Due on September 8? Your Most Likely Conception Date
Counting back from a September 8 due date puts the most likely day of conception at December 16 of the previous year. That's an estimate, so we've also included the window of days around it.
Key dates for a September 8 due date
| Most likely conception date | December 16 |
|---|---|
| Likely conception window | December 13 – December 19 |
| Days when sex could have led to pregnancy | December 11 – December 17 |
| Estimated first day of last period | December 2 |
| Positive home test likely from | December 30 (around the missed period) |
| Second trimester begins (14 weeks) | March 10 |
| Third trimester begins (28 weeks) | June 16 |
| Full term begins (39 weeks) | September 1 |
How the conception date is calculated
Due dates are normally counted as 280 days (40 weeks) from the first day of the last menstrual period. In a typical 28-day cycle, ovulation and conception happen about two weeks after that period starts, so conception sits roughly 266 days before the due date. Subtracting 266 days from September 8 gives December 16.
Because sperm can live for up to five days, the act of sex and the moment of conception aren't always the same day. Fertilisation happens close to ovulation, but the sex that led to it may have been days earlier.
How certain is this date?
Due dates set from an early ultrasound are usually more accurate than those set from a period date alone, so if your provider changed your due date after a scan, use the newer one here.
If your cycles are usually longer than 28 days, conception probably happened a little later than December 16; with shorter cycles, a little earlier. A cycle that is 32 days long, for example, shifts the likely date about four days later.
Check your own dates
Enter your exact due date in the conception date calculator to see these results with weekdays and the correct year, or start from your last period with the last-period conception calculator.
Conception Date Calculator: Find the most likely conception date from your due date.
Open the calculatorThis article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or midwife about your own pregnancy or fertility.