Which visits and tests are there from week 33 until birth?
The schedule of visits and tests in pregnancy is set out in the Minister of Health regulation on the organisational standard of perinatal care (standard organizacyjny opieki okołoporodowej). Its current wording has applied since 7 May 2026. Your pregnancy can be looked after by a midwife or an obstetrician, and the standard divides the last weeks into three periods. The table shows what each one covers.
| Week of pregnancy | What the midwife or doctor assesses | Tests and consultations |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 33 to 37 | general and obstetric examination, fetal heart activity, blood pressure, fetal movements, breast examination, weight, pregnancy risk assessment with the recommended place of birth, screening for symptoms of depression, antenatal education | blood count, urine test, HBs antigen, HIV, vaginal and rectal swab for group B streptococcus (weeks 35 to 37), VDRL and HCV only if you are at increased risk of infection, anaesthetic consultation if you want regional anaesthesia |
| Weeks 38 to 39 | general and obstetric examination, fetal movements, fetal heart activity, blood pressure, weight, pregnancy risk assessment, antenatal education | urine test, blood count, anaesthetic consultation if it has not taken place earlier |
| Promptly after week 40 | general and obstetric examination, fetal movements, blood pressure, weight, pregnancy risk assessment, antenatal education | CTG, ultrasound in line with the recommendations of the Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (PTGiP), anaesthetic consultation if it has not taken place earlier |
The risk assessment between weeks 33 and 37 is an important moment. Based on it, the person looking after your pregnancy recommends the level of hospital care (poziom referencji) at which you should give birth. Level one covers a physiological pregnancy and a healthy newborn, while levels two and three also cover complicated pregnancies. The person looking after you has to discuss any risk factors found with you, so that you can choose your place of birth in an informed way.
If a midwife looks after your pregnancy and risk factors for complications appear, the standard provides for your care to be handed over to an obstetrician. Such risk factors include a positive GBS result, a baby not lying head down after week 37 and a pregnancy going beyond week 41.
When is the GBS swab done and what does a positive result mean?
The standard schedules the swab for group B streptococcus (GBS, Streptococcus agalactiae; in Polish posiew GBS) between weeks 35 and 37 of pregnancy. The swab is taken from the vagina and the rectum. When it is taken, ask when and where you will get the result, because you will need it when you give birth.
A positive result means you carry GBS (colonisation). The standard counts it among risk factors for perinatal complications because it is linked to a risk of early infection in the newborn. The standard also requires staff to assess at the start of labour whether you need GBS prevention during labour, and to provide it. In this situation WHO recommends giving antibiotics during labour to prevent early infection in the newborn.
Take the swab result to the hospital with the rest of your records. On admission for birth, staff also check your HBs and HIV results from weeks 33 to 37, and if they are missing, carry out these tests straight away.
When is CTG done at the end of pregnancy and what does it show?
CTG, or cardiotocography (in Polish KTG), is a non-invasive test that records your baby's heart activity and your uterine contractions at the same time. Sensors are strapped to your belly, and the recording makes it possible to assess the baby's condition at the end of pregnancy, before birth and during labour.
In a pregnancy that is going normally, the standard does not provide for routine CTG before the due date. It schedules it for the visit promptly after week 40, together with an ultrasound. If the CTG and ultrasound are normal and you feel the baby moving well, the next check with CTG and ultrasound should take place 7 days later. If anything is outside the norm, care is decided individually.
Earlier or more frequent CTG is ordered when your or your baby's health or earlier results point to a possible complication. The standard then provides for additional tests, and their scope is decided by the person looking after your pregnancy. If you feel your baby is moving noticeably less than usual, do not wait for your planned visit: contact the person looking after your pregnancy or the hospital straight away.
Is CTG free on the NFZ and where can I have it?
Yes. CTG is part of pregnancy care that the standard describes for all pregnant women, so under the NFZ (Poland's public health insurer) it is done by the clinic or practice where your pregnancy is looked after, or by a hospital. Performing and interpreting CTG in pregnant women is also on the list of guaranteed services of a POZ midwife (a primary care midwife funded by the NFZ), at her practice or at home. The regulations do not, however, require every POZ midwife's practice to have a CTG machine, so ask your midwife whether she offers the test.
- With the doctor or midwife looking after your pregnancy: at the visit before your due date, ask where and when you will have CTG after week 40.
- At the hospital where you plan to give birth: each hospital sets its own rules for CTG appointments, so check on its website or by phone whether you need a referral (skierowanie) and what hours to come.
- With a POZ midwife: if she has a machine, the test lasts at least 20 minutes, and the midwife assesses the recording and gives you her recommendations.
- Local authority programmes: in Wrocław the city runs a programme called Bądź bezpieczna (Be safe), in which residents from week 36 of pregnancy can borrow a portable home CTG device free of charge. Recordings are assessed by a monitoring centre that works around the clock. The sixth edition started in April 2026, and current rules are on wroclaw.pl.
Home CTG does not replace the visits and tests ordered by the person looking after your pregnancy. Tell them about your results, especially if the monitoring centre advises you to contact a doctor.
How is the due date calculated and what does post-term pregnancy mean?
The due date (termin porodu) is the date on which you complete 40 weeks of pregnancy, that is 280 days from the first day of your last period. According to the recommendations of the Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (PTGiP), it is calculated from the date of your last period or from an ultrasound scan. Dating based on measurements of the baby on an ultrasound between weeks 8 and 14 is the most accurate.
The due date is an estimate, not the day labour has to start. The NFZ and pacjent.gov.pl state that birth can happen about 14 days before or 10 days after the estimated date, and most babies are born between weeks 38 and 41. The standard defines a physiological birth as one between completed weeks 37 and 42 of pregnancy.
| Term | Week of pregnancy according to PTGiP |
|---|---|
| full-term pregnancy (ciąża donoszona) | from 37+0 to 40+6 |
| late-term pregnancy (ciąża w późnym terminie) | from 41+0 to 41+6 |
| post-term pregnancy (ciąża po terminie, przenoszona) | 42 completed weeks or more, that is from day 294 after the last period |
In everyday language, any pregnancy that has gone past the estimated date is called post-term. In the PTGiP recommendations the term applies to a pregnancy lasting 42 weeks or longer. Up to 40+6 it is still a full-term pregnancy, and week 41 is a late-term pregnancy.
When does the hospital admit you for induction after the due date?
The standard of perinatal care requires a hospital admission date to be set during the visits after week 40, so that birth happens before the end of week 42 of pregnancy. PTGiP recommends inducing labour in a well-dated pregnancy in week 41, that is between 41+0 and 41+6, regardless of the state of the cervix. WHO recommends induction from 41 completed weeks when the gestational age is known with certainty.
PTGiP points out that admission to hospital 7 days after the due date leaves time for two cycles of cervical ripening and induction. If they do not work, the pregnancy is ended by caesarean section. You agree the admission date and the referral with the person looking after your pregnancy, and if the CTG or ultrasound results are outside the norm, care is decided individually.
Induction of labour requires your informed, written consent and a medical reason. If you do not agree to induction, PTGiP recommends continued care in hospital, with an ultrasound check of the amount of amniotic fluid and at least one CTG recording a day. Ask about anything you are unsure of: the methods of induction, how long it takes and whether you can walk around in the meantime.
When should I go to hospital without waiting for my due date?
You go to the hospital of your choice to give birth without a referral when labour contractions start or your waters break. Bleeding from the vagina can mean the placenta is separating too early and needs immediate contact with a doctor, and if there is a threat to life, call 112. Do not wait either if your baby is moving noticeably less than usual. We describe the signs of labour in detail, and how to tell practice contractions from labour contractions, in a separate article.
What should I take to the hospital admissions room?
The NFZ advises packing things for yourself and your baby in advance and arranging help for the journey to the hospital. Keep your documents in one folder. The NFZ and pacjent.gov.pl remind you to take above all:
- your blood group result,
- your pregnancy record (karta przebiegu ciąży, the pregnancy booklet) with your test results,
- your GBS swab result,
- a recent blood count.
It also helps to bring an identity document, your birth plan, your HBs and HIV results from weeks 33 to 37, discharge letters from earlier hospital stays and a list of the medicines you take. On admission, the midwife or doctor listens to the baby's heart, takes your history, checks your blood group and test results, and assesses how far labour has progressed.
How can a midwife help at the end of pregnancy?
Since 1 May 2026 the NFZ has funded antenatal education with a POZ midwife from the confirmation of pregnancy until birth: up to week 31 at most once a week, and from week 32 at most twice a week. The sessions are free for you. It is a good time to talk through your birth plan, pain relief, the first days of feeding and newborn care, and to ask about CTG. The same midwife will later come to you for postnatal home visits (wizyty patronażowe).
A private midwife can come to your home for a longer visit at a time that suits you, including evenings or weekends. She can help you finalise your birth plan, pack your bag, practise positions and breathing with your birth partner and get your home ready for the first weeks with your baby. On MyMidwife you can check the scope of home visits and prices on midwives' profiles before booking.
