Understanding Your Pregnancy
A woman’s body usually releases a matured egg every 22–40 days (length of a menstruation cycle) for fertilisation in addition to preparing the lining of the uterus; this process is called ovulation. If the egg is not fertilised, the body prepares to flush out the uterine lining and everything else; this results in vaginal bleeding every month, which is called a period.
If the egg is fertilised during the ovulation period (also known as the fertile window), you become pregnant. Many females, who are trying to conceive, use an ovulation calculator to find out the best time to get pregnant. You are recommended to wait for your next period before taking a pregnancy test, as taking the test any earlier might produce false results.
The pregnancy usually lasts for 9 months or about 38 weeks after conception or 40 weeks after the last period. You should visit a gynaecologist after getting a positive pregnancy test result; the doctor will share some basic information after examining you, answer all your doubts, and give you an estimated due date (EDD) on which your baby will be born.
However, the actual date of delivery may differ from the estimated due date as childbirth depends on various factors that keep changing till the baby is born.
