Telling GP at 6 weeks pregnant

[Tors91]

Hi,
I’m currently 6 weeks pregnant and phoned my GP this morning to make an appointment, I was told that I don’t need to make an appointment and to just leave in a urine sample. I left in my urine sample earlier and was told to phone on Thursday for the results.
I’m just confused as to why they asked me to do this instead of giving me an appointment? When I phone on Thursday for the results I know it’s going to be positive, does anyone know what will happen next?
Sorry this is my first pregnancy and I have no idea what way things work 😂

They will refer you to the midwifes and you should have a booking in appointment around 8 weeks. No need to see GP. Congratulations.

Can you self refer to the mudwifery team? Locally GPs have nothing to do with early pregnancy here.

I have just found out I'm pregnant (nearly 6 weeks ) spent an hour on hold yesterday to the doctors to then be told I can't book appointments through the gp to see a doctors or midwife (due to covid ) and I have to ring the maternity unit at my local hospital , I was then told by them to fill in an online form to request a midwife!! This can then take upto 3 weeks for them to even respond , before even giving me an appointment!! I understand rules are different because of covid but this is ridiculous, I'll probably be about 10 weeks before even talking to anyone

With my 1st pregnancy , I rang the doctors and had an appointment the next week 🤷‍♀️😕

I was surprised that the surgery wasn’t interested and the receptionist just told me to contact the midwife. It was a bit of an eye opener that joyful and exciting news for me was mundane to others!

Where I am you just google your preferred hospital and you self refer. Start taking folic acid. Congratulations!

PS unless obviously there’s something else you want to discuss, existing medication, urinary infection etc.

@Km12345

Out of interest, why would you need to see someone before 10 weeks? Genuine question as I’m almost 12 weeks and haven’t seen anyone...

Yeah I told my GP around 10 weeks,
ME: 'I think I'm pregnant, I've taken about 6 pregnancy tests and they are all positive'
GP: 'so you ARE pregnant then'
Wasn't asked to take a sample or anything they just referred me to midwife. Since I have seen the midwives, had bloods and stuff, and then asked my GP if they had seen my results I was told they (GP) don't get informed of my midwife appointments or tests and they don't show when I check the nhs patient app xx

Congrats! My GP don't check urine samples or do anything, other than gave me the email address to self-refer to the midwifery team at the hospital!

If you need folic acid, healthy pregnancy eating advice etc, check on the NHS pregnancy websites.

I just phoned the GP and they sent me the link to self refer to the midwife. Didn't see a midwife till13 weeks.

@PearandHoney I only assumed this was the norm as wirh my 1st I seen someone when I was about 7 weeks pregnant 🤷‍♀️ but I've moved house since then and therfore changed doctors surgery , so I suppose different places have different procedures

Are you sure they are checking the urine for hcg? IIRC at week 8 mine was checked for glucose and protein.

I was 10 weeks before I saw a midwife (had a call with my gp at 4 weeks when I got my BFP) for my booking in appointment and will have my first nhs scan in 2 weeks. It's my first pregnancy so not got anything to compare with.

I had private scans to tide me over in the 12 weeks wait.

Not sure what they are checking my urine for, I assume it’s to just confirm the pregnancy? When I phoned I asked if I needed to make an appointment with the GP or if I could self refer to the midwifery team but I was just told to bring in a urine sample. So confused 🤣

Due to the high percentage of pregnancies that unfortunately end in early miscarriage, booking in usually isn't done until after around 9 weeks anyway.

I’ve had 2 experiences:

Pre-covid they checked a urine sample for pregnancy plus a dipstick during my GP appointment and then discussed pregnancy, how I was feeling, period dates, reviewed where to find info on foods to avoid, discussed folic acid. The GP asked what hospital I wanted and he did the referral.

This time was a phone appointment with the GP, no urine test, otherwise similar to last time and the GP also did the referral.

So at least in this area the GP still does the referral although I think you can self-refer.

I think it's a regional variation thing, with my first I had to contact GP first in order to get a referral to the community midwives (no self-referral here) and I did actually see my GP who just started off my paper notes and had a quick chat about folic acid etc. And gave me the lowdown of the different hospitals I could choose because we are in a location that has a few options.

Second time, even though I had all the phone numbers etc from before, still had to ring GP and have a quick chat with her on the phone before she made the referral. This was in Covid and the notes are now online so no need for me to go in in person, I guess the chat is just a first touch that my surgery opts to do.

Same after that really, booking appointment at about 9 weeks, in person at home for the first one and on the phone for this one. Only contact with GP surgery for vaccinations and indigestion, oh and antibiotics for a UTI that my midwife discovered in my booking sample with my first.

So it may be your GP will do the same dipstick test the midwife does and gives you a ring if it turns up anything. On Thursday it will probably just be a similar chat, congrats, I've referred you to the midwife, please take folic acid and wait for a call from them, kind of thing.

To be honest it was the same 23 years ago, all the drs receptionist did was book me in with the midwife for a booking in appointment at 12 weeks, they weren't even interested in confirming my pregnancy.

I think you just phone the hospital for a scan. I don't think you need to see a dr?

When I called and told my GP, I was 7 weeks. She said the only 90 min appointment available with a midwife would be when I was 10 weeks, which she said was “too late”. She referred me to the midwifes other clinic (at the hospital instead of at the surgery) and the midwife called me a couple of days later to book me in at 8w5d.

She said they see everyone before 9 weeks, because of the blood tests they do.

@PearandHoney I would call and try to be seen. From what I’ve been told, your first scan needs to be before 14 weeks in order to be able to offer you the full health screening

@RevolvingPivot

I think you just phone the hospital for a scan. I don't think you need to see a dr?

You don't self-refer for scans, the midwife does that when she's booked you into the system.

@derbee is right though your 12 week scan has to be done before 14 weeks if you're having screening, but having a booking appt at 9/10 weeks normally leads to this fine. I say normally as there's been a few threads on here lately where ladies have had problems getting scan dates confirmed and then it being too late to do the screening they wanted.

Hopefully OP will get their info on Thurs and the midwife will be in touch as routine in the next week or two after that. Should say as well my midwife gave me my blood test forms (we have a walk-in system) both times, not the GP. The blood test results aren't even on my GP record which is bizarre given its a general MOT and a disease screening panel...you'd think that would be of use to the GP too wouldn't you! But then the midwife can't see my vaccination record because that's on the GP system. It's all a bit crap really.

There is an outline of the antental appointment schedule here, worth keeping an eye on as some ladies seem to be being missed off for some of the middle ones too based on posts on here.

www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/your-pregnancy-care/your-antenatal-appointments/

It seems every area is different. This is No2 for me. I had a positive test on Sunday, phoned my surgery on Monday and got a same-day appointment. I did a sample when I got there and GP said what I was told last time 'we don't do a pregnancy test anymore because the home ones are as good as ours, but I'll send this to the lab for our other tests' for protein etc. We went through the form to refer me to the midwives etc. He booked me in again on Monday for blood tests (which are meant to be done at the second appointment in my area), and reminded me to book my flu jab which is free because I'm pregnant. He also have me their leaflet that sets out how many appointments I will have and who with (GP or midwife). It was faster than my appointment last time but I 'knew the drill' a lot better.