I'm now in week 12 and my gynecologist has already given me 3 appointments. Some of my friends say that's too much, others think it's normal. What's actually the case in Germany - are there guidelines for this?
Your gynecologist isn't actually doing anything wrong - the maternity guidelines in Germany stipulate that you should have roughly ten prenatal checkups in total, and they're spread throughout your entire pregnancy, so several per trimester, especially at the beginning. In the first few weeks the intervals are often shorter because it's important that your pregnancy develops normally, which is why three appointments by week 12 is completely normal and not excessive. Your friends might have had different experiences or attended fewer appointments, but that doesn't necessarily say anything about the quality of their care - some doctors just work differently.
Your girlfriends are a bit off there - three appointments at 12 weeks is completely fine and follows the maternity guidelines, which call for about ten prenatal checkups altogether. They're spread throughout the pregnancy, more frequent at the beginning and less so later on. What some people forget: the number can vary depending on your individual risk, so if there are any special circumstances on your end (pre-existing conditions, multiple pregnancy, etc.), your doctor can also schedule more appointments - that's not overtreatment, it's sensible.
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