One of the core recommendations of focused antenatal care for the last 15 years has been reworked in the World Health Organization’s newly released guidelines.
In the guidelines released in November, the WHO now recommends eight contacts with health services instead of four over the course of a woman’s pregnancy.
This shift provides more opportunity for women to meet with medical professionals throughout their pregnancies to reduce stillbirths and complications and represents renewed focus on women’s overall experience of care, said Ӧzge Tunçalp, the lead scientist on WHO’s antenatal care guideline development.
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About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers has worked as an Associate Editor and Southeast Asia Correspondent for Devex, with a particular focus on gender. Prior to that, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has reported from more than 20 countries.
