Your pregnancy appointments and tests, by trimester

1. Week 4Choose an OB-GYN or antenatal care provider.
2. Week 5Schedule first prenatal visit.
3. Week 10What is NIPT (a blood test that screens your baby's DNA), and what can it tell me?NIPT is a blood test. It looks at tiny bits of your baby's DNA in your blood.
4. Week 12What is the combined first-trimester screening test?The combined test is a blood test plus an ultrasound scan, done around the same time, to estimate the chance of Down's syndrome and similar conditions.
5. Week 12What is the dating scan, my first pregnancy ultrasound?The dating scan uses sound waves (not X-rays) to check how many weeks pregnant you are.
6. Week 12What is the haemoglobin (Hb) test, and what counts as anaemia in pregnancy?The Hb (haemoglobin) test checks the level of oxygen-carrying protein in your blood.
7. Week 12What is the NT (nuchal translucency) scan?The NT scan checks the fluid at the back of your baby's neck, using ultrasound.

The tests and scans section of each week page:Week 8Week 9Week 10Week 11Week 12Week 13

1. Week 14Plan second trimester checkups.
2. Week 18What is the quad (quadruple) marker test?The quad marker test is a blood test that measures four substances to screen for Down's syndrome, Edwards' syndrome and neural tube defects.
3. Week 18Week 20Week 24What tests and scans happen in the second trimester?In the second trimester, most people have the anomaly scan, a detailed check of your baby's body.
4. Week 20What is the anomaly scan, and when does it happen?The anomaly scan is a detailed ultrasound. It checks your baby's body, organs and growth.
5. Week 20What does the anomaly scan check for, condition by condition?The anomaly scan checks for a named list of conditions. In the NHS schedule, that's 11 of them.^⁠10
6. Week 27Start third trimester checkup schedule.

The tests and scans section of each week page:Week 15Week 16Week 17Week 20Week 21Week 22Week 24Week 25Week 26

1. Week 28Start bi-weekly checkups.
2. Week 32Growth scan, if recommended by your doctor.
3. Week 36Group B Strep (GBS): why does the US test for it and India/UK usually don't?GBS (Group B Strep) is a common germ. Carrying it usually causes you no symptoms.
4. Week 38Continue weekly doctor visits.
5. Week 41NST (Non-stress test) if recommended.

The tests and scans section of each week page:Week 28Week 29Week 30Week 36Week 37Week 38

• What's a normal blood pressure reading in pregnancy?
• Double marker vs quad marker vs NIPT: which screening test does what?
• How do gestational diabetes (GDM) test results compare: India, WHO and the US?
• What blood pressure counts as pre-eclampsia?
• What's the difference between a screening test and a diagnostic test?
• What do all these test abbreviations mean in pregnancy?
• All pregnancy tests and scans

• Pregnancy health and wellness
• Eating well in pregnancy