12 weeks of pregnancy - this is how many months?

Women, nurturing first-born, often have difficulty in calculating the gestational age. The reason for this is the fact that gynecologists usually consider the period in weeks, and the mothers themselves are accustomed to the months. That's why they often have a question about whether 12-13 weeks of pregnancy - how many months. Let's try to answer it.

How does gestational age of obstetricians?

Due to the fact that in most cases definition of the day of conception is difficult, the gestational period starts counting from the first day of the last, observed monthly discharges.

At the same time, for convenience of calculation it is assumed that the month lasts exactly 4 weeks. Therefore, to calculate how many months this, 12 weeks gestation, the expectant mother is enough to divide by 4. Thus, it turns out that 12 weeks are 3 full obstetric months.

What happens to the fetus at this time?

The growth of the future baby at this time is 6-7 cm, and the mass of his body reaches 9-13 g.

The heart is already active and within 1 minute it makes up to 160 cuts. His knock is clearly audible when performing ultrasound.

By this time, the ripening of the thymus gland takes place, which is responsible for the synthesis of lymphocytes and the formation of the baby's own immune system. Simultaneously, the pituitary gland begins to release hormones that directly affect the metabolic rate, growth. Leukocytes begin to appear in the circulating blood.

The liver of the fetus produces bile, which is simply necessary for the digestive process. In this case, the walls of the small intestine begin to make active contractions of their muscle fibers - peristaltic.

In the musculoskeletal apparatus, a bone substance is formed. At the tips of the fingers appear rudiments of nail plates. The body itself is covered with hairs from the outside.

The baby commits the first movement in the amniotic fluid. Their updating occurs every day, and the volume makes no more than 50 ml.