How to figure out my conception date

Use the drop-down menu to calculate your due date or current week of pregnancy.

This calculator allows you to calculate the following:

Last menstrual period (LMP): The LMP calculation uses the standard method of the first day of your last menstrual period plus 280 days to calculate the due date.

Ultrasound due date: If a due date has been calculated from an ultrasound in the first trimester, the reverse calculation method is preferred. This calculates the current gestational age and gives an estimated date of LMP.

Conception date: If conception is known (eg, date of insemination, ovulation or egg retrieval), then the due date can be calculated by adding 266 days.

Gestation at a future or past date: Use to calculate gestation in the future or past. First, calculate current gestation using one of the other methods, then go to this section and choose past or future date.

Date at future or past gestation: Use to calculate the date at a specific gestation (enter in weeks). First, calculate current gestation using one of the other methods, then go to this section and choose a gestational age.

Most pregnancies last around 38 weeks from conception.  Typically women ovulate about two weeks after their menstrual cycle starts, so the best way to estimate your due date is to count 40 weeks, or 280 days, from the first day of your last menstrual period.  

Another way to do it is to subtract three months from the first day of your last period and add seven days. So if your last period started on April 11, you’d count back three months to January 11 and then add seven days, which means your due date would be January 18.

This is how your doctor will estimate your due date — and it’s a pretty solid target. But remember: It’s just as normal to deliver a week or two before or after.

You have several options for determining your conception date:

  • An ultrasound is the most accurate way to see how far along your pregnancy is. Ultrasounds provide a detailed look at your baby’s development and will give you a good estimate of how far along your pregnancy is.
  • An online pregnancy calculator can give an estimate of when you conceived based on when your last period was. This method is not as accurate as a confirmation ultrasound.

We offer free ultrasounds at our pregnancy center. Our medical professionals are trained in limited obstetrical ultrasound and provide medical services under the direction and supervision of a licensed physician.

How to Know When You Conceived

In general, women can only conceive when they are ovulating – that is, when their ovaries release a new egg into their fallopian tubes for fertilization. Ovulation usually occurs about two weeks after your menstrual period and lasts for two or three days.

However, not all women have the same cycles of menstruation and ovulation. Some women’s menstrual cycles are irregular. Others have ovulation periods closer to or further from their menstrual period. Some women simply aren’t sure when their last period was. In other words, calculating conception based just on your body cycles can be difficult.

You can also simply try to determine the last time you had sexual intercourse, but this method isn’t totally accurate either. Conception is a process and takes time, and a man’s sperm can actually stay alive inside your body for up to a week after sex. All of these factors can make it hard to know when exactly you conceived.

This is why a pregnancy confirmation ultrasound is the best way to know how far along your pregnancy is and to determine when you conceived. Pregnancy ultrasounds look directly at the development of your growing baby to determine its age and when you likely conceived. This method is much more accurate than date-based calculation.

“When exactly did I get pregnant” is a difficult question to answer precisely because calculating conception is done by using the first day of your last menstrual period or an ultrasound date.

Use our Pregnancy Calculator to calculate these dates for you.

Calculating Gestational Age

Last Menstrual Period

If the mother has a regular period and knows the first day of her last menstrual period, gestational age can be calculated from this date. Gestational age is calculated from the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period and not from the date of conception. A pregnancy wheel is often used to calculate gestational age.

Ultrasound

 The baby can be measured as early as 5 or 6 weeks after the mother’s last menstrual period. Measuring the baby using ultrasound is most accurate in early pregnancy. It becomes less accurate later in pregnancy. The best time to estimate gestational age using ultrasound is between the 8th and 18th weeks of pregnancy. The most accurate way to determine gestational age is using the first day of the woman’s last menstrual period and confirming this gestational age with the measurement from an ultrasound exam.

Calculating Conception Date

In a Typical Pregnancy

For a woman with a regular period, conception typically occurs about 11-21 days after the first day of the last period. Most women do not know the exact date of conception because it can be challenging to know exactly when ovulation occurs. Thus, their conception date is merely an estimate based on the first day of their last period.

Special Cases

Women who undergo special procedures, such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization, typically know the exact date of conception.

Calculating Estimated Due Date

Based on the last menstrual period, the estimated due date is 40 weeks from the first day of the period. This is just an estimate since only about 5% of babies are born on their estimated due date.

Difficulties in Determining the Gestational Age

Last Menstrual Period

For women who have irregular menstrual periods or women who cannot remember the first day of their last menstrual period, it can be difficult to determine gestational age using this method. In these cases, an ultrasound exam is often required to determine gestational age.

Baby’s Growth

In some cases, it is difficult to determine the gestational age because the baby is unusually large or small. Also, in some cases, the size of the uterus in early pregnancy or the height of the uterus in later pregnancy does not match the first day of the last menstrual period. In these cases as well, it is difficult to obtain an accurate gestational age.

Want to Know More?

  • Baby Development Month by Month Video
  • 7 Common Discomforts of Pregnancy
  • Vitamin D and Pregnancy