Prenatal care: your check-up schedule, tests and free services in the Philippines

Prenatal care (also written pre natal, or called antenatal care) is the health care you get while you are pregnant: regular check-ups with a midwife, nurse or doctor from early pregnancy until birth. Many Filipinos call it magpa-prenatal.

Examples of what it includes:

• blood pressure, weight and urine checks
• following the baby's growth and heartbeat
• blood tests and an ultrasound
• iron, folic acid and calcium, and a tetanus vaccine if you need it
• advice on food, rest and work, and a birth plan: where you will give birth, the nearest hospital if problems start, how you will get there, who will go with you, money set aside for emergencies, and at least two possible blood donors

Many problems in pregnancy start with no signs. High blood pressure in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia) is usually found by checking your blood pressure and urine, not by how you feel.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says most deaths of mothers in pregnancy and childbirth can be prevented or treated. The main causes are severe bleeding, infection, high blood pressure in pregnancy and problems during delivery. Check-ups find warning signs early and get you to a hospital in time if needed.

They also protect your baby. Early tests for hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis allow treatment that lowers the chance of passing them on. Iron and folic acid help prevent anaemia (low blood), a small baby and early birth. WHO found that 8 or more check-ups, instead of the old 4, lower the chance of a baby dying around the time of birth.

Go as soon as you know you are pregnant. WHO advises a first check-up within the first 12 weeks. Tests for infections are best done early, ideally by 10 weeks, so any treatment can start early. Not sure yet? See our guide on early signs of pregnancy.

Where to go:

• your barangay health station (BHS), where the midwife sees pregnant women
• your rural health unit (RHU) or city health center
• a lying-in clinic or birthing home
• a YAKAP clinic, a hospital outpatient clinic or a private OB-GYN

Ask if the place is PhilHealth-accredited for maternity care. You can find a health center or lying-in clinic near you.

PhilHealth asks every pregnant woman to register with a YAKAP clinic, using her PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN). If that clinic does not give prenatal care, it refers you to one that does. See our PhilHealth YAKAP guide. Your clinic's care coordinator books your visits and tests, tells you if your pregnancy is low-risk or high-risk, and helps you plan the birth.

Bring to every visit: your Mother and Baby Book (or Rekord ni Nanay, or the prenatal record your clinic gives you), your PhilHealth PIN, the date your last period started, any medicines or herbal remedies you take, and your questions. Keep the book with you, even when travelling.

Pregnancy has three parts, called trimesters. Following Department of Health policy, PhilHealth covers at least 8 check-ups:

• First trimester (weeks 1 to 13): at least 1
• Second trimester (weeks 14 to 27): at least 2
• Third trimester (weeks 28 to 40): at least 5

WHO suggests the first contact by week 12, then at weeks 20, 26, 30, 34, 36, 38 and 40. Visits come closer near the end, when problems like pre-eclampsia are more likely.

You may need more visits if your pregnancy is high-risk: for example, if you are over 35, have diabetes or high blood pressure, or a problem is found at a check-up. You may then be referred to a doctor or hospital for extra care.

Don't skip a visit because you feel fine, and don't wait for the next one if something worries you.

The first visit is the longest. You are asked about your health, past pregnancies, medicines and family illnesses. Your health worker will work out your due date from the first day of your last period, check your blood pressure, weight and height, examine you, and ask for blood and urine tests. They may also ask about your mood and whether you feel safe at home. These questions are asked of everyone, and you can ask to talk privately.

At later visits your health worker will usually:

• check your blood pressure and test your urine for protein, a sign of pre-eclampsia
• check your weight and look for swelling
• measure your belly from about 24 weeks to follow the baby's growth, and check the baby's heartbeat
• ask about the baby's movements and how you are feeling
• give more supplements, the tetanus vaccine when due, and a deworming medicine in the second trimester

Near the end, they check the baby's position and talk about the signs of labour. If your blood pressure is high, you may be sent to a hospital quickly, sometimes the same day.

These routine tests are covered by PhilHealth at accredited laboratories:

• Early in pregnancy: pregnancy test, blood typing, complete blood count (CBC) to check for anaemia, urinalysis, and screening for hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis
• Second trimester: oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), a sugar test for diabetes in pregnancy (gestational diabetes), done once in the second trimester. Ask your clinic how to prepare.
• Third trimester: a repeat CBC and urinalysis

If your first check-up is late, for example in the second trimester, your health worker can request the early tests and the sugar test at the same visit.

Ultrasound for pregnancy. WHO advises one ultrasound before 24 weeks. It dates the pregnancy, shows if there is more than one baby, and can find some problems. PhilHealth covers a transvaginal ultrasound (a thin probe placed gently in the vagina) in the first trimester and a pelvic ultrasound over the belly later. Ultrasound uses sound waves and has no known harm to mother or baby.

You can say no to any test, but testing lets problems be treated early. If an infection test is positive, you get care to protect your baby, and your partner may be offered a test too.

Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps prevent serious birth defects of the baby's brain and spine. These form very early, so it is best to start before pregnancy or as soon as you find out.

WHO advises daily iron and folic acid for every pregnant woman, to help prevent anaemia, infection after birth, a small baby and early birth. Some clinics give a multiple micronutrient supplement (MMS) instead. From the second trimester you may also get calcium. Accredited clinics give these free at your check-ups, or send you to a YAKAP clinic to get them through PhilHealth's GAMOT medicines benefit. If a supplement upsets your stomach, tell your health worker instead of stopping.

Tetanus vaccine. WHO recommends it for pregnant women, depending on the tetanus shots you had before. It protects your newborn from tetanus. Under PhilHealth's rules, at least one tetanus shot is given in every pregnancy, in the second half, and some women need a second. Bring any old vaccine records.

Ask your doctor, midwife or pharmacist before any other medicine, vitamin or herbal remedy. If you take medicine for a long-term illness, don't stop it on your own: see your doctor early.

Routine prenatal care at a PhilHealth-accredited facility should cost you nothing.

As of November 2026, PhilHealth's Expanded Maternity Care Benefit (in effect since April 30, 2026) covers, at accredited lying-in clinics, health centers, YAKAP clinics, hospital outpatient clinics and laboratories:

• the 8 check-ups, growth monitoring, supplements, deworming and the tetanus vaccine if needed, including check-ups with the midwife at your barangay health station
• all the routine tests and two ultrasounds listed above
• a normal delivery in a lying-in clinic or birthing home if your pregnancy is low-risk, and transfer to a hospital if problems start in labour
• check-ups within 6 weeks after birth, with family planning, breastfeeding and mental health support

There should be nothing to pay for these services if you use a basic (ward) room when you give birth. You may pay for tests outside the package, a private room, or check-ups beyond the 8. In a private facility, extra check-ups cost at most ₱900 in total per pregnancy. Your doctor or care coordinator should explain any charge first. If you are referred to a private specialist, ask about fees before you go, because you may have to pay part of the cost.

All pregnant women enrolled in PhilHealth can use the benefit right away, and newborns are covered automatically. If you move or want to change clinics, tell your current clinic and ask for a referral letter so your benefit continues. High-risk pregnancies are covered by other hospital benefits: see what PhilHealth covers.

Pre-eclampsia is most common from 20 weeks, and can also start in the weeks after birth. Signs include a severe headache that doesn't go away, blurred vision or flashing lights, sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet, pain below the ribs, heartburn that heartburn medicine doesn't help, vomiting, or feeling very unwell. Any of these needs checking right away, at a hospital or birthing facility, not at your next visit.

Baby's movements. Most women feel the baby move between 16 and 24 weeks, later in a first pregnancy. Tell your health worker if you feel nothing by 24 weeks. There is no set number of kicks to count: learn your baby's usual pattern. If the baby moves less than usual or the pattern changes, get checked right away, even at night.

Early labour. Before 37 weeks, regular tightenings or contractions, period-like pains, unusual backache, or a gush or trickle of fluid from the vagina can mean labour is starting too early. Go to your birthing facility or hospital straight away.

Bleeding. Spotting or light bleeding is not always serious, but get checked the same day. Heavy bleeding, or bleeding with strong belly pain, shoulder pain, dizziness or fainting, is an emergency.

Also get checked for fever, a change in the smell or colour of your vaginal discharge, very itchy skin (especially the palms or soles, which can be a sign of a liver problem), or stress, worry or low mood that affects your daily life. The red box on this page lists the signs that mean the emergency room now.

Many family customs in pregnancy are harmless. A few can delay care:

• "I feel fine, so I don't need a check-up." Pre-eclampsia, anaemia, gestational diabetes and infections often give no signs at first.
• "The hilot can tell if the baby is okay." If you see a hilot, keep your check-ups too. Blood pressure checks, tests and ultrasound show what a massage cannot. If you are told the baby is in the wrong position, see your health worker before anyone tries to turn the baby.
• "Ultrasound is bad for the baby." It uses sound waves and has no known harm.
• "Vitamins make the baby too big." Iron and folic acid lower the chance of a small baby and birth defects. Talk to your health worker rather than stopping.
• "Wait until the belly shows." The first check-up belongs in the first 12 weeks.

Worried about something you've heard? Ask our pregnancy assistant or book a call with a nurse.