15th week: Cartilage turns into bone

Weeks and days
14+0 to 14+6
Month
4
Trimester
2

This week, the fetus grows from about 87 to 101 millimeters; according to ultrasound estimates, it weighs 90 to 114 grams. The soft cartilage becomes harder, and the fingernails become visible.

A single red pomegranate lies in an open palm on beige linen
Pomegranate81 to 100 mm, the size of your baby at the end of the week

Week 15 of 40

Calculate your week
1st trimester2nd trimester3rd trimester

How big is the fetus?

020406080100120 mm13th week54 to 7414th week74 to 8715th week87 to 10116th week101 to 116Pomegranate at the same scale

87 to 101 mm

By the end of the week, the fetus is about the size of a pomegranate. It swallows amniotic fluid, and the kidneys release it again as urine.

Crown-rump length according to the UNSW Embryology table; the NHS gives the same values. Weight according to the WHO growth charts. A large pomegranate measures 81 to 100 mm.

This week

Your baby

  • The soft cartilage becomes harder, and the first bone tissue forms. The fingernails become visible.
  • A fine, light down of hair begins to grow, called lanugo.
  • The fetus rhythmically opens and closes its jaw, swallowing amniotic fluid as it does so.

Your body

  • The median hCG level is 34,440 mIU/ml; 13,950 to 62,530 is normal. More in the hCG levels chart.
  • If you already have a child, you sometimes feel the first movements as early as now. In one study, the earliest movements were felt at 14 completed weeks.
  • Stabbing pain at the side of your belly often comes from the round ligaments, which stretch. Putting your feet up and resting help.

What matters now

  • In Germany, under the prevailing interpretation of the Genetic Diagnostics Act (Gendiagnostikgesetz), you may be told the sex from 14+0.
  • In Germany, the next ultrasound paid for by health insurance is scheduled between 18+0 and 21+6; until then, prenatal checkups take place every 4 weeks.
  • In Austria, the first Parent-Child Pass (Eltern-Kind-Pass) examination with lab tests and the first ultrasound are scheduled by the end of the 16th week of pregnancy at the latest.

Get checked right away: heavy bleeding, severe or persistent abdominal pain, fever, pain when urinating, or vomiting where you cannot keep anything down.

Gestational sacPlacentaFetus with heartbeat

On ultrasound

  1. 14+0

    Measurement: Instead of the crown-rump length, the head, abdomen, and thigh are now usually measured.

  2. 14+0

    Sex was correctly identified in one study at 14 completed weeks in 90 out of 100 cases.

  3. 14+0

    Heart sounds can now often be made audible by the midwife with a small handheld device.

In Germany, no routine ultrasound is scheduled this week. When you get it is noted in your maternity record (Mutterpass) or Parent-Child Pass (Eltern-Kind-Pass).

Frequently asked questions about the 15th week of pregnancy

Can you feel the baby in the 15th week of pregnancy?

Rarely. In one study, women who already had a child felt the first movements on average at just over 17 weeks, and first-time mothers at about 19 weeks. The earliest reports were at 14 and 15 weeks.

Can the doctor tell you the sex in the 15th week of pregnancy?

In Germany, yes. The Genetic Diagnostics Act prohibits it until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, counted from conception under the prevailing interpretation. That corresponds to 14+0.

How big is the baby in the 15th week of pregnancy?

On average 87 to 101 mm from crown to rump; by the end of the week, about the size of a pomegranate. According to ultrasound estimates, it weighs 90 to 114 grams.

Which month is the 15th week of pregnancy?

The 4th month of pregnancy, in the 2nd trimester. Figures such as 14+3 weeks also belong to the 15th week of pregnancy.

Sources

Updated on 30 October 2026 · Fertilio Editorial Team