21 Questions To Ask Your OBGYN at Your First Prenatal Visit

Early pregnancy can feel both exciting and overwhelming. As you wait for your first prenatal appointment, it’s completely normal to have a lot of questions or to feel unsure about what you should even be asking.

Not every question will apply to every pregnancy, but reviewing them will help you think through your priorities and tailor your list to what matters most to you. Start with your current symptoms, medications, and health history. Questions about birth preferences can begin here and continue at later appointments.

Your Health and Early Pregnancy Symptoms

1. What lifestyle changes should I make now that I’m pregnant?

Some pregnancy lifestyle changes are well-known, such as avoiding alcohol.¹¹ But be sure to review with your provider any modifications you may need to make to your current medications, diet, and exercise routine. Additionally, if you’re exposed to chemicals or toxins at work (such as in a nail or hair salon) or your job requires a lot of manual labor, consider asking about the safety of these settings and whether you need to modify your workplace exposures and duties during pregnancy.⁵

2. Which prenatal vitamin and nutrients do you recommend for me?

Browsing the vitamin aisle can be overwhelming. During pregnancy, your body needs folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D, choline, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and vitamin C. A prenatal vitamin containing at least 400 mcg of folic acid helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects.⁹ You should start taking a prenatal vitamin as soon as you begin trying to conceive. So, be sure to ask your provider for their recommendations.⁹

3. How does my medical, pregnancy, and family history affect my care?

You want to ensure your provider is well-versed in your medical history so they can provide adequate and comprehensive care for you during your pregnancy. A provider who reviews your chart prior to your appointment also demonstrates preparedness and forward thinking. Both of these are qualities that increase my trust in a provider. 

For instance, due to a family history of chromosomal conditions, I had additional genetic testing during my first pregnancy. I felt reassured knowing my provider had reviewed my records before my appointment and was well-versed in the additional care I may require.

4. Who should I contact with urgent concerns, including after hours?

Pregnancy can be unpredictable, and strange symptoms can strike during off-hours. Ask which number to call during office hours and overnight, who responds when your usual provider is unavailable, and where to go if you need urgent care.

5. What pregnancy symptoms can I expect, and how will you help me manage them?

You want to know that your provider cares about your experience in pregnancy. At your first prenatal visit, you may be early in your first trimester and not yet know what lies ahead for you. Your provider should be able to explain common symptoms (such as fatigue, joint pain, and morning sickness) and how they would help you manage them.⁶

Related: Ways To Cope With Pregnancy Discomforts

Appointments and Pregnancy Support

6. What resources do you recommend for physical and emotional support during pregnancy?

It’s easy to get lost in a world of pregnancy books, not to mention so many online courses available these days. Sometimes, word of mouth is the best recommendation you could ask for, so see if they suggest any particular readings. Your provider may also be able to connect you with support groups for pregnancy or groups with other women who are due around the same time.

One of my favorite OBGYNs at my practice referred me to a chiropractor she’d seen during pregnancy. I was so grateful for the personal recommendation!

7. Who can come to my appointments and tests?

You may want or need to bring a partner, older children, or other guests to your prenatal appointments, scans, and tests. During my pregnancy with my second daughter, our toddler wasn’t allowed to attend. We had to get a babysitter for my husband to accompany me to ultrasounds. That was an added expense of pregnancy! Check with your provider about their policies, as they may make a big difference in your planning and comfort level.

8. How long are appointments, and is there time for questions?

With each of my pregnancies, I visited a practice that combined obstetricians and midwives. I never felt rushed at my prenatal appointments and always felt like I was receiving genuine care and attention. However, I’ve heard of many women switching to the care of a midwife because their appointments are sometimes longer, and they feel more attended to and cared for. With this question, try to gauge whether your provider seems rushed or patient and calm.

9. How often will I be seen during pregnancy?

At your first prenatal visit, you can also ask how frequently you can expect to be seen. Asking this question may provide you with some insight into the office’s flexibility, hours, organization, and accommodations. Personally, I liked mapping out my appointments well in advance so I could anticipate working my prenatal appointment schedule around holidays and days off work.

10. What will happen at each OB appointment?

I appreciated knowing what to expect at each appointment, from the urine sample collection to the weight, blood pressure reading, and Doppler heart rate measurement. Familiarity with the process helped me feel comfortable and relaxed. Be sure to ask this at your first prenatal visit so you understand what to expect at your routine appointments!

Prenatal Tests and Warning Signs

11. What prenatal tests and screenings do you recommend or routinely perform?

OBGYNs vary in what’s considered “routine.” Throughout my first pregnancy, my provider checked my urine at every appointment. During my second pregnancy at the same practice, they’d discontinued this routine.

Prenatal genetic screening and diagnostic testing options should be discussed and offered regardless of your age or risk factors. You can choose to accept or decline them after discussing the benefits and limitations.¹³ Ask which options are available, when decisions need to be made, and what the results can tell you.

12. How will you screen for gestational diabetes, and what if I have concerns about the drink?

Screening for gestational diabetes commonly involves drinking a measured glucose solution and having your blood drawn.^7,12 If you have concerns about the ingredients or difficulty tolerating the drink, ask your provider what options your testing laboratory accepts. If you’re considering a product such as The Fresh Test, check with your provider and laboratory before purchasing it.

Related: Pregnancy Glucose Test Alternatives for Gestational Diabetes

13. Which symptoms mean I should call you or seek immediate care?

Some pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, may develop without noticeable symptoms. Routine prenatal visits and recommended testing still matter even when you feel well.^1,2 Ask which symptoms require a call to your care team and which need immediate medical attention. If you experience an urgent warning sign, seek care right away rather than waiting for your next appointment.¹⁴

Your Care Team, Hospital, and Costs

14. Will I see you every visit, or will I rotate through different providers?

My OBGYN practice was quite large, and I saw many different doctors and midwives throughout my pregnancies. They hoped I would meet most of the providers by the time I delivered. However, every practice operates a bit differently, and you may like seeing different providers or getting very familiar and comfortable with just one.

15. Will you be there when I deliver?

Similar to the previous question, you’ll also want to know who’ll be there when you deliver. The reason my OBGYN’s practice introduced me to many different providers was to make sure I’d be familiar with whoever was on call when I went into labor. Some smaller practices operate differently, though; for instance, your doctor may only have a few patients at a time and be on call for all deliveries. Be sure you understand which providers you’ll actually be working with during labor and birth.

16. Which hospitals do you deliver at?

Most doctors only have privileges or contracts with certain hospitals. Make sure your chosen provider and practice deliver at the hospital you’d like to attend. Pay attention to their proximity to your home or work, too, as you never know if you’ll need to arrive at the hospital very quickly in labor!

Related: Questions to Ask During a Maternity Hospital Tour

17. Do you accept my insurance, and who can explain my costs?

During my second pregnancy, my provider suddenly stopped accepting my health insurance. Fortunately, I was far enough along in my pregnancy that I was grandfathered into their coverage for birth.

Ask the office’s billing team about your insurance and estimated costs, then confirm your coverage with your insurer. Include the hospital and any outside testing laboratories in that conversation. They may be able to answer questions such as, “What financial assistance resources might be available to me and my baby during the pregnancy and postpartum period, and can you help me qualify?”¹⁰

Birth Preferences and Delivery Decisions

18. What’s your philosophy or approach to birth?

If you have specific goals for your birth experience, ensure your OBGYN will support those goals. Ask how your provider balances your preferences with medical recommendations and how they explain the benefits, risks, and alternatives when a decision is needed. You could ask if they have other patients who have wanted and achieved unmedicated births and how the provider has supported these goals. You could also ask what nonmedicinal coping tools will be available to you in the birth setting.

Ask about medication options for pain relief, too, including what is available if your preferences change during labor.

19. Who can be with me during labor and birth?

Think about who you might want to be present while you’re giving birth. You probably want your partner, but you may also want a doula, a photographer, or other birth attendants as well. Some hospitals limit the number of people in the room at a time or the frequency of changes to your approved visitor list. If you know who you want at your side, make sure the hospital will permit this.

20. What are your rates of C-section and episiotomy?

Ask about your provider’s and hospital’s C-section and episiotomy rates, which patients those figures include, and when they recommend each procedure. For C-sections, a commonly used hospital quality measure focuses on first-time births involving one full-term baby in a head-down position.³

Episiotomy should not be routine.⁴ Ask how your provider decides when it is needed and how they discuss that decision with you. Use procedure rates as one part of the conversation, alongside your health history and the care you may need.

21. What do you recommend if I go past my due date?

If you hope to go into labor on your own, ask how your provider approaches pregnancy after your due date. Discuss when they recommend extra monitoring or induction, how your health history affects that advice, and the benefits and risks of waiting. Induction may be recommended at 41 weeks because some risks increase as pregnancy continues.¹⁵

Bring your most pressing questions first, and jot down the answers during your visit. You can return to the rest at later appointments. You do not need to know all the right words before you walk in; asking for an explanation is part of getting care.

Download the printable question list to bring to your appointment.