PREGNANT OR TRYING TO CONCEIVE? THEN YOU NEED A PREGNANCY WHEEL.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to spin around in circles, and it doesn’t have anything to do with Wheel of Fortune.
What Is a Pregnancy Wheel?
A pregnancy wheel is a tool used by obstetricians and gynecologists to determine the due date of a baby. They provide additional information about the pregnancy, fertility, baby size and when individual tests can be performed as well. It looks like something you might have used in a high school math class: two circular pieces of cardboard attached by a brad. The months and days of the year are on the outer wheel to calculate due dates.
What does the pregnancy wheel show you?
Use pregnancy wheel to detect and track your most fertile time of the month, which will help increase your chances of getting pregnant. With every menstrual cycle, you have a 25% chance of becoming pregnant if you’re having unprotected sex, ovulating regularly and if your partner has enough sperm. You may have heard that ovulation and the best chance for pregnancy occur on day 14 (14 days after the first day of your last period).
How To Use A Pregnancy Wheel
Like most due date calculators, a pregnancy wheel uses your last menstrual period as a benchmark. A pregnancy wheel is an incredibly simple tool to track your pregnancy and baby’s progress. Here’s how to use it:
- Find the arrow labeled “first day of last period” on the inner wheel and move it to point to that date.
- Now all of the other important dates in pregnancy, from conception to hearing your baby’s heartbeat, to your due date, will align with the appropriate dates.
A New Pregnancy Wheel
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists has created a new app to replace the pregnancy wheel. This new app includes calculations that allow doctors to combine information from ultrasounds with the first day of the last period date to create a more accurate assessment of the pregnancy. Also, the app allows doctors to determine the due date in patients who use assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF.
However, for most patients, the pregnancy wheel is still helpful and accurate. You may even want to use it in addition to an app, as it gives an excellent overview of the pregnancy. With the pregnancy wheel, you can easily see what part of the year you’ll experience each stage of gestation.
