Checklist

Pregnancy appointment questions

Early pregnancy brings a lot of new information and very short visits. This checklist helps you gather what your care provider will want to know and gives you prompts for questions, so you do not walk out and remember them in the car park. It works for a first visit with a doctor, midwife or other prenatal care provider, and can be reused at later visits.

1. Before the first visit: what to gather
2. Questions to ask early in pregnancy
3. Questions about wellbeing and practical matters
4. At the end of each visit

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Why a written list helps

Early pregnancy can be exciting, worrying or both, and many people say they forget what they meant to ask. Writing questions down in advance, and writing answers down during the visit, gives you a record to go back to. Bring a partner or friend if you like, since a second person can take notes. There are no silly questions; your provider expects to be asked.

Symptoms and what is common

Many early signs, such as tiredness, nausea, breast changes and needing to pass urine more often, are common but not specific, and they can also have other causes. Our guide to common early pregnancy symptoms gives general background. It cannot confirm a pregnancy or tell you whether your symptoms are normal for you; a test and your care provider can.

What this page does not do

It does not recommend any medicine, dose, supplement or test for you, and it does not tell you what to expect from your pregnancy. Do not start, stop or change a medicine because of something on this page. Ask your care provider, or a pharmacist, about anything you are unsure of.

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Where this comes from

The things to gather, such as last period date, medicines, health history and substance use, and the topics covered in the question list, reflect the usual content of a prenatal history and the patient-education material published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the UK National Health Service. The questions themselves are general prompts written for this page, not clinical guidance or a quotation from any body. Recommendations for vaccines, supplements and testing differ by country and over time, so rely on your care provider for the current advice that applies to you.