Which pregnancy tests does the NFZ cover? The schedule in a table
The visits and tests in pregnancy are set out in the Minister of Health regulation on the organisational standard of perinatal care (standard organizacyjny opieki okołoporodowej). Its current consolidated text was published in the Journal of Laws in August 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1140). The NFZ (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia) is the public fund that pays for this care. The annex to the regulation contains a table of tests assigned to weeks of pregnancy, shown below in a shortened form.
| Week of pregnancy | Tests and consultations | What else the visit covers |
|---|---|---|
| by week 10 or at the first visit | blood group and Rh (unless you have a confirmed result), red cell antibodies, blood count and ferritin, urine test, cervical smear (unless you had one in the 12 months before pregnancy), fasting glucose, plus OGTT if you have risk factors for gestational diabetes, VDRL, HIV and HCV, toxoplasmosis IgG and IgM (unless you have an IgG result from before pregnancy), TSH, HBs antigen, dental check-up | history and examination, blood pressure, breast examination, height, weight and BMI, pregnancy risk assessment, information about tests for genetic conditions and about vaccines recommended in pregnancy, start of antenatal education |
| 11-14 | ultrasound in line with the recommendations of the Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (PTGiP) | history and examination, blood pressure, weight, pregnancy risk assessment, screening for symptoms of depression, antenatal education |
| 15-20 | blood count, urine test | history and examination, blood pressure, weight, pregnancy risk assessment, antenatal education |
| 18-22 | ultrasound in line with PTGiP recommendations | the scan itself, without a separate visit |
| 21-26 | urine test, toxoplasmosis IgG and IgM if your first-trimester result was negative | history and examination, fetal heart activity, blood pressure, weight, pregnancy risk assessment, antenatal education |
| 24-28 | 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with three measurements: fasting, after 1 hour and after 2 hours, anti-D antibodies if you are Rh negative | the tests themselves, without a separate visit |
| 27-32 | blood count, urine test, ultrasound in line with PTGiP recommendations, anti-D immunoglobulin in weeks 28-30 if indicated | history and examination, fetal heart activity, blood pressure, weight, pregnancy risk assessment, antenatal education including pain relief in labour |
| 33-37 | blood count, urine test, HBs antigen, HIV, vaginal and rectal swab for group B streptococcus (GBS) in weeks 35-37, VDRL and HCV only if you are at increased risk of infection, anaesthetic consultation if you want regional anaesthesia | obstetric examination, fetal heart activity and movements, breast examination, risk assessment with the recommended place of birth, screening for symptoms of depression, antenatal education |
| 38-39 | urine test, blood count, anaesthetic consultation if it has not taken place earlier | obstetric examination, fetal movements and heart activity, blood pressure, weight, pregnancy risk assessment, antenatal education |
| promptly after week 40 | CTG, ultrasound in line with PTGiP recommendations, anaesthetic consultation if it has not taken place earlier | obstetric examination, fetal movements, blood pressure, weight, pregnancy risk assessment, and if the results are normal, another visit with CTG and ultrasound 7 days later |
The standard also says that in a pregnancy progressing normally, the person looking after your pregnancy should see you at least every four weeks, and more often when there is a reason to. If your health or earlier results suggest a risk of complications, they order extra tests. So the table shows the minimum, not the full list of tests you may have.
The last weeks of pregnancy, including the GBS swab, CTG and what happens after the due date, are covered in detail in our separate article on the end of pregnancy.
How many ultrasound scans do you get on the NFZ?
In a pregnancy progressing normally the standard provides for three ultrasound scans: between weeks 11 and 14, between weeks 18 and 22 and between weeks 27 and 32. Each follows the PTGiP recommendations. If your pregnancy lasts beyond 40 weeks, a scan together with CTG is done promptly after week 40 and again 7 days later.
The scans in weeks 11-14 and 18-22 coincide with the fetal ultrasound stages of the prenatal screening programme, which assesses the risk of congenital anomalies. Extra scans are ordered when your health or your baby's condition requires them. The standard also recommends a breast ultrasound, ideally by the end of week 12, for women with breast changes or a family history of breast cancer.
Which blood and urine tests are done in pregnancy?
Most laboratory tests fall at the first visit. After that, many of them are repeated at set stages:
- Blood count: by week 10 (with ferritin), and in weeks 15-20, 27-32, 33-37 and 38-39.
- Urine test: at the first visit and at every later stage from week 15 to week 39.
- Blood group, Rh and red cell antibodies: early in pregnancy. If you are Rh negative, anti-D antibodies are checked in weeks 24-28, and anti-D immunoglobulin is given in weeks 28-30 if indicated.
- Glucose: fasting at the first visit, and a 75 g glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in weeks 24-28. If you have risk factors for gestational diabetes, the OGTT is done early in pregnancy too.
- Infections: HIV, HCV, VDRL (a syphilis test, in Poland also known by the older name WR) and HBs antigen early in pregnancy, HBs and HIV again in weeks 33-37, and VDRL and HCV at that stage only if you are at increased risk of infection.
- Toxoplasmosis: IgG and IgM early in pregnancy, unless you have an IgG result from before pregnancy. If the result is negative, the test is repeated in weeks 21-26.
- TSH: early in pregnancy.
- Cervical smear: at the first visit, unless you had one in the 12 months before pregnancy.
The current standard does not list a routine rubella test. If you do not know whether you have had rubella or been vaccinated, ask the person looking after your pregnancy. A dental check-up is also part of the tests early in pregnancy.
Is NFZ prenatal screening available to every pregnant woman?
Yes. Since June 2024 the NFZ-funded Prenatal Testing Programme (Program badań prenatalnych) has been open to all pregnant women, whatever their age. Before that, one of the eligibility criteria was being aged 35 or over. The change was introduced by a Minister of Health regulation of 14 May 2024.
- Counselling and biochemical tests: between weeks 11 and 14, a blood test that measures PAPP-A and free beta-hCG, among others. This is what people usually call the PAPP-A test.
- Counselling and fetal ultrasound for congenital anomalies: between weeks 11 and 14, and between week 18 and week 22 plus 6 days.
- Genetic counselling and testing, and collection of material for testing (amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling or cordocentesis): only when indicated, for example after an abnormal ultrasound or biochemical result, or if a chromosomal abnormality occurred in a previous pregnancy.
For the first two stages you need a referral (skierowanie) from the doctor looking after your pregnancy, stating how many weeks pregnant you are. For genetic testing you are referred by that doctor or by the clinic from the ultrasound stage. The programme is run by NFZ-contracted obstetric and gynaecological clinics, and you can find one in the NFZ search tool by choosing “Badania prenatalne”. Each stage has fixed weeks of pregnancy, so ask for the referral at your first visit.
Which pregnancy tests do you have to pay for?
Tests from the standard and from the prenatal screening programme are free for you when done at a facility with an NFZ contract. You pay for tests that are in neither, done at your own request without a medical reason. NIPT, a test of fetal cell-free DNA in the mother's blood, is not on the list of tests in the programme, for example, so it is done privately.
Extra scans outside the times in the standard are also private, unless your doctor orders them because of your health. Before you pay for a test, ask the person looking after your pregnancy whether you need it in your situation and whether you can have it on the NFZ.
Pacjent.gov.pl, the official patient portal, points out that a woman who is pregnant or has recently given birth does not need health insurance to use free NFZ care if she is a Polish citizen, lives permanently in Poland and has a document confirming the pregnancy. In pregnancy you also have the right to receive health care without queuing.
Who can look after your pregnancy on the NFZ?
Under the standard, your pregnancy can be looked after by an obstetrician or by a midwife (położna). You do not need a referral to see an NFZ-contracted gynaecologist and obstetrician. A midwife looks after pregnancies that are progressing normally and, if signs of a problem appear, transfers your care to an obstetrician. We explain the differences between a midwife, a doctor and a doula in a separate article.
If a doctor looks after your pregnancy, the standard requires them to refer you to a POZ (primary care) midwife for antenatal education at the first visit. Under the standard, antenatal education starts at the first pregnancy visit, by week 10 or whenever you first come in. How to choose a POZ midwife and what the classes look like is covered in our article on antenatal classes.
What are the karta ciąży and the antenatal care plan?
The pregnancy record card (karta przebiegu ciąży, usually called karta ciąży) is the document in which the person looking after your pregnancy writes down the results of visits and tests. Take it to every appointment and to the hospital. The POZ midwife who takes you on writes her contact details in the karta ciąży and in the antenatal care plan.
You agree the antenatal care plan (plan opieki przedporodowej) with the person looking after your pregnancy. It covers all tests and procedures with their timing, and the option of joining health programmes, including prenatal screening and fetal echocardiography, a scan of the baby's heart. The plan changes along with your pregnancy and your needs, and it is added to your medical records.
