U. S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-NY, and, former President Bill Clinton, blow out the candles on a cake at Hillary Rodham Clinton's 59th birthday party at Tavern on the Green in New York, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006.
The unborn baby spends around 38 weeks in the uterus, but the average length of pregnancy, or gestation, is counted at 40 weeks. Pregnancy is counted from the first day of the womanâs last period, not the date of conception which generally occurs two weeks later.
Pregnancy is considered late term from 41 weeks, 0 days' to 41 weeks, 6 days' gestation, and postterm at 42 weeks' gestation. Cochrane review showed that beginning sweeping at term (beyond 38 weeks) reduced the duration of pregnancy and reduced the likelihood that the pregnancy would continue beyond 41 weeks (relative risk = 0.59; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.74) or 42 weeks (relative risk = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.50).