The World Health Organization has revised its guidelines for pregnant women: according to the organization, women should visit a doctor, midwife, or nurse at least eight times during their pregnancies, and five of those visits should take place during their third trimester.
This is a pretty significant change: the organization’s previous recommendations advised four clinical visits throughout a single pregnancy. These new guidelines also point out that qualified midwives play important roles for women who cannot afford doctor’s visits or are unable to travel to meet with their physicians.
“The new model increases maternal and fetal assessments to detect problems, improves communication between health providers and pregnant women, and increases the likelihood of positive pregnancy outcomes. It recommends pregnant women to have their first contact in the first 12 weeks’ gestation, with subsequent contacts taking place at 20, 26, 30, 34, 36, 38, and 40 weeks’ gestation”.
Could more frequent medical visits be the key to reversing these stats? It’s possible. After all, seeing your doctor doesn’t just represent a chance to rule out or address complications, it may also help you better understand how to implement healthier lifestyle behaviors in your day-to-day life.