WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience: executive summary

Overview

WHO envisions a world where every pregnant woman and newborn receives quality care throughout the pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. Within the continuum of reproductive health care, antenatal care (ANC) provides a platform for important health-care functions, including health promotion, screening and diagnosis, and disease prevention. It has been established that by implementing timely and appropriate evidence-based practices, ANC can save lives. Crucially, ANC also provides the opportunity to communicate with and support women, families and communities at a critical time in the course of a woman’s life.

Recognizing that a woman’s experience of care is key to transforming ANC and creating thriving families and communities, this guideline addresses the following questions:

• What are the evidence-based practices during ANC that improve outcomes and lead to a positive pregnancy experience?
• How should these practices be delivered?