The gestational age and fetal age are two stages of a fetus after the egg has been fertilized by sperm. You can calculate the gestational age by counting from the day immediately after the last menstrual period. This calculation helps in determining the date the pregnancy is meant to be due. Conversely, you calculate the fetal age right from the day of conception. Conception usually takes occur two weeks after the last menstrual period. Hence, the gestational age should be 2 weeks higher than the fetal age.
The importance of the gestational age is to help monitor and calculate the development of fetus in the woman stomach. This age is usually divided into three trimesters, which takes about three months for each trimester. The importance of the fetal age is to help the doctor discover if the rate of growth of the fetus is normal, without any anomalies. An ultrasound can be used to monitor the fetal age.
Gestational age is the term used during the course of pregnancy to describe how far along the pregnancy is. The average period of gestation is 40 weeks but can span anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks. This time is counted from the first day of a female's last normal period. The fetal age is the actual age of the fetus in the womb from the time of conception forward.
The fetal age is used to make sure that the baby is developing correctly and on time. The fetal age is usually about two weeks behind the gestational age.