Whether they’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, most women have a million questions for their OB-GYN.
The most common questions range from whether you can keep exercising and what you should eat to which prenatal vitamin is really the best—but beyond the basics, there are also some larger questions you should be asking that are key to a successful pregnancy.
What is my care team’s philosophy?
Knowing you have a care team that has considered all risk factors—especially if you are within a group that is at a higher risk of maternal mortality—is important for you to feel safe during your pregnancy.
“Particularly for women of color, ask about their philosophy on health inequities or the maternal mortality crisis,” says Dr. Yamicia Connor, a Harvard-MIT-educated OB-GYN, surgeon, research scientist, engineer and mother of three. “If they don’t have any answer for some of these questions or haven’t thought about it, to me, that would be a warning sign.”
The United States has the highest rate of maternal deaths of any high-income nation, according to a 2024 report by The Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation focused on healthcare research. African American women face even higher maternal mortality rates.
What supports do I have in place?
Some support services can help alleviate stress for expectant mothers, according to Alexandra Collins. Collins is one of the editors for “Improving Maternal and Infant Healthcare in the United States,” a new book addressing the differences in maternal mortality in the United States. She is also senior research associate and director of public relations for The National Library of Patient Rights and Advocacy.
“If you don’t have spousal support or family support, it does make the process harder,” Collins says.
If you do have someone close to you, bring them to your appointments.
“I would always bring a second person,” Connor says. “You never know what will happen at an appointment, especially later in the pregnancy.”
Having a second person there not only provides emotional support, but also practical support if the patient needs to stay for testing or observation.
“It is just really helpful to have another set of eyes and ears to help you absorb the information,” Connor says. “And then, in the event that you feel you’re being mistreated, having someone who could directly advocate for you whether that is a partner, family member or doula, just having that presence of another person, I think, is very protective.”
How can my chronic conditions be managed?
“There are things that people tend not to focus on that have a much, much bigger impact,” Connor says. Comorbidities like diabetes, obesity and hypertension can have a significant impact on the course and potential outcomes of a pregnancy.
“Getting those chronic health conditions under control and optimized would provide leaps and bounds in terms of improving outcomes, particularly with the new weight loss medications that can really have profound effects on someone’s health,” Connor says.
While medications like Ozempic have taken the world of weight loss by storm, the Food and Drug Administration advises that people stop taking drugs like Ozempic at least two months before trying to become pregnant.
Have I shared the right information from my family medical history?
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a family health history should include information about major medical conditions, causes of death, age at disease diagnosis, age at death and ethnic background.
For those who don’t know their family history, genetic counseling might be able to fill in some of the blanks. Genetic screening can be used to check if you and/or your partner are carriers for common genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease.
A health history should also include the father’s history and his family’s history—something Connor notes is often forgotten.
How did my past pregnancies go?
Connor says it’s important for patients to note past complications, or the lack of complications, with past pregnancies. This also includes whether you had a cesarean birth, vaginal birth or vaginal birth after cesarean.
If there have been complications with past pregnancies, a healthcare provider might recommend genetic counseling.
Reasons for genetic counseling include having had infertility, two or more miscarriages, a previous pregnancy or child with a genetic condition or birth defect or a baby who died at less than 1 year of age, according to the CDC.
