After a positive test: the first weeks

After a positive test, you can contact pregnancy services straight away. In the UK, you can refer yourself for NHS pregnancy care. If you take regular medicine or have a long-term condition, talk to your GP or specialist as soon as you can too.

You may feel happy, unsure or not ready to talk about it. If the pregnancy wasn’t planned or you’re not sure how you feel, support and information are available. You can talk it through while you’re still deciding what you want.

Arrange your first appointment

The NHS usually offers your first midwife appointment at 8 to 12 weeks. This is called the booking appointment. Contact services when you find out, rather than waiting until then to refer yourself. If you’ve already referred yourself and haven’t heard about an appointment, contact your local maternity services.

In the US, ACOG says starting care before 10 weeks after your last period is best. The timing can depend on when you find out and how quickly you can find a clinician. Your obstetrician–gynaecologist (usually called an ob-gyn) or another pregnancy care professional can agree a plan with you.

These timings are for routine care. You can contact maternity services at any time if you’re worried. You don’t have to wait for your next appointment.

Bring the information you already have

Write down the first day of your last period, any health conditions, any past pregnancies and the medicines, vitamins or supplements you take. ACOG suggests having this ready for your first visit. If you’re not sure of a date, say so rather than guessing.

At the UK booking appointment, you’ll talk about your physical and mental health, your home life and any worries. The midwife will offer checks, including your blood pressure and a urine test. You can ask about the care on offer and how to contact the service between appointments.

Your maternity notes may be in an app, on a secure website or in a paper folder. They include your appointments, test results and useful phone numbers. Keep the contact details somewhere easy to find. Ask which service to use before your first midwife appointment.

Later, you’ll be offered an ultrasound scan to check your due date and how the baby is developing. You may also be offered screening to check the chance of certain conditions. Screening is your choice. Before you decide, you can ask what a test looks for and what happens afterwards.

Ask about folic acid and medicines now

The current NHS advice is to take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. It’s best to start 3 months before pregnancy, or as soon as you find out. The NHS recommends taking it for the first 12 weeks. If you didn’t take it before, you should still start when you find out you’re pregnant.

Folic acid lowers the chance of problems with the baby’s developing brain or spine, called neural tube defects. Some people need a different amount on prescription. Ask your GP or midwife about your situation. Don’t stop a prescribed medicine without talking to your doctor.

Early symptoms vary

Early on, you may feel tired, have sore breasts, feel sick, notice changes in taste or need to pee more often. The NHS says symptoms usually start around 4 to 6 weeks, and you may not have all of them.

Get help before your first appointment

Call 999 now (UK) or 911 (US), or your local emergency number, for sudden severe tummy pain with severe dizziness, fainting or collapse, even without vaginal bleeding.

Call 999 now in the UK, 911 in the US, or your local emergency number if bleeding comes with severe tummy pain, shoulder pain or feeling faint, or soaks a period pad soon after you put it on.

Contact your maternity unit or early pregnancy service now for spotting or light bleeding, even if you have no pain. In the UK, call NHS 111 if you can’t reach a pregnancy service. In the US and elsewhere, contact your doctor or midwife for an urgent check.

Contact your GP or early pregnancy service now (UK), or your doctor or pregnancy care team (US and elsewhere), for pain low in your tummy on one side, or pain at the tip of your shoulder. Don’t wait for bleeding. In the UK, call NHS 111 if you can’t reach the service.