Guides

Fetal Development Week by Week

Week-by-Week from LMP

1 What is the Fetal Development Week by Week?

PediAid's Fetal Development guide walks through pregnancy week by week, from the two weeks of follicle maturation before conception through full term (39-41 weeks). Each week card explains what the source calls gestational (menstrual) age versus embryonic/conceptional age: gestational age is measured from the first day of the last menstrual period and is conventionally expressed in completed weeks, so a 36-week-6-day fetus is documented as a 36-week fetus. The guide organizes development by trimester and highlights milestones in organ formation, growth, and lung maturation as they occur.

2 When to use it

  • Counseling parents on expected fetal size, weight, and developmental milestones at a specific gestational age
  • Explaining viability thresholds and expected survival when discussing an extremely preterm birth
  • Reviewing critical windows for teratogen or exposure risk for a specific organ system
  • Cross-checking ultrasound biometry (crown-rump length, estimated weight) against expected gestational age
  • Teaching trainees the sequence of embryonic and fetal organogenesis by week
  • Quickly confirming which trimester a given gestational age falls into for documentation

3 Formula & method

The guide is organized as a week-by-week reference (weeks 1-2 combined, then individually through week 39-41) grouped into three trimesters: 1st trimester (<14 weeks 0 days), 2nd trimester (14 weeks 0 days through 27 weeks 6 days), and 3rd trimester (28 weeks 0 days through delivery). It flags key transitions such as the start of the embryonic period (weeks 5-10, the critical window for most birth defects), the viability threshold at 24 weeks, late preterm (34-36 weeks), early term (37-38 weeks), and full term (39-41 weeks), along with lung development stages (pseudoglandular, canalicular, terminal saccular). It also includes three reference equations quoted directly from the app: Crown-Rump Length to Menstrual Age (Hadlock 1992, valid 5-18 weeks): 'LN(MA) = 1.684969 + (0.315646 x CRL) - (0.049306 x CRL^2) + (0.004057 x CRL^3) - (0.000120456 x CRL^4)'; Crown-Heel Length to GA (Fenton): 'Length (cm) = -0.0219^2 x GA(weeks) + 2.5764 x GA(weeks) - 17.059'; and Weight to Gestational Age (Hadlock 1991): 'ln weight(g) = 0.578 + 0.332 x MA - 0.00354 x MA^2'.
  • Hadlock 1992
  • Hadlock 1991
  • Fenton 2003

4 Frequently asked questions

How is gestational age different from fetal (conceptional) age?

Gestational (menstrual) age is measured from the first day of the last menstrual period and is what's used clinically because ovulation timing is usually unknown. Conceptional/embryonic age runs from actual fertilization and is roughly two weeks behind gestational age.

When is a fetus considered viable according to PediAid's guide?

The guide flags 24 weeks as the viability threshold, with 23 weeks marked as 'approaching viability threshold.' It also notes approximate survival rates rising through the following weeks (about 87% at 26 weeks, about 94% at 27-28 weeks).

What are the three trimesters by week?

1st trimester is less than 14 weeks 0 days, 2nd trimester runs 14 weeks 0 days through 27 weeks 6 days, and 3rd trimester is 28 weeks 0 days through delivery.

How can ultrasound measurements estimate gestational age?

PediAid includes three cited equations: crown-rump length to menstrual age (Hadlock 1992), crown-heel length to gestational age (Fenton), and estimated weight to gestational age (Hadlock 1991).

What happens during the embryonic period (weeks 5-10)?

This is flagged as the critical period for birth defects, since most major organ systems are forming during this window; most such defects have no single known cause or are multifactorial.

For qualified clinicians. This page and the PediAid app are a clinical aid only. Calculations and reference data must be verified against the patient's clinical context, the source guideline and your local protocols before any treatment decision is made.