Now the long-awaited moment has come - you think that you are pregnant. What to do? Where to go? The well-known medical institution for a long time is the women's consultation.
Consultations are usually located at district polyclinics and maternity hospitals. They are faced with a double task - taking care of both the health of the expectant mother and the health of her unborn child. When should you contact a consultation? Even if the pregnancy test showed a positive result, you should not rush to the doctor. Wait at least a couple of weeks from the day of the delay, as the doctor is unlikely to be able to confirm 100% pregnancy before.
The doctor can accurately diagnose pregnancy at a period not earlier than 4 weeks from its onset, this is just two weeks after the date of the expected menstruation. However, it is also not worth delaying a visit to the doctor, so early diagnosis will allow you to more accurately determine the date of the expected birth, have time to go through all the examinations and diagnose various problems, if any.
At the first visit of the gynecologist, the doctor will examine the uterus and appendages to assess their condition, correlate the size of the uterus and the expected gestational age, and identify problems that are already beginning in the course of pregnancy. Here the doctor has confirmed that you are pregnant. Now you can be congratulated! But ahead, in addition to joy, you will also find a lot of worries associated with various examinations, analyzes, visits to various specialists.
This may seem a little cumbersome at first, but it is better to immediately identify various problems and prevent complications than to put yourself and your baby at unnecessary risk. I would like to try to guide you in advance in all upcoming events. Understanding the meaning of all these procedures and activities, you will be able to more competently and consciously approach the issue of your health in this difficult and responsible period, because now you are also responsible for the health of another future man.
At the first examination, the doctor will necessarily weigh you, tell you how many kilograms you have to gain during pregnancy. Be sure to carry out the procedure for measuring the size of the pelvis, not external, of course, volumes, but internal, the so-called small pelvis. This is to determine if you need to have a caesarean section or if you can give birth on your own. This must be decided in advance.
Your doctor will also measure your blood pressure, as it can change over the course of pregnancy. To follow it in the process, you need to know its initial indicators. When examining you on a chair, the doctor will take a smear to determine the presence of various infections - gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, candidiasis, etc. You have to pass many tests, such as: general blood and urine tests, biochemical blood tests, blood for glucose (sugar), for AIDS, syphilis (Wasserman reaction), markers of viral hepatitis (A, B and C), for determining the blood group and Rh factor, etc.
According to individual indications, for example, the problem of miscarriage, the blood will be checked for antibodies to pathogens of infections such as rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes infection, toxoplasmosis. A little later, closer to 10 weeks of pregnancy, you will be sent for an ultrasound scan to clarify the term, determine the number of embryos, exclude chromosomal abnormalities in the development of the fetus, ectopic pregnancy, and the threat of termination.
You will be registered, a special card will be kept, in which they will note all diseases, operations, blood transfusions, the course and outcome of previous pregnancies, diseases of all close relatives, the peculiarities and conditions of your residence and work. Then you have to visit other narrow specialists, such as a therapist, otolaryngologist (ENT), ophthalmologist, dentist, in some regions an endocrinologist, if necessary, it is also a urologist, nephrologist, neurologist, etc.
The therapist will assess your internal organs - cardiovascular and respiratory systems, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract) and other organs, tell you what medications can be used during pregnancy and answer all your questions. The optometrist will check your vision, assess the condition of the vessels in the fundus, which indicates the condition of the vessels of the uterus and the level of blood pressure. There are diseases that can cause serious complications during childbirth, such as myopia, increased intraocular pressure, etc.
For some conditions, your eye doctor may recommend a cesarean section. The dentist will examine the oral cavity, heal bad teeth, and give recommendations on maintaining dental health during pregnancy. The otolaryngologist will examine the nasopharynx and, if necessary, prescribe a safe treatment. According to individual indications, you can be referred for consultations to various special diagnostic centers.
With a normal pregnancy, you will need to visit a doctor once a month in the early stages (up to 20 weeks), then, until the 30th week - once every two weeks, and after 30 weeks - every week. At each visit, the doctor will weigh you, measure your blood pressure, the height of the fundus of the uterus, listen to the baby's heartbeat, examine you for swelling in your legs in order to prevent fluid retention in the body and the development of late toxicosis in time.
Further, for a period of 18-20 weeks, you will have to undergo a second ultrasound examination in order to determine the location and characteristics of the placenta, to exclude possible abnormalities in the development of the fetus. At a period of 24 weeks, the third (last) ultrasound is performed, which allows you to assess the general condition of the fetus, the correspondence of its development to the gestational age, and on this study you can already determine the sex of your unborn child. Later, an ultrasound scan is performed only for medical reasons - with signs of hypoxia, polyhydramnios or abnormal presentation of the fetus.
With a narrow pelvis, before childbirth, another study is carried out in order to once again determine the need for a cesarean section. All tests you will have to pass again in full at a period of 30 weeks, and the smear for infections will need to be repeated twice - at 30 weeks and before childbirth - at 38 weeks. Urine tests are taken regularly, before each visit to the doctor, which allows you to detect and prevent possible renal dysfunction in time and the development of late toxicosis. In case of anemia, a general blood test is regularly taken to control the level of hemoglobin.
After 28 weeks, you will be given an exchange card, which contains all the data about the course of your pregnancy and the results of all examinations and tests. Only with this card you can be admitted to the hospital, no matter which paid clinic you were observed in. These cards are issued only by the women's consultation. If you are a resident of the Russian Federation, you can contact any consultation at your place of residence, and not your actual registration.
Even if you are registered in Uryupinsk and currently live in Moscow, according to the law of the Russian Federation, you and your child are required to provide free medical care at the place of your actual residence.
