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, speak with your GP or specialist as soon as possible too.

You may feel pleased, uncertain or not ready to talk about it. If the pregnancy is unplanned or you are unsure how you feel, support and information are available. You can talk it through while you are still deciding what you want.

Arrange your first appointment

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

In the US, ACOG says starting care before 10 weeks after your last period is ideal. 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 schedule with you.

These timings are for routine care. You can contact maternity services at any time if you are worried; you do not have to wait for the next appointment.

Bring the information you already have

Write down the first day of your last period, any health conditions, previous pregnancies and the medicines, vitamins or supplements you use. ACOG suggests having this information ready for the first visit. If a date is uncertain, say so rather than filling in a guess.

The UK booking conversation includes your physical and mental health, your home situation and any concerns. The midwife will offer checks including blood pressure and urine testing. You can ask questions about the care being offered 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 appointments, test results and useful contact numbers. Keep the contact details somewhere you can find easily, and ask which service to use before you have had your first midwife appointment.

Later, you will be offered an ultrasound to check the due date and development. Screening may also be offered to assess the chance of certain conditions. Screening is a choice. You can ask what a test looks for and what happens after it before deciding.

Ask about folic acid and medicines now

The current NHS recommendation is 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, ideally from 3 months before pregnancy or as soon as you find out. It recommends taking it for the first 12 weeks. If you did not take it beforehand, the advice still includes starting when you discover the pregnancy.

Folic acid reduces the chance of problems affecting the developing brain or spine, called neural tube defects. Some people need a different prescribed amount; ask your GP or midwife about your circumstances. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without talking to your doctor.

Early symptoms vary

Tiredness, sore breasts, nausea, changes in taste and needing to pee more often can occur early on. 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 faintness, or soaks a period pad soon after putting it on.

Contact your maternity unit or early pregnancy service now for spotting or light bleeding, even without pain. In the UK, call NHS 111 if you cannot reach a pregnancy service. In the US and elsewhere, contact your doctor or midwife for urgent assessment.

Contact your GP or early pregnancy service now (UK), or your doctor or pregnancy care team (US and elsewhere), for one-sided lower tummy pain or shoulder-tip pain; do not wait for bleeding. In the UK, call NHS 111 if you cannot reach the service.