What Happens If I Go Past My Due Date?

Author: Igel Cudiera

Reaching your due date with no sign of labor can feel frustrating, especially when everyone keeps asking whether the baby has arrived. This guide explains what an overdue pregnancy actually means, what happens each week after your due date, how your baby is monitored, and how you and your midwife can decide between induction and waiting.

Key Takeaways

• A due date is an estimate. ACOG calls a pregnancy late term from 41 weeks through 41 weeks and 6 days, and postterm from 42 weeks on.
• Going a few days past your due date is common. Reaching 42 weeks is not: among single-baby births in 2022, fewer than 1 in 300 in the U.S. happened at 42 weeks or later, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• For otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies, ACOG recommends monitoring your baby once or twice a week starting at 41 weeks.
• Most babies born after their due date are healthy, but some risks, including stillbirth, rise with each week past term.
• Whether to induce labor or keep waiting is a shared decision between you and your provider.
• A change in your baby's movements is always a reason to call your midwife right away.

What "Past Your Due Date" Really Means

Your estimated due date is counted from the first day of your last menstrual period, and the average pregnancy lasts 280 days, or 40 weeks, according to ACOG. ACOG also notes that an ultrasound in the first trimester (up to 13 weeks and 6 days) is the most accurate way to set or confirm the due date, and that once a due date has been chosen, it doesn't change, no matter how many more ultrasounds you have. ACOG also considers a pregnancy without an ultrasound that confirms or adjusts the due date before 22 weeks to be "suboptimally dated," meaning the due date is less certain.

So "past your due date" simply means you have passed the 40-week mark. Doctors and midwives use these terms for the weeks around it:

These definitions come from ACOG and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (you will also see postterm written as "post-term"). In other words, a pregnancy at 40 weeks and 5 days is still full term, not late.

Being a few days past your due date is normal. ACOG notes that most women give birth between 38 and 41 weeks. CDC data on single-baby births in the U.S. in 2022 show that about 39% were born at 39 weeks and about 18% at 40 weeks, while about 5% were born at 41 weeks and only 0.27% at 42 weeks or later.

Why Some Pregnancies Go Longer

ACOG explains that the causes of a postterm pregnancy are unknown, but a few factors make it more likely:

• It is your first baby
• You are carrying a male baby
• You have had a postterm pregnancy before
• You have obesity

None of these means something is wrong. They are simply patterns seen across many pregnancies.

What Happens Week by Week After Your Due Date

Every pregnancy and every practice is a little different, but ACOG's guidance follows a general pattern.

From 40 to 41 Weeks

ACOG notes that a pregnancy between 40 and 41 weeks doesn't necessarily need extra testing. You will keep having prenatal visits in the final weeks, which Birthing Center NYC schedules weekly until birth. Keep paying attention to your baby's movements, and it is a good time to talk with your midwife about the plan if labor hasn't started by 41 weeks.

At 41 Weeks

Once you reach 41 weeks, the pregnancy is considered late term. For otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies, ACOG recommends starting fetal monitoring at 41 weeks, and its patient guidance notes that labor induction may be recommended at this point. This is often when the conversation about inducing or waiting becomes more specific.

Between 41 and 42 Weeks

If you and your provider decide to wait, ACOG recommends continuing to monitor your baby once or twice a week. Depending on the results, the same test may be repeated, a different test may be done, or delivery may be recommended.

At 42 Weeks

At 42 weeks, the pregnancy is considered postterm. ACOG's guidance for otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies considers delivery indicated at this point.

How Your Baby Is Monitored After the Due Date

Monitoring helps your care team check that your baby is still doing well while you wait. ACOG describes these common tests, which are done in a provider's office or a hospital. Your midwife will tell you which ones you need and where they take place.

Your Baby's Movements

You are often the first to notice a change. The CDC explains that there is no specific number of movements that is considered normal, and that a change in your baby's movements is what matters. If your baby is moving less than before, or you feel your baby has stopped moving, call your midwife right away. Your provider may also ask you to do kick counts, which means tracking your baby's movements at home, and will explain how and when to do them.

Nonstress Test (NST)

A nonstress test records your baby's heart rate, usually for about 20 minutes, using a sensor on a belt around your belly. A "reactive" result is reassuring. ACOG notes that a "nonreactive" result doesn't necessarily mean the baby is unwell. The baby may simply have been asleep, and the test is often extended or followed by another test.

Biophysical Profile and Amniotic Fluid Checks

A biophysical profile (BPP) combines heart rate monitoring with an ultrasound that looks at your baby's breathing movements, body movements, muscle tone, and the amount of amniotic fluid. Each area is scored, for a total of up to 10 points, and ACOG notes that a score of 8 to 10 is reassuring. A modified BPP combines a nonstress test with an ultrasound check of the amniotic fluid only. ACOG explains that the fluid level gives an idea of how well the placenta is working, and that low fluid may mean more frequent testing or considering delivery.

You can read about the other prenatal tests and screenings offered earlier in pregnancy in our separate guide.

Why Timing Matters: Understanding the Risks

Is it safe for a baby to be overdue? Start with the reassuring part: ACOG states that problems occur in only a small number of postterm pregnancies, and that most women who give birth after their due date have an uncomplicated labor and a healthy baby.

Still, ACOG notes that some risks for you and your baby may increase in a late-term or postterm pregnancy. These include:

• Stillbirth
• Macrosomia, meaning a baby estimated to weigh between 9 and 10 pounds
• Postmaturity syndrome, in which a baby is born with a long, lean body and thin, wrinkled skin
• Meconium (the baby's first stool) in the baby's lungs, which can cause breathing problems after birth
• Less amniotic fluid, which can let the umbilical cord get pinched and reduce oxygen to the baby
• A higher chance of an assisted vaginal birth or a cesarean birth, and of infection and heavy bleeding after birth

Stillbirth is the risk people worry about most, so here are the numbers. ACOG reports that the risk of stillbirth rises with each week past term, from 0.11 per 1,000 ongoing pregnancies at 37 weeks to 1.78 per 1,000 at 41 weeks and 3.18 per 1,000 at 42 weeks. The risk stays low overall, but it rises week by week, which is why monitoring and timing get more attention after 41 weeks.

Induction or Waiting: How the Decision Gets Made

What Induction Involves

Labor induction means using medication or other methods to start labor. ACOG explains that, first, the cervix needs to soften and begin to open, a process called cervical ripening. Your provider may use the Bishop score, a 0 to 13 rating, to see how ready your cervix is. Methods can include:

• Prostaglandins: medications that ripen the cervix, placed in the vagina or taken by mouth
• A balloon catheter: a thin tube with a small balloon that gently widens the cervix
• Membrane sweeping: the provider sweeps a gloved finger between the amniotic sac and the wall of the uterus. ACOG notes this is done when the cervix is partly open and may help release the body's own prostaglandins.
• Breaking the waters (amniotomy): a small opening is made in the amniotic sac
• Oxytocin: a hormone given through an IV to bring on contractions

ACOG lists the possible risks of induction as changes in the baby's heart rate (for example, if the uterus contracts too often), infection, and the chance that induction doesn't work, or that an assisted vaginal birth or cesarean birth is needed. If induction doesn't work and you and your baby are doing well with the waters still intact, ACOG notes you may be offered the option to go home and try again later.

What the Research Shows

• Induction compared with waiting: a 2020 Cochrane review of trials that mostly offered induction after 41 completed weeks found fewer baby deaths around the time of birth with a policy of induction, although the absolute numbers were small (0.4 compared with 3 per 1,000). It also found lower cesarean rates, no increase in assisted vaginal births, and fewer admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit.
• World Health Organization (WHO): its 2022 guidance recommends induction once a pregnancy is known with certainty to have reached 41 weeks, and does not recommend routine induction before 41 weeks for uncomplicated pregnancies.
• Induction at 39 weeks: ACOG notes that research suggests induction at 39 weeks may lower the chance of a cesarean birth for healthy women in their first full-term pregnancy, and that hospitals may offer it if they have the staff and resources to do so.
• Membrane sweeping: a 2020 Cochrane review found that it may help labor start on its own, though the evidence was of low certainty, and that it may reduce the need for a formal induction.

Guidance on the best timing differs between organizations, which is one reason this is a conversation, not a rule.

If You Would Prefer to Wait

ACOG's ethics guidance is clear that an adult patient with decision-making capacity has the right to refuse treatment, including during pregnancy, and that shared decision-making is the standard for informed consent. Choosing to wait usually means more frequent check-ins and monitoring. If test results raise a concern, or once you reach 42 weeks, your provider may recommend delivery, and they should explain why.

Questions to Ask Your Midwife

1. How was my due date set, and how confident are we in it?
2. What monitoring do you recommend from here, how often, and where will it happen?
3. What do my test results mean?
4. For my pregnancy, what are the benefits and risks of induction now compared with waiting?
5. If I wait, how long is reasonable, and what would change the plan?
6. Is a membrane sweep an option for me, and what does it feel like?
7. If I need an induction, which methods would be used, and where?
8. Who will be with me if my birth needs to move to the hospital?

What Going Past Your Due Date Means for a Birth Center Birth

Birth centers are designed for low-risk pregnancies. ACOG and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine describe birth centers as providing care for low-risk women with uncomplicated, single-baby, head-down term pregnancies. The national Standards for Birth Centers from the American Association of Birth Centers limit birth center birth to pregnancies between 36 and 42 weeks. New York's birth center rules also don't allow labor to be induced or sped up with medication that acts directly on the uterus, so an induction with medication takes place in a hospital.

Birthing Center NYC lists labor starting well before or after the due date among the situations that may call for a hospital birth. Ask your midwife how these limits apply to your pregnancy. You can learn more about who can give birth at a birth center in our guide to birth center safety and eligibility.

A change of setting doesn't have to mean a change of team. Birthing Center NYC's midwives also attend planned hospital births, and the practice notes that when families move to the hospital from another setting, their records and birth preferences go with them and a midwife they already know stays involved. Read more about a planned hospital birth with your own midwives.

If Labor Starts on Its Own After Your Due Date

The WHO notes that most women give birth by the end of the 41st week, and many people go into labor on their own after their due date. If your water breaks, ACOG advises calling your provider and following their instructions. Once labor begins, your midwife continues to watch how it progresses. If it slows down, our article on what happens if labor slows down explains the options.

When to Call Your Midwife Right Away

These signs come from the CDC's list of urgent maternal warning signs and ACOG's guidance on labor. The CDC advises seeking medical care immediately for warning signs like these. If you can't reach your midwife, don't wait: ACOG's labor guidance lists heavy bleeding, constant severe pain, and a baby moving less often as reasons to go to the hospital, and you can call 911 in an emergency.

Can You Encourage Labor to Start on Your Own?

Many people try home remedies in the last weeks. The research on them is limited:

• Nipple or breast stimulation: a Cochrane review found it appeared to help some women go into labor, but advised that it not be used in high-risk pregnancies until its safety has been fully evaluated.
• Sex: a Cochrane review found its role in starting labor uncertain.
• Castor oil: a Cochrane review found only small, low-quality studies, and everyone who took castor oil in them felt nauseous.

Check with your midwife before trying any of these, especially if your pregnancy has any complications.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you go past your due date?

For otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies, ACOG recommends monitoring from 41 weeks and considers delivery indicated at 42 weeks. The WHO notes that most women give birth by the end of the 41st week.

Is it normal to be 40 or 41 weeks pregnant with no signs of labor?

Yes, it can be. ACOG notes that no one knows exactly what causes labor to start, that most women give birth between 38 and 41 weeks, and that you might or might not notice early signs before labor begins. A first pregnancy is one of the factors linked to going past the due date. At 41 weeks, ACOG recommends starting regular monitoring, so ask your midwife what comes next.

Will my due date change after a later ultrasound?

No. ACOG explains that once a due date has been chosen, it doesn't change, no matter how many more ultrasounds you have. A first-trimester ultrasound is the most accurate way to set it.

Does going past my due date mean I will need a cesarean?

Not necessarily. ACOG notes that most people who give birth after their due date have an uncomplicated labor, although the chance of an assisted vaginal birth or cesarean birth does go up. In the 2020 Cochrane review, a policy of induction after 41 weeks was linked to lower cesarean rates than waiting.

What should I do if my water breaks after my due date?

Call your midwife right away and follow their instructions. ACOG advises going in if your water has broken and you are not having contractions, if you are bleeding heavily, or if your baby is moving less than usual.

Taking the Next Step

Going past your due date is common, and most overdue pregnancies end with a healthy baby. What changes is the level of attention: closer monitoring from 41 weeks, an honest conversation about induction or waiting, and a plan for where your baby will be born. Ask your midwife the questions above, trust your sense of your baby's movements, and call whenever something feels off.

Sources and References

• When Pregnancy Goes Past Your Due Date, Labor Induction, Induction of Labor at 39 Weeks, Special Tests for Monitoring Fetal Well-Being, and How to Tell When Labor Begins. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
• Definition of Term Pregnancy, Committee Opinion No. 579, Methods for Estimating the Due Date, Committee Opinion No. 700, Indications for Outpatient Antenatal Fetal Surveillance, Committee Opinion No. 828, Informed Consent and Shared Decision Making in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Committee Opinion No. 819, and Levels of Maternal Care, Obstetric Care Consensus No. 9. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
• Shifts in the Distribution of Births by Gestational Age: United States, 2014 to 2022 and Urgent Maternal Warning Signs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Induction of Labour at or Beyond 37 Weeks' Gestation (2020) and Membrane Sweeping for Induction of Labour (2020). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
• Breast Stimulation for Cervical Ripening and Induction of Labour, Sexual Intercourse for Cervical Ripening and Induction of Labour, and Castor Oil for Induction of Labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
• WHO Recommendations on Induction of Labour, at or Beyond Term (2022). World Health Organization.
• Standards for Birth Centers. American Association of Birth Centers.
• 10 NYCRR 795.3 and 10 NYCRR 754.3. New York State Department of Health regulations.

About the Author

Igel Cudiera

Igel Cudiera wrote this article for Birthing Center NYC. It draws on guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, Cochrane reviews, and the other sources listed above.

This content is intended for educational purposes only and does not replace personalized medical advice from a qualified healthcare provider. Every pregnancy is different, so talk with your midwife or other health care provider about the monitoring and timing that are right for you.