Track your antenatal care (ANC) contacts using the WHO 8-contact schedule, assess risk factors, and get personalised guidance. For educational purposes — always see a health worker.
Each factor adds to your risk score. Check all that apply to your situation.
The WHO 2016 ANC model recommends at least 8 contacts with a skilled health provider during pregnancy. Contacts around your current week are highlighted.
GO TO HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY if you experience any of these:
Deaths per 100,000 live births (WHO 2020 estimates). Global average: 223.
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths despite having ~16% of world births. Most deaths are preventable with quality ANC and skilled birth attendance.
Africa's high maternal mortality — accounting for 70% of global maternal deaths — has multiple causes: low coverage of skilled birth attendants (only 59% of African births are attended by skilled personnel vs 99% in high-income countries); delays in recognising danger signs; delays in reaching care (the "three delays" model); poor quality of obstetric care at facilities; high rates of preventable conditions like haemorrhage, sepsis, hypertensive disorders, and unsafe abortion; and low contraceptive coverage leading to more high-risk pregnancies. The good news: maternal mortality in Africa fell by 38% between 2000–2017, proving these deaths are preventable.
In 2016, WHO updated its recommendation from 4 to 8 antenatal care "contacts" (replacing "visits" to emphasise meaningful interaction, not just attendance). Evidence showed that 8 contacts provides significantly better outcomes than 4, particularly for detecting complications like pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and gestational diabetes. The contacts are timed to occur at key gestational stages when specific complications are most detectable and treatable. In Africa, only about 40–50% of pregnant women complete 4+ ANC visits, and far fewer reach 8 contacts.
Most African governments offer free or subsidised ANC, though implementation varies. In Nigeria, free ANC is available at primary health centres under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, though many women still face unofficial payments. In Kenya, the Linda Mama programme provides free maternity care including ANC at public facilities. South Africa provides free ANC and delivery at all public health facilities under the Uniform Patient Fee Schedule. Ghana's NHIA covers ANC at registered facilities. Ethiopia offers free ANC at government health centres. Despite free policies, costs of transport, lost income, and unofficial fees remain barriers.
A birth preparedness plan (discussed at ANC Contact 7 — 38 weeks) should cover: where you will deliver; identifying a skilled birth attendant; arranging transport to the facility (and an emergency backup); saving money for potential costs; identifying a blood donor with your blood group; choosing a support person; packing a hospital bag (including insurance card/documents, baby clothes, sanitary pads); and knowing the emergency warning signs to act on. In rural Africa, "three delays" (delay in recognising emergency, reaching facility, receiving care) cause the majority of preventable deaths — a plan addresses delays 1 and 2 directly.
Family-health tools should turn dates, costs, growth, feeding, and vaccine questions into safer preparation for antenatal, paediatric, and community health visits.
This app now has its own benchmarked improvement layer, dashboard handoff, email-gated PDF plan, and a route into the Pregnancy and child care plan workflow.
WHO antenatal risk guidance: Risk tools need conservative escalation and clinic review.
Implemented here: Added family-health workflow save/PDF actions and urgent-warning framing.