Estimated date of confinement

The Estimated Date of Confinement (EDC) is a term describing the estimated delivery date for a pregnant woman. Normal pregnancies last between 37 and 42 weeks.

It is a calculated date (i.e., an estimation), determined by counting forward 280 days (40 weeks) from the first day of the woman's last menstrual period.

Origins of the term
Confinement is a traditional term referring to the period of pregnancy whereby a woman would be confined to bed (in an effort to reduce risk of premature delivery). Except in threatened pregnancies (for example, in pre-eclampsia), this is no longer a part of antenatal care.