What does full-term mean in a pregnancy?
Once you get close to the end of your pregnancy, healthcare providers may use several terms to describe when you go into labor. These terms are labels that divide up the last few weeks of pregnancy.
They’re helpful in determining how likely a baby is to have complications at birth. For example, babies that are born in the early term period (or before it) generally have a higher risk of breathing issues than babies born at full term.
When you’re looking at these labels, it’s important to know how they’re written. You may see the week first (38) and then two numbers separated by a slash mark (6/7). This stands for how many days you currently are in the gestational week. So, if you see 38 6/7, it means that you’re on day 6 of your 38th week.
The last few weeks of pregnancy are divided into the following groups:
- Early-term: 37 0/7 weeks through 38 6/7 weeks.
- Full-term: 39 0/7 weeks through 40 6/7 weeks.
- Late-term: 41 0/7 weeks through 41 6/7 weeks.
- Post-term: 42 0/7 weeks and on.
Talk to your healthcare provider about any questions you may have about gestational age and due date.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
There’s a lot that needs to happen for a pregnancy to occur, grow and result in a birth. Learning about how the fetus grows can be exciting and eye-opening, especially when you realize how many organs, systems and body functions develop within a nine-month period. Both you and the fetus growing inside of you go through many changes during pregnancy. Ask your pregnancy care provider about these changes and any other questions you have. They’re there to be a resource to you and give you the best possible care.