I just found out I’m pregnant; it’s still early days (I took a test right when I missed my period, and it was positive). When I called my OB to make an appointment ASAP, they told me I had to wait until after eight weeks! Why do I have to wait so long?
—Marina
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends a first prenatal visit between 8 and 10 weeks of pregnancy, as part of an overall visit schedule that may contain 12 to 14 total visits.
I am very sympathetic to your desire to see the doctor sooner! But the reason for the delay is that there is not much to do at an early visit. When you see the doctor at 8 to 10 weeks, they will do an ultrasound, at which point you are likely to be able to see the heartbeat, and they can confirm that the pregnancy is progressing as they expect. In most cases, seeing a doctor sooner will not change anything about how you approach the pregnancy.
There are a few situations in which you would likely have an earlier appointment. This includes if the dating of the pregnancy is uncertain, if you’ve had earlier pregnancy losses, or if you have had fertility treatments. In these cases, the doctor may want to see you for an ultrasound sooner, to observe more closely how the pregnancy is progressing.
While you are waiting, there are situations in which you would want to call your doctor — specifically, if you’re experiencing bleeding or cramping or if you have severe nausea and need help. The fact that the first routine visit isn’t until eight weeks doesn’t mean you shouldn’t call if there is a problem.
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I had a really difficult time with this during my first pregnancy. I had tons of questions, and I didn’t know who to ask. I ended up telling my boss I was pregnant much earlier than I wanted to, because I didn’t feel safe going on a work trip to India before having a prenatal Dr. apt. I ended up having a little bleeding around 6 weeks, and I was traveling at the time. The ER didn’t have someone to send the ultrasound results to, because I hadn’t seen anyone at the practice I was using. The whole time before my first prenatal appointment was one of the most stressful times during my pregnancy, and an early prenatal appointment would have made a huge difference. There is a lot of value in getting information about early pregnancy and having someone to ask questions to.