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The estimated date of delivery (EDD), also known as expected date of confinement, [1] and estimated due date or simply due date, is a term describing the estimated delivery date for a pregnant woman. [2] Normal pregnancies last between 38 and 42 weeks. [3] Children are delivered on their expected due date about 4% of the time. [4]
Women are 4-5 times more likely to develop a clot during pregnancy and in the postpartum period than when they are not pregnant. [25] Hypercoagulability in pregnancy likely evolved to protect women from hemorrhage at the time of miscarriage or childbirth. In developing countries, the leading cause of maternal death is still hemorrhage. [25]
Scientific advances prompted a number of secular thinkers to advocate periodic abstinence to avoid pregnancy: [11] in the 1840s it was discovered that many animals ovulate during estrus. Because some animals (such as dogs ) have a bloody discharge during estrus, it was assumed that menstruation was the corresponding most fertile time for women.
Furthermore, the number of the week is one more than the actual age of the embryo/fetus. For example, the embryo is 0 whole weeks old during the 1st week after fertilization. The following table summarizes the various expression systems during week number x of gestation.
During pregnancy, pronounced breast growth and maturation occurs in preparation of lactation and breastfeeding. [20] [29] [30] Estrogen and progesterone levels increase dramatically, [20] reaching levels by late pregnancy that are several hundred-fold higher than usual menstrual cycle levels. [31]
The popularity of using this measure of pregnancy is largely due to convenience: menstruation is usually noticed, while there is generally no convenient way to discern when fertilization or implantation occurred. Gestational age is contrasted with fertilization age, which takes the date of fertilization as the start date of gestation.
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If pregnancy is a high concern, using two methods at the same time is reasonable. [128] For example, two forms of birth control are recommended in those taking the anti-acne drug isotretinoin or anti-epileptic drugs like carbamazepine, due to the high risk of birth defects if taken during pregnancy. [130] [131]