How many months does prenatal check-up start?

Prenatal check-ups are a measure that every expectant mother should take. Generally, prenatal check-ups can be started at the 12th week of pregnancy, and they are required every month to avoid abnormalities in the fetus during development. Prenatal check-ups should not be done too early or too late. If they are done too early, it will affect the development of the fetus, and if they are done too late, it may cause fetal abnormalities. Therefore, expectant mothers should understand the time of prenatal check-ups.

Check time

Prenatal check-up schedule Prenatal check-up frequency and time description

The first prenatal check-up at 12 weeks of pregnancy. The expectant mother will officially start the first prenatal check-up at the 12th week of pregnancy. Most hospitals will issue a "Pregnancy Health Handbook" to mothers. In the future, when the doctor performs prenatal examinations for each expectant mother, he or she will also conduct and record the examination items recorded in the manual.

The second prenatal check-up is for expectant mothers between 13 and 16 weeks of pregnancy. In addition to basic routine check-ups, expectant mothers over 16 weeks of pregnancy can have their blood drawn for Down syndrome screening and review the blood test report from the first prenatal check-up. Amniocentesis is performed between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation, mainly to check whether the fetus has chromosomal abnormalities.

The third prenatal check-up is for expectant mothers between 17 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. An ultrasound examination is performed at 20 weeks of pregnancy, mainly to see if there are any major problems with the fetus's external development. The doctor will carefully measure the fetus's head circumference, abdominal circumference, thigh bone length, and examine the spine for congenital abnormalities.

The 4th prenatal check-up is for expectant mothers between 21 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. Most gestational diabetes screening tests are done during the 24th week of pregnancy. If the expectant mother has gestational diabetes, dietary adjustments should be made for treatment. If postprandial blood sugar cannot be controlled within the ideal range after dietary adjustments, it must be controlled through insulin injections. Oral hypoglycemic drugs should not be used for treatment during pregnancy to avoid fetal malformations.

The 5th prenatal check-up: Expectant mothers should have the 5th prenatal check-up during the 25th to 28th week of pregnancy. The most important thing at this stage is to draw blood for the expectant mother to check for hepatitis B. The purpose is to check whether the expectant mother herself is carrying the hepatitis B virus. If both hepatitis B tests of the expectant mother are positive, the newborn must be vaccinated within 24 hours after the expectant mother gives birth to the fetus to prevent the newborn from being infected. In addition, it is necessary to confirm again whether the expectant mother's previous syphilis test was positive or negative. Only in this way can the expectant mother be completely cured of syphilis before the fetus is born.

The 6th prenatal check-up: Expectant mothers should have the 6th prenatal check-up during the 29-32 weeks of pregnancy. The doctor should check the expectant mother from time to time to see if there is edema. Since most cases of preeclampsia occur after 28 weeks of pregnancy, if the measurement results show that the expectant mother's blood pressure is high and she also has proteinuria, generalized edema, etc., she must pay more attention to avoid the risk of preeclampsia. In addition, expectant mothers should take special precautions against premature birth before 37 weeks. If contractions last more than 30 minutes and continue to increase, and are accompanied by vaginal bleeding or discharge, they must be sent to the hospital for examination immediately.

The 7th prenatal check-up: Expectant mothers should have the 7th prenatal check-up when they are 33-35 weeks pregnant. At 34 weeks of pregnancy, the expectant mother needs to undergo a detailed ultrasound examination to assess the weight and development of the fetus at that time, and to estimate the weight of the fetus when it is delivered at full term. Once the fetus is found to be underweight, the expectant mother should supplement more nutrients; if the fetus is found to be overweight, the expectant mother should control her diet slightly to avoid the need for a cesarean section in the future or the occurrence of dystocia during the delivery process. Starting from the 33rd week, prenatal check-ups should be done once a week, and there should be no significant changes in the content of each check-up, such as: measuring body weight, uterine height, abdominal circumference, heart rate, blood pressure, fetal heart rate, and regularly measuring routine blood and urine tests. The difference is that we are going to start fetal heart monitoring.

The 8th prenatal check-up is at the 36th week of pregnancy. Starting from the 36th week, the expectant mother is getting closer to the due date. The prenatal check-ups at this time are based on the principle of once a week, and the condition of the fetus is continuously monitored.

The 9th prenatal check-up was at 37 weeks of pregnancy. As fetal movements become more frequent, expectant mothers should pay attention to the fetus and their own condition at all times to prevent the fetus from being born prematurely.

The 10th prenatal check-up is at 38 weeks of pregnancy. From the 38th week, the fetal position begins to stabilize, the fetal head has come down and is stuck in the pelvic cavity. At this time, the expectant mother should be prepared for delivery at any time. If some expectant mothers still show no signs of labor after 42 weeks, they should consider asking a doctor to use oxytocin.