Have you recently found out you're pregnant? Congratulations! You’ve just started the biggest adventure of your life , a journey filled with endless, exciting ups and downs that will bring a whole new set of firsts. At this point, it’s important to know which pregnancy check-ups you’ll have and when. These follow-up visits with healthcare professionals will look after your health and that of your little adventurer.

In Spain, the check-up schedule during pregnancy may vary slightly between Autonomous Communities, but in general, in both public and private healthcare, low-risk pregnancies typically involve 7 to 9 visits . These include appointments with the midwife at the health center, the family doctor, and the obstetrics clinic at your reference hospital. In any case, if you have any doubts, the healthcare professionals caring for you will explain all these visits, which are essential for proper pregnancy monitoring and to ensure your pregnancy is progressing well.

As a reference, these are the main check-ups you’ll need over the next nine months.

Pregnancy check-ups: first trimester

(0-12 semanas)

With your pregnancy confirmed, the first thing you should do is schedule an appointment with the midwife or the family doctor (depending on the Autonomous Community) at your health center. This step in primary care is very important, as it’s when your pregnancy medical record is opened, a physical examination of the expectant mother is performed, and the parents receive the first care recommendations.

In this first appointment, primary care also requests the first-trimester blood tests , which are usually done between weeks 9 and 10 of pregnancy. Blood group and Rh testing are also used for biochemical screening for chromosomal abnormalities, which calculates the risk of Down syndrome in the fetus. Between weeks 9 and 10, a cervical smear (cytology) is also performed for women who have not had one in the previous three years (these time frames may vary depending on the regulations of each Autonomous Community).

With all this done, you’re ready for your first visit to the hospital’s obstetrics clinic, which usually takes place between weeks 11 and 14 of pregnancy. This examination with the gynecologist is one of the most emotional moments of pregnancy, as they will perform the... first ultrasound and you’ll see your little adventurer for the first time! In addition to taking the usual photo with you to share the news with all your loved ones (it’s impossible to resist!), this check-up includes a review of the first-trimester test results and an evaluation of potential pregnancy risk factors, including the estimated risk of Down syndrome.

Revisions during pregnancy: second trimester

(13-26 semanas)

In week 13, you fully enter the second trimester of pregnancy—generally the one mothers enjoy the most, once the usual discomforts of the first trimester have passed and before your belly grows enough to make movement and rest more difficult in the third trimester. Pregnancy check-ups continue, as expected, during this more settled phase. After all, you’ve had time to process the news and start preparing with your partner for what’s to come.

Between weeks 16 and 18, you’ll have another appointment with your midwife at the primary care center. During this follow-up visit, the midwife will assess how your pregnancy is progressing, perform a physical examination, and provide new care recommendations tailored to your stage of pregnancy. You’ll also very likely be offered the opportunity to attend childbirth preparation classes, which are a great place to meet other mothers, understand your pregnancy, feel more empowered, and share joys and fears out loud. During this check-up, the second-trimester blood tests are also requested, along with the O'Sullivan test , which is used to identify women at risk of developing gestational diabetes. Both tests are performed approximately between weeks 24 and 25 of pregnancy.

Before the blood tests, between weeks 20 and 22, the second visit to the hospital’s obstetrics clinic is usually scheduled, along with the second ultrasound . In this case, it’s a high-definition ultrasound, also known as a morphological ultrasound, as it assesses the fetus’s morphology to look for possible malformations that can be detected. In addition, fetal and placental growth are evaluated, and gestational age is determined more accurately. It doesn’t always happen, but this can also be a very special ultrasound because you might find out your baby’s sex!

Before the end of the trimester, the gynecologist at your specialist center will review the blood test results and the O'Sullivan test. During this visit, the need for tetanus/diphtheria vaccination may also be assessed. In addition, depending on the Autonomous Community, you may be given information about aspects such as cord blood donation and the birth plan. The end is approaching!

Revisions during pregnancy: third trimester

(27 weeks - birth)

You’ve just entered the final trimester of pregnancy, the one in which you can clearly feel your little adventurer inside you, and impatience starts to build as you imagine the face of the baby you’ve been dreaming of for months. Hang in there—there’s not much left!

The first check-up in this phase of pregnancy will take place between weeks 28 and 31 and will be with the midwife at the health center. They will assess how your pregnancy is progressing, perform a physical examination, and order the appropriate third-trimester tests (blood tests and ultrasound). Your gynecologist will review the results with you between weeks 32 and 35 of pregnancy, when they will also perform another ultrasound to monitor fetal growth. During this seven-week period—that is, between weeks 28 and 35 of pregnancy—you will also receive the whooping cough vaccine, which helps protect your baby against this highly contagious respiratory infection.

Before you know it, you’ll have entered the final stretch of your pregnancy. From week 37 onwards, your pregnancy will be full-term, which means your little adventurer could be born at any moment  . Pregnancy check-ups, therefore, are also coming to an end. Approximately between weeks 35 and 37, you’ll visit your primary care midwife for the last time. They will record your blood pressure, weight, and uterine height, listen to the fetal heartbeat, and take a vaginal-rectal swab to detect Streptococcus agalactiae, a bacterium that can cause very serious infections in newborns. If your little adventurer hasn’t arrived earlier, at week 40 you’ll finally go to the hospital for monitoring, where fetal well-being will be checked. Your pregnancy is coming to an end. Happy delivery! :)