Prenatal exam schedule

Regular prenatal examinations are a top priority during any pregnancy. They are important both for monitoring your own and your fetus's health and for giving you and your health professional time to build a working relationship.

If your pregnancy is going well, you will have a regular schedule of prenatal checkups. These will become more frequent as you near your due date. A general example of such a schedule is as follows:¹

• After the first prenatal visit, every 4 weeks till week 28 of pregnancy
• Every 2 to 3 weeks through week 36 of pregnancy
• Every week during the final month of pregnancy

You may have more frequent prenatal examinations if you:¹

• Began your pregnancy with a preexisting medical problem.
• Develop complications during your pregnancy.
• Are a teen.

Citations

1. American Academy of Pediatrics (2002). Antepartum care. In Guidelines for Perinatal Care, 5th ed., pp. 73–124. Washington, DC: American Academy of Pediatrics.