Postpartum: postnatal check (anaemia, gestational diabetes, hypertension, thyroid)
BioMG follows French guidelines. Adapt it to the guidelines and the tests available where you practise.
Postnatal check (6 to 8 weeks): tests according to the pregnancy
- No routine laboratory tests after an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery.
Depending on how the pregnancy and delivery went
- FBC (heavy bleeding at delivery, known anaemia or symptoms of anaemia)if neededPostpartum anaemia (Hb < 11 g/dL at 48 h) is looked for only in case of bleeding or symptoms; iron supplementation is given only for proven anaemia [2].
- Fasting plasma glucose (or 75 g OGTT) after gestational diabetesif neededAfter gestational diabetes, screening for type 2 diabetes at the postnatal visit, then every 1 to 3 years (see the page Gestational diabetes) [3].
- Serum creatinineif neededAfter any hypertension of pregnancy, monitoring of BP, serum creatinine and proteinuria [4] (see the page Hypertension in pregnancy).
- Urine protein:creatinine ratio after hypertension or pre-eclampsiaif neededAfter any hypertension of pregnancy, monitoring of BP, serum creatinine and proteinuria [4] (see the page Hypertension in pregnancy).
- TSH (anti-TPO positive during pregnancy, levothyroxine, unexplained depression or signs of hypothyroidism)if neededPositive anti-TPO during pregnancy: TSH at least once after delivery; levothyroxine: TSH 6 weeks after returning to the pre-pregnancy dose; unexplained depression may justify thyroid tests [5].
- ASTif neededAfter intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, check normalisation of liver tests 8 to 12 weeks after delivery [2] (see the page Pruritus in pregnancy).
- ALTif neededAfter intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, check normalisation of liver tests 8 to 12 weeks after delivery [2] (see the page Pruritus in pregnancy).
- GGTif neededAfter intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, check normalisation of liver tests 8 to 12 weeks after delivery [2] (see the page Pruritus in pregnancy).
- Alkaline phosphatase after intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (8 to 12 weeks)if neededAfter intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, check normalisation of liver tests 8 to 12 weeks after delivery [2] (see the page Pruritus in pregnancy).
- HPV test (30 years and over, if cervical screening is not up to date)if neededThe screening smear is part of the postnatal consultation if it is not up to date [2]; since 2019, the HPV test replaces cytology from 30 years, 3 years after the last normal cytology then every 5 years [6].
- Cervical cytology (25 to 29 years, if screening is not up to date)if neededFrom 25 to 29 years, screening remains cytological: two tests one year apart, then 3 years later if they are normal [6].
- Irregular antibody screen (RAI) 6 months after delivery (RhD-negative woman who received anti-D immunoglobulins)if neededCheck the effectiveness of anti-D immunoprophylaxis with an irregular red cell antibody screen 6 months after delivery [7].
Also consider
- Suspected postpartum thyroiditis? See the page “Thyroid and pregnancy” (postpartum thyroiditis).
Do not order
After fetal growth restriction, stillbirth or severe pre-eclampsia
Laboratory tests
- Screen for antiphospholipid syndrome: lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibodies, anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies
Do not order
- Inherited thrombophilia (factor V Leiden, factor II mutation, proteins C and S, antithrombin) after IUGR, fetal death or pre-eclampsia: not recommended [2]
Sources (14)
- Insee. Les naissances en 2025 et en séries longues. Insee Résultats, paru le 06/07/2026.
- Collège national des gynécologues et obstétriciens français (CNGOF). Post-partum. Recommandations pour la pratique clinique, 2015 (texte court : Sénat MV, et al. J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris). 2015;44(10):1157-66).
- Collège national des gynécologues et obstétriciens français (CNGOF), Société francophone du diabète (SFD). Le diabète gestationnel. Recommandations pour la pratique clinique (texte court), décembre 2010 (résumé en anglais : Diabetes Metab. 2010;36(6 Pt 2):695-9).
- Société française d'hypertension artérielle (SFHTA), en partenariat avec le CNGOF. HTA et grossesse. Consensus d'experts, décembre 2015 (Mounier-Vehier C, et al. Presse Med. 2016;45(7-8 Pt 1):682-99).
- Haute Autorité de santé. Prise en charge des hypothyroïdies chez l’adulte. Recommandation de bonne pratique, validée le 15 décembre 2022 (mise en ligne mars 2023).
- Haute Autorité de santé. Évaluation de la recherche des papillomavirus humains (HPV) en dépistage primaire des lésions précancéreuses et cancéreuses du col de l'utérus et de la place du double immuno-marquage p16/Ki67. Synthèse de la recommandation en santé publique, juillet 2019.
- Laget L, Cortey A. Suivi immuno-hématologique des femmes enceintes. Rev Prat. 2018;68(5):541-546.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Postnatal care. NICE guideline NG194, 20 avril 2021, actualisée le 9 juin 2026.
- Paladine HL, Blenning CE, Strangas Y. Postpartum Care: An Approach to the Fourth Trimester. Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(8):485-491.
- Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA, Allemagne). Mutterschafts-Richtlinie, version du 21 septembre 2023, dernière modification du 16 juillet 2026, en vigueur depuis le 25 août 2026.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Hypertension in pregnancy: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline NG133, 25 juin 2019, actualisée le 17 avril 2023.
- Organisation mondiale de la santé. WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience. 2022.
- Burden C, Merriel A, Bakhbakhi D, Heazell A, Siassakos D; Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Care of late intrauterine fetal death and stillbirth: Green-top Guideline No. 55. BJOG. 2025;132(1):e1-e41.
- Nederlandse Internisten Vereniging (Pays-Bas). Richtlijn Antitrombotisch beleid, module « Trombofilie en zwangerschapscomplicaties », publié le 22 mars 2016.