? Even after knowing the ovulation day, are you sure when the male and female reproducing chromosome met each other, because the sperm can wait around for three days to fertilize the egg, after injection. The answers to above mostly are unsure, hence the accuracy of EDD.

Counting from the day of conception, it takes 38 weeks to reach the day of parenthood. But in most cases day of conception remains unsure. Here, the first day of the recent menstrual cycle is taken and 40 weeks (280 days) added for a rough calculation of EDD. In these types of approximate calculation, one can expect labor two weeks before or after the suggested EDD. In cases where the date of conception is known precisely, such as with In- Vitro Fertilization (IVF), the EDD is calculated by adding 266 days to the date of conception.

Ultrasound scanning is one of the age old popular ways to detect EDD and examine the wellness of the growing fetus. Ultrasound scan predicts the gestation age of the fetus in the womb. Gestation is the period between the conception and birth of the baby, the time it takes for the baby to develop and grow inside the mother’s womb. The earlier the ultrasound scanning is done, more accurate is the estimation of the due date.

One of the easier ways to calculate your due date with very less ground data is to consider the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP), add seven days to it and then count backward three months (change to the forthcoming year if necessary). For example, if your last period happens to commence on April 10, 2017, you need to add seven days resulting in April 17, 2017. Then subtract 3 months, which leads to January 17, 2018.

Many of the online due date calculators come in handy to estimate the EDD. They pose a couple of questions regarding LMP, luteal phase (the time when ovaries release egg for fertilization, the time period before the onset of the menstrual cycle), date of ovulation, etc. These online tools always have a near estimate of the due date. All these ways to find the birth day of your baby give a rough idea and remind you to get ready for the surprise any time close to the prediction. After all, your babies know best when to arrive and melt your heart! So keep your fingers crossed and await your bundle of happiness.