When should I come for the first visit?
Come after a positive home test, around 6 to 8 weeks from the first day of your last period. By then a scan can usually see the baby's heartbeat. Before six weeks it may show only the sac.
Come sooner if you have pain or bleeding, a previous miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, or diabetes, thyroid disease, high blood pressure or epilepsy. Pregnancy care in Chennai at RV Clinic runs from this visit to delivery planning. Many first-time mothers on the OMR side see Dr. Ragavi Vikram at RV Clinic Thalambur in the evening after work.
Do not wait for the appointment if
Severe pain on one side of the lower belly, heavy bleeding or fainting in early pregnancy can mean a pregnancy outside the uterus (ectopic pregnancy). Go to a hospital emergency department the same day.
What will Dr. Ragavi ask?
The first visit takes about 20 minutes, and most of it is talking. Expect questions about:
- The first day of your last period, and whether your cycles are regular.
- Previous pregnancies and how each one went.
- Illnesses (diabetes, thyroid disease, high blood pressure, asthma, epilepsy) and past operations.
- Every medicine and supplement you take, and any allergies.
- Family history on both sides: twins, diabetes, thalassaemia, birth defects.
- Smoking, alcohol, your work hours, and how you feel about the pregnancy.
Nothing is judged; the answers decide which tests you need.
What does the dating scan show?
At 6 to 8 weeks the clearest picture comes from a scan with a slim probe placed inside the vagina (transvaginal scan). It uses no radiation. It confirms that the pregnancy is inside the uterus, shows whether there is one baby or two, checks the heartbeat, and measures the baby from head to bottom (crown-rump length). That measurement sets your due date more accurately than counting from your period, especially if your cycles are irregular.
The scan is done at the clinic. Later come the nuchal scan at 11 to 13 weeks, the anomaly scan at 18 to 22 weeks, and growth scans in the last three months.
A note on scans
Sex determination of the foetus is not done at RV Clinic, and no scan report here will state it. It is a punishable offence under the PCPNDT Act, 1994.
Which blood tests are done?
These routine tests are written at the first visit:
- Blood group and Rh type. If you are Rh negative, an injection is planned later.
- Haemoglobin, because anaemia is common and easy to treat early.
- Blood sugar, and an HbA1c if you are at risk of diabetes.
- Thyroid function (TSH). An untreated underactive thyroid affects the baby's development.
- Screening for HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis (VDRL), routine in every pregnancy.
- A urine test for protein, sugar and infection.
Why folic acid, and what else should I take?
Folic acid is the one tablet every pregnant woman needs from the start. Taken daily, it lowers the chance of defects in the baby's spine and brain. The usual dose is 400 micrograms; 5 milligrams is prescribed if you have diabetes, take epilepsy medicines, have a high body weight, or had a previous baby with a spine defect. Continue it at least until 12 weeks. Iron and calcium usually start from the fourth month. Do not take any other medicine, even cough syrups or pain tablets, without asking.
What should I bring, and what should I ask?
Bring:
- The date of your last period, written down.
- Old reports: previous scans, discharge summaries, sugar and thyroid results.
- A list of every medicine and supplement you take, or the strips themselves.
- Your blood group and your husband's, if known.
Questions worth asking: how often you will be seen, which scans come when, what you can eat, whether you can travel and work, which warning signs to call about, and where delivery happens. Deliveries and caesareans are done by Dr. Ragavi at Unittas Multispeciality Hospital, not at the clinic. The full first-visit list is in the patient resources and checklists.
How often will I need to come?
For a straightforward pregnancy, visits are every four weeks until 28 weeks, every two weeks until 36 weeks, and then weekly until delivery. Each visit checks your weight, blood pressure, urine, and the baby's growth and heartbeat. If you have sugar, high blood pressure, twins or a previous loss, visits are closer together under high-risk pregnancy care in Chennai.
Frequently asked questions
Pregnancy confirm aagiduchu. First scan eppo pogalam?
At 6 to 8 weeks from the first day of your last period. Go earlier if you have pain or bleeding, or a previous miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
Will the first scan tell if the baby is a boy or a girl?
No. Sex determination is illegal under the PCPNDT Act and is never done at RV Clinic. The early scan checks the position, number, heartbeat and age of the pregnancy.
Can my husband come into the consultation?
Yes. Partners are welcome in the consulting room. During the examination a lady attender is present.
Book your first pregnancy visit
Call or WhatsApp the clinic with the date of your last period. Same-day appointments are usually available, with evening hours at Thalambur.