Pregnancy symptoms that need help

Call 999 now in the UK, 911 in the US, or your local emergency number if you have heavy vaginal bleeding, or bleeding with severe tummy pain, shoulder pain or faintness. The same goes for severe breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness, or chest pain with breathlessness, faintness or a painful swollen leg. These symptoms need emergency help, whatever stage of pregnancy you are at.

Emergency help comes before a maternity call

Heavy bleeding includes soaking a period pad soon after putting it on. You do not need to wait to measure the total blood loss. The NHS also lists bleeding with dizziness, feeling sick or losing consciousness among its emergency signs.

Call emergency services if you think the situation is life-threatening. If you think your baby is coming now and you have a strong urge to push, the NHS advises calling an ambulance. Use 999 in the UK, 911 in the US or your local emergency number.

Call the maternity team now for these changes

Call your midwife or maternity unit now in the UK, your obstetric clinician in the US, or your doctor or midwife elsewhere if your baby moves less than usual, stops moving or changes its usual pattern. Do not wait until tomorrow, even at night. A home heartbeat listening kit cannot reliably check the baby’s health.

Call now for a severe headache that does not settle, blurred vision or flashing lights, pain below the ribs, sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet, or feeling very unwell. These need immediate assessment, including checks for pre-eclampsia. Heartburn that does not go away with heartburn medicine is also on the NHS warning list.

Get urgent medical help now for itchy palms or soles, itching that is worse at night or very itchy skin that keeps you awake. Call your maternity unit or pregnancy clinician; in the UK, call NHS 111 if you cannot contact the unit. These symptoms need checking for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, a liver condition that needs treatment.

Call your maternity unit or pregnancy clinician immediately for a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or if vomiting means you cannot keep water or other fluids down. CDC lists these among urgent maternal warning signs and advises immediate medical care. Also get immediate care for a painful, swollen or red leg, especially on one side, and for new chest pain, a racing or irregular heartbeat, sudden breathlessness or trouble breathing when lying flat.

Waters, contractions and pain

Call your midwife or maternity unit urgently if your waters break, or if you are less than 37 weeks pregnant and think labour may be starting. Use your obstetric clinician in the US or your local maternity service elsewhere. Do not wait for the next day or for contractions to follow a particular pattern.

Waters may arrive as a trickle or a sudden gush. If you think they have broken, use a sanitary pad rather than a tampon and tell your maternity team. The team can advise what assessment is needed. Do not wait at home to see whether leaking fluid develops into labour.

Get medical care immediately for severe tummy pain that does not go away, starts suddenly or gets worse, and for unexplained shoulder-tip pain, even without any vaginal bleeding. Call emergency services for severe pain with bleeding or faintness. A new severe pain needs checking even if it feels like an ache you’ve had before.

Bleeding needs advice at any stage

Call your maternity unit now for vaginal bleeding in later pregnancy; do not wait until tomorrow, even at night. For spotting in early pregnancy, contact your early pregnancy service or maternity team for urgent advice, including when there is no pain or only mild tummy pain. In the UK, call NHS 111 if you do not have a maternity unit contact or cannot reach an early pregnancy unit. In the US, contact your obstetric clinician; elsewhere, use your doctor, midwife or local urgent care. Use the emergency advice above for heavy bleeding or bleeding with severe pain or faintness.

Early pregnancy units can help with problems such as spotting and mild tummy pain. The NHS says the appropriate contact depends on pregnancy stage and local services. Check your maternity notes or local service information for the right number, and use NHS 111 if unsure. Outside the UK, ask your pregnancy care team which urgent service to use.

Urgent support for thoughts of harm

Get urgent mental-health help now if you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, including frightening thoughts that come when you do not want them. In England, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option; elsewhere in the UK, contact your local urgent mental-health service. In the US, call or text 988; elsewhere, contact your doctor or local crisis service now.

Call 999 now (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number if you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe, or have seriously harmed yourself. Do not wait to reach a listening service in an emergency.

In the UK, you can also call Samaritans on 116 123 for support.

Getting through and explaining the change

When you call, say that you are pregnant and explain the symptom you need help with. This list cannot cover every possible symptom. If something feels wrong or you are unsure how serious it is, contact a healthcare professional; in the UK, NHS 111 can help when the usual service is closed.

If movements reduce again after an assessment, call your maternity team again immediately. A previous check is not a reason to wait through a new change. Keep the urgent contact number somewhere you can find it easily.