
Your first prenatal visit will usually include a thorough physical exam in which your doctor will check your weight, height, and vital signs such as blood pressure. Your doctor may also ask you about any religious beliefs (or other types of beliefs about pregnancy and medical care in general) that might influence your willingness to receive certain treatments. Knowing this will help her decide whether to refer you to a genetic counselor and whether to order certain tests, such as amniocentesis, which can detect certain genetic problems. Your health provider will also ask you if anyone in either family has had a medical condition caused by a genetic abnormality. Likewise, if there are any chronic diseases in your family or your partner's family, your practitioner can be on the lookout for them. If your mother had any difficulties during pregnancy or childbirth, knowing this helps your doctor or midwife be alert to problems you might face. This is because many health problems are hereditary. It may surprise you that your doctor asks so many questions about your parents, partner, siblings, and other family members. Exposure to toxic substances in your workplace or home.Problems your mother or other family members had during pregnancy or childbirth.Race and ethnicity, both yours and the baby's father's, since this can be associated with certain genetic risks.Genetic or other birth defects in your extended family.All herbs, dietary supplements, and vitamins you use.All prescription and over-the-counter medications you use.Chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma.Risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases (such as whether you or the father have had multiple partners or have had sexually transmitted diseases in the past).Gynecological history, including any problems you may have had.Your age and occupation at the time of the office visit.Among other things, your doctor may ask you about: Many aspects of your health and your family's health history can affect your pregnancy and may help determine the kind of care you need. If you're not clear about your dates or if your periods are irregular, then your provider will probably do a physical examination and perform an ultrasound to get a better idea of when you are due. Establishing your due date early in pregnancy allows your doctor or midwife to monitor your baby's growth as closely as possible and to interpret lab results accurately. She'll probably also ask you if your cycles are regular, since this can affect the reliability of the calculations. If you know the day your last period started, your doctor can use this to calculate your due date. Meanwhile, you can begin thinking of all the questions you want to ask - write them down as you think of them and bring the list with you! Here's what your doctor will do during this visit. If you had a positive pregnancy test shortly after a possible conception, some doctors may ask you to hold off on scheduling your first prenatal visit for a few weeks until your pregnancy is well established. One of the first calls you'll make when you suspect you're pregnant is to your family doctor or obstetrician. Editors and writers make all efforts to clarify any financial ties behind the studies on which we report. All of our articles are chosen independent of any financial interests. HeathDay is committed to maintaining the highest possible levels of impartial editorial standards in the content that we present on our website. Any known potential conflicts of interest associated with a study or source are made clear to the reader.Įditorial and Fact-Checking Policy for more detail.Įditorial and Fact-Checking Policy HealthDay Editorial Commitment.Each article includes a link or reference to the original source.Peer-reviewed journals or issued from independent and respected medical associations, academic groups and governmental organizations. Unless otherwise noted, all articles focusing on new research are based on studies published in.All articles are edited and checked for factual accuracy by our.Team of industry experts to ensure accuracy. Our syndicated news content is completely independent of any financial interests, is based solely on industry-respected sources and the latest scientific research, and is carefully fact-checked by a HealthDay operates under the strictest editorial standards.
