Pregnancy
Pregnancy Checkups in Seoul: Early Confirmation and Prenatal Care in Korea
Confirm a pregnancy, understand the Korean prenatal schedule and get English-language reports, 100 m from Gangnam Station.
Somssi Women's Clinic is a surgical gynecology clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, founded in 2000 and led by Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD. For pregnancy we provide early confirmation by hCG test and transvaginal ultrasound, dating, first-trimester checkups and the routine tests expats and visitors need, with results explained in English. For the birth itself we coordinate referral to a delivery hospital, so you have a clear path from the first positive test to the maternity ward.
First step
How is a pregnancy confirmed and dated?
A home test tells you that you are pregnant; a clinic visit tells you where the pregnancy is, how far along it is and whether it is developing normally. In Korea this first check is done early and in one visit, usually with an ultrasound in the same room, so you leave with real information rather than a referral slip.
If you have had bleeding, pain, a previous ectopic pregnancy or fertility treatment, come as soon as your test is positive. Otherwise the most informative first visit is at about 6 to 7 weeks from the first day of your last period, when a heartbeat can usually be seen.
What happens at the first visit
- Urine or blood hCG test. A urine test confirms the pregnancy on the spot. A blood hCG level, repeated 48 hours apart if needed, helps when it is very early or when there is bleeding.
- Transvaginal ultrasound from about 5–6 weeks. Shows the gestational sac inside the uterus (ruling out an ectopic pregnancy), the yolk sac and, from about 6 weeks, the embryo and heartbeat.
- Dating. Measuring the embryo (crown-rump length) gives the most accurate due date, which matters for every later test. Dating by ultrasound is used even when you know your cycle, especially after irregular periods or fertility treatment.
- Baseline checks. Blood pressure, weight, a review of medications and supplements, and a discussion of folic acid, nausea and what to avoid.
- A plan and a written summary. You receive an English summary with the due date and ultrasound images, useful for your employer, insurer or a doctor at home.
Timeline
What is the routine prenatal schedule in Korea?
Korean prenatal care follows a schedule that will look familiar if you come from the US, Europe or Australia, with one difference: ultrasound is done at most visits rather than two or three times in the whole pregnancy. The outline here is typical; your own schedule is adjusted for your age, history and any findings.
Somssi provides the early visits and routine checkups. The later tests, the anatomy scan and delivery planning are usually done at the hospital where you will give birth, and we help you transfer at the right time with complete records.
A typical schedule
| 6–10 weeks | Confirmation, dating ultrasound, booking bloods (blood group and antibodies, blood count, rubella, hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis, thyroid as needed), urine test, Pap smear if due. |
| 11–14 weeks | First-trimester screening: nuchal translucency ultrasound with blood markers, or a cell-free DNA (NIPT) blood test for chromosomal conditions. |
| Every 4 weeks to 28 weeks | Blood pressure, weight, urine, fetal heartbeat and growth on ultrasound. Second-trimester screening blood test at 15–20 weeks if first-trimester screening was not done. |
| About 20 weeks | Detailed anatomy scan of the baby's organs, placenta position and cervical length. |
| 24–28 weeks | Glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes, repeat blood count, anti-D if you are Rh-negative. |
| Every 2 weeks to 36 weeks | Growth and position checks, blood pressure, discussion of birth preferences, Tdap and flu vaccination. |
| Weekly from 36 weeks | Group B strep swab, position and fluid checks, delivery planning at your chosen hospital. |
Presented as a typical outline for a low-risk pregnancy; your obstetric team sets the final schedule.
Living in Korea
Pregnancy care for expats and visitors in Seoul
Being pregnant away from home raises practical questions that have nothing to do with medicine. These are the ones we answer most often.
- National Health Insurance (NHIS). If you are enrolled, pregnancy-related visits, ultrasounds and routine tests are partly covered, as they are for Korean residents. Bring your alien registration card to every visit.
- The pregnancy support card. Once a pregnancy is confirmed, NHIS members can apply for the government's pregnancy and childbirth support card, a prepaid benefit that offsets prenatal and delivery costs at participating clinics and hospitals. We issue the confirmation document you need to apply; the amount and rules are set by the government and change from year to year, so check the current terms with NHIS or your local office.
- No insurance? Visitors pay per visit and receive an English itemized receipt for their own travel or international insurer. Fees for routine prenatal visits in Korea are modest by international standards; a written estimate is given before any extra test.
- Bringing records. If you confirmed the pregnancy elsewhere, bring the dating scan report, blood results and any genetic screening so nothing is repeated unnecessarily.
- English reports. Every visit can be summarized in English, including ultrasound measurements, which makes transferring to a delivery hospital, or flying home to give birth, straightforward. Most airlines ask for a doctor's letter after 28 weeks; we provide one.
For travel, payment and accommodation, see the international patient guide .
Please note
What Somssi does, and does not, provide in pregnancy
Somssi Women's Clinic is an outpatient gynecology clinic, not a maternity hospital. We provide early pregnancy confirmation, dating and first-trimester care, routine checkups and the standard screening tests , and we manage gynecological problems that arise during pregnancy. We do not deliver babies and we do not have an inpatient ward. When the time comes, usually in the second trimester or earlier if you prefer, we coordinate your referral to a delivery hospital in Seoul with English-speaking obstetricians, send your complete records, and remain available for gynecological care afterwards. If you have a high-risk history, we will say so at the first visit and refer you early.
After the birth
Gynecologic health after childbirth
The six-week check marks the end of obstetric care, but many of the changes childbirth leaves behind show up months or years later: a perineal scar that pulls or hurts during intercourse, a feeling of looseness, leaking urine when you laugh or run, or a sense of heaviness low in the pelvis. These are the problems Dr. Yoon has treated for more than two decades, and they are not something you have to live with.
Pelvic-floor exercise helps early, mild symptoms. When tissue has been stretched or scarred, the clinic repairs it using your own tissue, without mesh or implants, usually under sedation with long-acting local anesthesia and same-day discharge. We recommend waiting until you have finished breastfeeding and your cycles have returned before any elective repair, and we will tell you honestly if surgery is not the right answer.
Painful or tight perineal scar
An episiotomy or tear that healed badly can be revised so the opening is comfortable again. See perineal scar revision and perineoplasty.
Looseness or reduced sensation after delivery
Read our guide Vaginoplasty after childbirth: can surgery repair vaginal laxity? and the vaginoplasty page.
Leaking, heaviness or prolapse
Stress incontinence and early prolapse after childbirth are assessed together. See pelvic floor disorders, urinary incontinence treatment and uterine prolapse surgery.
FAQ
Pregnancy checkups in Korea: common questions
Quick answers for expats and visitors. For hormone questions before or after pregnancy, see hormonal imbalance treatment ; for everything else, the full FAQ and about the clinic .
How early can an ultrasound confirm pregnancy?
A transvaginal ultrasound can usually see the gestational sac in the uterus from about 5 weeks after the first day of your last period, and the embryo with a heartbeat from about 6 weeks. Before that, a positive test is confirmed with blood hCG levels. If you come very early and nothing is visible yet, we repeat the scan one to two weeks later rather than guessing.
Can I have my prenatal checkups at Somssi and deliver elsewhere?
Yes, that is the usual arrangement. We provide confirmation, dating, first-trimester screening and routine checkups, then transfer you to the delivery hospital of your choice with complete English and Korean records, typically by the second trimester. Many patients choose a hospital near home or work for later visits and the birth, and return to us for gynecological care afterwards.
Will my reports be in English?
Yes. Each visit can be summarized in English, including ultrasound measurements, blood results and the estimated due date, and a doctor's letter for airlines, employers or insurers is available on request. Korean-language records are also provided for the delivery hospital.
Do I need to be enrolled in NHIS to be seen?
No. Visitors and newly arrived expats are seen on a self-pay basis and receive an itemized English receipt for their own insurer. If you later enroll in NHIS, coverage applies from that point and we issue the confirmation document needed for the government pregnancy support card.
What if I have bleeding or pain in early pregnancy?
Contact us the same day during opening hours (Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 09:30–18:00) and we will fit you in for an ultrasound and hCG test. Light spotting is common and often harmless, but one-sided pain, heavy bleeding or dizziness needs urgent assessment to exclude an ectopic pregnancy. Outside our hours, go to the nearest emergency department; Korea's emergency number is 119.
Book a visit
Confirm your pregnancy with an English-speaking gynecologist in Gangnam
Tell us your dates and whether you have had any symptoms, and a coordinator will book an early appointment, explain what to bring and send a written estimate. Learn more about Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, who has cared for women in Gangnam since 2000.
