Different hospitals and birth centers have different specifics but in general, pregnant women will visit the doctor increasingly often as their pregnancy progresses.
First Trimester Prenatal Appointments
A pregnant woman's first prenatal visit will take place sometime between eight to 12 weeks after her last menstrual period. She might visit the doctor before this to confirm her pregnancy, but this will be her first official prenatal checkup.
The first prenatal appointment will likely be the longest, since this is when the doctor checks the mom-to-be's overall health, gives a detailed pelvic exam and orders and assortment of blood tests to check for any potential problems that might arise during the pregnancy.
Some pregnant moms will get their first sonogram at this visit, which will include the first ultrasound pictures to take home and share with friends and family.
Over the course of the first trimester, prenatal checkups will consist of general health checks, blood and urine tests and explanations by the doctor about the growth and health of the baby and mother.
Second Trimester Prenatal Visits
The second trimester is full of the most major tests of pregnancy, which will assess the risks of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and birth defects.
The triple screening test, sometimes called the multiple marker test, is a blood test usually done around week 17 or 18 of pregnancy. It looks at three markers that give an indication of possible genetic and developmental disorders. This test cannot diagnose specific diseases. Instead, it merely indicates whether further, more extensive testing is needed for certain conditions such as neural tube defects or chromosomal disorders. Because it isn't a true diagnostic test, some women choose to turn down the option of having a triple screening test.
The glucose tolerance test looks at sugars in the mother's blood to determine whether she has gestational diabetes, which some women develop during pregnancy. This test is commonly done between weeks 24-28 and involves drinking a sugar solution and having the blood tested an hour later. Women whose results indicate possible gestational diabetes will have to return to the doctor's office for a longer three-hour glucose test.
Urine tests at each prenatal appointment throughout this trimester will look for protein in the urine, a sign of developing preeclampsia.
The prenatal visit that most moms-to-be look forward to during the second trimester is a long ultrasound, often 20-30 minutes, where the sonographer measures every part of the baby to make sure growth is on target. Fathers-to-be often come to this appointment, too, since this is where the technician will point out different body parts and facial features on the screen and can reveal the child's gender if the parents want to know.
Third Trimester Prenatal Checkups
Moms-to-be should be familiar faces at their pregnancy doctor's office by now, since they've begun to have prenatal appointments every other week. At around week 36, visits will increase to once a week and remain this frequent up until delivery. Most of the major tests have already been done and this trimester is mainly about making sure that no known problems are getting worse and no new ones have cropped up.
The big test in the third trimester is a screening for the bacteria group B streptococcus (GBS), which usually takes place between weeks 35-37.
There may be one or more ultrasounds in the third trimester, depending on the practitioner and things like the size and position of the baby. These will be mostly concerned with checking to see if the baby is getting too big or if the amniotic fluid levels are too low. The doctor will also check the position of the umbilical cord and placenta.
Once all the prenatal tests have been done and the due date becomes closer, prenatal checkups give way to planning for birth. Ultimately, of course, there comes the time when the next scheduled appointment will be the six-week postpartum doctors visit for the new mom and her long-awaited baby.
Bridget Coila - I'm a cell and molecular biologist, freelance writer and photographer currently living in Beijing, China. I'm fascinated by science, ...
Join the Conversation