A Vanilla Pregnancy

Most pregnancies we hear about are the extreme ones. Lengthy labors, morning sickness that lasts from conception to delivery or giving birth to a toddler-sized infant. But what is an "average" pregnancy?

Thankfully the average human pregnancy is far shorter than your average elephant pregnancy, clocking in at an average length of 280 days. This calculates out to about 40 weeks or 9.33 calendar months of 30 days, when calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period.

"In reality, this ends up being 266 days (38 weeks) from the time of conception (scientifically the most accurate, but when these numbers were first described, science did not know about the timing of conception)," says Dr. Eldridge Pearsall, an OB/GYN from Beverly Hills, Calif. Today's blood tests and ultrasound also help with accurate dating.

How much weight does the average woman gain during this time of housing and eating for two? According to Dr. Pearsall, the average weight gain during pregnancy is 2.2 to 4.4 pounds during the first trimester of pregnancy (up to 13 weeks) and 1 pound per week thereafter. This average ends up being approximately 28 pounds.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.