How far along am I — and when can you find out the sex?

“How far along am I?” is usually the very first question of a pregnancy, and it has a precise answer: your gestational age, expressed in completed weeks and days. Here's how to find it from whatever date you have, and — since it's the natural follow-up — roughly when a scan can show the baby's sex.

How to work out how far along you are

Gestational age is counted from the first day of your last menstrual period. To find it for today (or any date):

• From your last period: count the days since the first day of your LMP; that's your gestational age. On our calculator, enter the LMP and read the weeks-and-days figure.
• From an ultrasound: the scan gives a gestational age on the scan date, which the calculator carries forward to today — use ultrasound mode.
• From conception or IVF: enter the conception date (or IVF details) and the tool converts it to gestational age.

Weeks-and-days notation like 12w 3d means twelve weeks and three days. If the difference between weeks and “months” confuses you, that's normal — pregnancy is tracked in weeks precisely because it's more exact.

How far along to find out the sex?

There are two common routes, at different stages:

• Ultrasound: the baby's sex can often be seen on the mid-pregnancy anatomy scan, typically done around 18 to 22 weeks. Visibility depends on the baby's position, so it isn't always possible on the day.
• Blood screening (NIPT): certain prenatal blood tests can indicate sex earlier — from around 10 weeks — where they're offered. Availability and purpose vary, and these tests are primarily for screening, so your provider will explain what applies to you.

Exact timing and options differ by country and clinic, so treat these as general ranges rather than guarantees.

Knowing what “along” means

Being “12 weeks along” uses gestational age, which starts about two weeks before conception — so the embryo itself is roughly two weeks younger than the week number suggests. That offset trips many people up; it's explained fully in gestational age vs. fetal age. Your week number also places you on the trimester map — see pregnancy trimesters and milestones.

Get your number now

Enter any one date into the OB wheel and it will show exactly how far along you are today, your estimated due date, your trimester, and the dates of each upcoming milestone. If a scan has already dated you, use that; it's the most reliable starting point.