Need adive: what doc to visit if pregnant?

If the home pregnancy test gives a positive result, what kind of doctor should the woman go visit? Ob/gyn or general/family? Thanks for responding.

She needs to see an OB/GYN. That’s what they do.

I respectfully disagree.

I visit my family doc. Why? Because IME, the OB or midwife doesn’t want to see me until I’m at least 7-8 weeks pregnant. I get pg test confirmation from my family doc (he does bloodwork rather than have you pee on yet another stick), it becomes part of his records (so he knows to look for an addition to the client list, and if he does pediatrics/family medicine, he won’t be surprised by the request to do a first-day postnatal visit to the hospital). Plus, I get any advice or early medical ‘help’ out of the way ASAP (like, getting prescription prenatal vitamins, which I’ll probably do next time since the usual ones make me violently ill once the morning sickness kicks in).

I then make an appointment for the OB/midwife of my choice - if you do not already have a care provider for the pregnancy, this gives you time to do some research and visit a few.

I’ll offer a different opinion than cher3. My wife recently became pregnant, and found out using a home test. She had to go to her family doctor first, since she needs a referral to see the OB/GYN (even though she used him for her previous pregnancy). The family doctor will track her pregnancy for the first 5 - 6 months, then the OB/GYN will take over. Of course if there are complications (none so far, thank God) the OB/GYN will take over sooner. As always, YMMV.

The referral may be an issue. I already had an OB/GYN, since I get yearly exams, and my plan doesn’t require a referral. My pregnancies weren’t complicated, but no way would I wait 6 months before seeing an OB. Mine did all the things mentioned above (bloodwork, prescriptions, etc.) I have a PPO medical plan, though, so I don’t have to work through a GP for everything. Also my pediatrician isn’t the same as my GP.

cher - Your OB sees you immediately just to confirm pregnancy? How nice! I also would rather see a midwife or OB before 6 months, but then, my family doc doesn’t do much OB work (he does Gyn, though). Some family docs do the whole OB process, including the birth - so that may play into the decision in question.

So:

If you need a referral, see your family doc.

If you want to confirm before your OB choice will see you, see your family doc.

If you don’t have an OB/mw chosen yet, go to the family doc to give yourself time to choose an OB/mw (I chose to change providers at that point - my insurance didn’t cover well-woman care by midwives, but did cover birth with midwives).

If you have an OB/mw already, and you don’t need a referral, and they will see you as soon as you want, go to your OB/mw.

If your family doc does OB work or splits the process with the OB, see the family doc.

PHEW. Quite a slew of options!

Another thing to decide - who do you want to tell first? It appears that there are a variety of factors involved, and it may simply be a matter of who you CHOOSE, not who is best for the first visit (which, IMHO, isn’t a huge big deal medically, more of a big deal emotionally). Case in point - I like going to my family doc first (even if I could go elsewhere, I’d choose him for the first visit). My family doc has been taking care of me (off and on) since I was 14. I love his reaction when I get to tell him something cool about my life. :slight_smile: (we moved back to the area when pregnant with our first son, and he added us to his practice despite not accepting new patients, just so he could have the whole family back again…)

Yes–both of my OBs wanted an initial visit right away, and then monthly visits (weekly at the end). It may be because I was over 35 for both pregnancies.

(Actually, for the second pregnancy I found out in the OB’s office–I was there for what I thought was a different “problem.” But that’s another story.)

Part of the reason our family doctor may be waiting until aprox. 5 months to send us to the OB/GYN is that there is currently a shortage in our area because two of the local OBs are going on maternity leave (which I find kind of amusing. It’s like not getting your car looked at right away because the mechanic’s car broke down on the way to work :))

This thread is better suited for IMHO. I’ll move it for you.


Cajun Man - SDMB Moderator

It would help if the OP said where they lived. It’s going to vary enormously depending on country and/or state.

I saw midwives at about 6 weeks with all my pregnancies and had a referral to obstetricians where necessary. That was with high risk pregnancies too. I’d highly recommend using the NZ system of midwifery care if at all possible :wink:

In Australia there’s virtually no midwives practising due to the insurance problems and you need a referral to an obstetrician and a sh*tload of money to pay for it. It’s getting harder to find an obstetrician in any case in Australia due to the insurance problems. I’d be nervous having a baby in Australia ATM.

I agree with Primaflora, it depends where you live.

In Japan there really isn’t anything which equates to a GP or a family doctor. All doctors are specialists. So from the get-go, you would visit an Ob/Gyn. Just as you would visit an orthopedic surgeon if you suspected a broken bone, or an ENT if you are having sinus problems.

When I went in for a preconception “tune-up” my OB told me to dispense with the home tests all together and just come in for a test when I suspected I had conceived. Of course I still took like 5 home tests, but my OB saw me right away when I called, and after I peed in the cup he weighed me, took my blood pressure and told me to come back in a month. I then saw him every month until about 34 weeks when it went to every 2 weeks and now at 39 weeks it is once a week.

Twiddle

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Ooo, Twiddle, you’re nearly there! Take care and let us know the end result!
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Unless you’re experiencing a high-risk pregnancy, it’s really a personal decision. I felt better going to our family doctor for all three of my pregnancies. To me, specialists are for serious problems, and a healthy pregnancy isn’t even a problem, let alone a serious one. Especially after my miscarriage, going to a gyno for pregnancy check-ups would have made me nervous. Other women have different comfort levels and cultural backgrounds.