A full term pregnancy depicts the entire duration of time, right from the conception of the embryo to the eventual delivery of the baby. Pregnancy term can range between 37 to 42 weeks in its entirety. Any more or less leads to birth complications. It is however not uncommon to have premature babies to survive and sustain but chances of health complications in delayed babies are more risky. Therefore, it is important to calculate the full term pregnancy from the time of last menstruation to the date of birth. A full term pregnancy is generally agreed to be 37 weeks. The Doctors can help women to determine the start of pregnancy, thereby deriving the end term too. Full term pregnancy is broadly segregated into three trimesters (three months)

First Trimester: This period of 12 weeks covers the duration from the conception of the embryo to the formation and development of fetus. The first two weeks are the post menstrual period, third week is when fertilization occurs and implantation happens on the fourth week. Weeks five to twelve are taken up by development of the embryo into a fetus with distinct development of body parts. Women experience symptoms like morning sickness, lethargy and tiredness.

Second Trimester: This period constitutes weeks thirteen to twenty eight. In this trimester of full term pregnancy, women feel energized and all symptoms of sicknesses disappear. The development of the fetus continues in this period and movement of the fetus can be felt by the women. Genital organs begin to develop in the fetus and the gender can be ascertained as a result. In this trimester, the chances of miscarriage are high. Some fetuses undergo a natural death process and this can cause miscarriage. Care must be taken to prevent disruption of the fetus growth and strenuous physical activities must be avoided.

Third Trimester: This period of the full term pregnancy can extend beyond the stipulated three months. In this period, the fetus growth is exponential and it reflects in the size of the mother’s abdomen. The movement of the fetus increases and can cause discomfiture to the mother. The fetus turns head side down to prepare itself for delivery and towards the end of the term, the head of the baby settles into the pelvic cavity. It is possible to have a premature delivery of the baby or a delayed delivery of a baby. Any birth occurring before the 37^th week is called premature and delivery beyond 37 weeks is called delayed birth.