Gestational age
Gestational age is a term used in obstetrics and gynecology to describe the age of an embryo or fetus or the duration of pregnancy. It is measured in weeks, starting from the first day of the woman's last menstrual cycle.
Pronunciation
Gestational age is pronounced as /ˌdʒɛstəˈʃənəl eɪdʒ/.
Etymology
The term "gestational" is derived from the Latin word "gestare" which means "to carry or to bear". The term "age" comes from the Old French "aage", which is derived from the Latin word "aetas" meaning "lifetime or age".
Definition
Gestational age is the common term used to describe the age of a pregnancy. It is measured in weeks and days and is calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP). This method of calculating gestational age is known as the Naegele's rule.
Related Terms
- Embryo: An early stage in the development of a multicellular organism. In humans, it is the stage of development from the time of fertilization until the end of the eighth week of gestation.
- Fetus: The stage of development in humans from the ninth week of gestation until birth.
- Obstetrics: The branch of medicine that deals with the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the recuperative period following delivery.
- Gynecology: The branch of medicine that deals with the health of the female reproductive systems and the breasts.
- Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body.
- Menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of changes in the ovaries and the lining of the uterus, starting with the preparation of an egg for fertilization.
- Naegele's rule: A standard way of calculating the due date for a pregnancy, based on the woman's last menstrual period.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Gestational age
- Wikipedia's article - Gestational age
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