There are many conditions that may lead to a woman not seeing her period when she is supposed to. The number one on the list is pregnancy, especially for a married woman. The next thing is usually to go for a pregnancy test which is done with blood at this very early stage (after the first missed period). Once confirmed, it is very likely the woman has conceived (she has taken in).

The next logical thing is to make plans to register for antenatal care in a good hospital. However, many women who confirm their pregnancy still either procrastinate or just don’t about registering for antenatal care until around the 5th to 6th month of the pregnancy probably when their abdomen (belly) is well enlarged as evidence that they are pregnant.

The truth is the earlier you register for antenatal care for your pregnancy the better for the health of your unborn baby. In Nigeria, it is advised to register for antenatal care after you miss your period (it is regular) the second time: at this point, your pregnancy is around 6 to 8 weeks old. In developed countries, pregnant women register for antenatal care after the first missed period (3 to 4 weeks old pregnancy).

Your first antenatal clinic visit will involve interacting with the doctor, the doctor examining you fully including your abdomen (belly). Your blood pressure, weight and height will be measured and recorded. Then the doctor will request relevant lab tests such as abdominal ultrasound scan to re-confirm your pregnancy and get a very close estimate of how old the pregnancy is in weeks. Other important lab tests the doctor will request you do include your blood level (percentage), blood sugar, a blood test for sexually transmitted infections called VDRL, your blood group, genotype, HIV, hepatitis B and C viral screening, and urine test.

You will also be given the first dose of tetanus toxoid vaccine and prescribed certain drugs (vitamins, blood-boosting supplements) until your next antenatal care appointment. In addition, the doctor will educate you on the need to adopt healthy practices such as sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net and not taking any drugs not prescribed to you by a medical doctor. Your next antenatal care appointments will be as follows: once every 4 weeks until the 28th week after which it becomes once every 2 weeks until the 36th week; from 36 weeks till delivery, you now get to see your doctor once every week.

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Written by Dr. Okechukwu Amako, MB;BS (Ibadan)

Tags: antenatal care, blood pressure, blood sugar, gynecologists in Lagos, hepatitis B, married woman, missed my period, mosquito net, obstetricians in Lagos, pregnancy confirmation, pregnancy test, registering for antenatal care, routine pregnancy drugs, tetanus injection

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