How many times do you have to check the uterus during pregnancy in 9 months?

What do you do during the womb check?

The gynecologist includes 10 different types of tests, including:

Examination of personal health conditions and family history of illnesses.
Check body temperature.
Measure the circumference of the upper arm.
Check blood pressure during pregnancy.
Measure weight and height.
Check the hemoglobin (Hb) level.
Check protein levels in the urine (urine test).
Check blood sugar.
Blood test for the risk of viral and bacterial infections.
Pelvic exam and pap smear .
Ultrasound examination.

Quoting from the Pregnancy Birth Baby, what the doctor will check regarding pregnancy will depend on:

Age at pregnancy.
Medical history of pregnant women or family.
Based on routine test results.

If you are suspected of having a risk related to a certain health condition, you may be asked to perform various medical tests to confirm the diagnosis.

During the second uterine examination and beyond, the doctor will continue to examine the health condition of the mother and fetus.

The doctor also makes sure the baby is growing as expected and starts calculating the estimated days of birth (HPL).

During routine obstetric sessions, the doctor will explain the importance of fulfilling nutrients during pregnancy (such as folic acid, calcium, and iron).

You will also be given directions on how to adjust your diet and share tips about adopting a healthy lifestyle.

How many times should you check your blood during pregnancy?

Blood tests during pregnancy are performed to determine whether the disease is present or not. Check blood during pregnancy is done according to gestational age.

However, the average blood test during pregnancy is carried out 3 times with different examination goals. Quoting from Raising Children, here are the details:

4-12 weeks gestation: blood test to detect anemia, HIV, hepatitis B and C, or syphilis.
24-28 weeks gestation: detect gestational diabetes.
26-28 weeks of pregnancy: knowing your blood type and rhesus (Rh).

In a blood type check, if your baby is rhesus negative and the baby is positive, this can cause health problems for your little one.

Since no one can find out the blood group of the fetus until it is born, you will need to get an injection if you have a negative rhesus.

The doctor will offer to administer anti-D injections to reduce the risk of bleeding during pregnancy.

The injection is given at 34-36 weeks of gestation.

After the baby is born, the blood from the baby's umbilical cord will be checked for rhesus type.

If the baby is rhesus positive, the new mother will be offered anti-D (Rho) injections to reduce the risk of serious health problems, such as hemolytic anemia.

Pregnant women with positive blood type rhesus, have D antigen (anti-D) in their body.

When a rhesus negative mother conceives a rhesus positive child, anti-D antibodies are formed in the mother's body.

These antibodies can attack the baby, if they are rhesus positive which have antibodies. This Rho injection is given to prevent the formation of antibodies against anti-D.

How many times do you have to check the womb during pregnancy?

Obstetrics examination is very important for the continuity of the health of pregnant women and their future babies.

This is regulated through Permenkes No. 25 of 2014 Article 6 paragraph 1b concerning routine pregnancy checks.

In this policy, the Indonesian Ministry of Health recommends every pregnant woman to periodically check the womb at least 4 (four) times.

You can start a womb check as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. The sooner you start pregnancy checkups, the better.

However, based on the recommendation of the Permenkes, pregnant women and health workers (both midwives and obstetricians), have their own standards in the time of the visit, namely:

First trimester: 1 visit during 0-13 weeks of gestation.
Second trimester: 1 visit during 14-27 weeks of gestation.
Third trimester: 2 visits during gestational age 28 until the time of birth.

The minimum number of meetings and consultations with an obstetrician is calculated. So, if pregnant women consult more than once in the first trimester, it is still allowed.

Visits with a midwife or obstetrician can be more than 4 times, according to a pregnant woman's complaint or other pregnancy problems.

The WHO recommendation is different from the Indonesian Ministry of Health

However, the recommendations of the Republic of Indonesia Minister of Health are slightly different from the latest guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016.

Through its press release, WHO recommends every pregnant woman to carry out a pregnancy check at least 8 times, starting at 12 weeks of gestation.

The details are as follows:

First trimester: 1 time at 4-12 weeks of gestation.
Second trimester: 2 times the gestational age of 20 weeks and 26 weeks.
Third trimester: 5 times at 30, 34, 36, 38, and 40 weeks of gestation.

In the third trimester, the examination of the womb is carried out until near the time of delivery.

So, which one should you follow?

Basically, the two recommendations for checking the content between WHO and the Ministry of Health are equally good. Through more frequent gynecology examinations, doctors can more accurately measure gestational age.

The reason is that if something goes wrong when measuring gestational age, doctors can find it more difficult to diagnose, prevent, and treat the risk of complications that can occur.

Pregnancy complications that can occur are preterm delivery and preeclampsia.

Ideally, if this is your first pregnancy, you should do 10 prenatal examinations over the next nine months.

If this is the second pregnancy or beyond, it is ideal that pregnancy tests be performed at least 7 times, unless you have certain medical conditions.

The aim of increasing the number of visits is to increase the life expectancy of babies and mothers.

Because if you only check your womb 4 times, the risk of disease and death for both mother and baby is still quite high.