Naegele’s rule
Other Known Aliases – estimated date of delivery
Definition – estimation of delivery assuming a 280 day gestation period and is calculated from the FIRST day of the last menstrual cycle by adding 1 year, subtracting 3 months, and adding 7 days.
Clinical Significance – this is a quick and easy estimation of the delivery date for planning purposes and is used in most apps and delivery wheels. In the age of ease of ultrasound, direct measurement is becoming the standard, but this is still a very important calculation to remember.
History – Named after Franz Karl Naegele (1778-1851), who was a German obstetrician and received his medical doctorate from the the University of Bamberg. He had a very successful practice in Barmen, Germany, before he went on to become full professor of obstetrics in 1810 at the University of Heidelberg. He first mentioned his rule, and credited Hermann Boerhaave who first mentioned it in 1744, in a manuscript in 1812, but was given the eponym by Gunning Bedford, professor of obstetrics and diseases of Women and Children at the University of New York, in 1872.
References
- Firkin BG and Whitwirth JA. Dictionary of Medical Eponyms. 2nd ed. New York, NY; Parthenon Publishing Group. 1996.
- Bartolucci S, Forbis P. Stedman’s Medical Eponyms. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD; LWW. 2005.
- Yee AJ, Pfiffner P. (2012). Medical Eponyms (Version 1.4.2) [Mobile Application Software]. Retrieved http://itunes.apple.com.
- Whonamedit – dictionary of medical eponyms. http://www.whonamedit.com
- Up To Date. www.uptodate.com
- Baskett TF. Eponym and Names in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 3rd Ed. Cambridge, UK. Cambridge University Press. 2019.
- Baskett TF, Nagele F. Naegele’s Rule: a reappraisal. BJOG. 200;107(1):1433-1435.
- Naegele FC. Erfahrungen und Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiethe der Krankheiten des Weiblichen Geschlechtes. Nebst Grundziigen einer Methodenlehre der Geburtshiilfe. Mannheim: Loeffler, 1812: 280-281
- Bedford GS. The Principles and Practice of Obstetrics. 5th Edition. New York William Wood and Co, 1872:306.
PAINE Podcast and Medical Blog 