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  |  Pregnancy  |  Twins  |  Twins – antenatal care
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Twins – antenatal care

by Dr Howard Lee

question
I’m 41 and pregnant for the third time. I have been told
I have a twin pregnancy.
This was discovered during the nuchal translucency scan I had at 11 weeks. I rang my midwife and asked if I would have extra antenatal care.
She said no, which surprised me. Since then my first hospital visit has been put back from 15 to 16 weeks, and I am not scheduled to see my midwife until week 22. Should I be concerned about this apparent lack of antenatal care?

answer
In recent years, there have been changes in routine antenatal care. For instance, the regular weighing at each visit is no longer thought to be necessary and is only carried out if a problem is suspected. The number of appointments has also been reduced. In most areas it’s monthly until 28 weeks, then every fortnight until 36 weeks, then weekly.

As you say, this is your third pregnancy, you’re 41, you’re expecting twins and you’d find an extra review appointment reassuring. You could ring your GP and explain your concerns and see if this is possible. I do wish you well.

For more information, see Dr Howard Lee’s article, Twins pregnancies

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