Pregnancy is a transformative journey filled with emotional and physical changes, which can trigger sensitivities and anxieties about one's evolving body. Amidst the numerous changes, women deserve a health care experience that prioritizes their comfort and well-being. For some, the practice of getting weighed at their doctor's offices during prenatal visits is less than ideal.

"You step on the scale and you're like oh my god, so then you go online and you're like 'how much weight should I gain when I'm pregnant because this feels like a lot,' and what you see is like negative 12 lbs," exclaims TikToker Elyse Myers in a recent video. She explains that this whole experience makes women feel horrible about themselves. 

Myers is not alone in her feelings. Many women in the comment section empathize with how they find the practice of being weighed during prenatal doctors' appointments particularly triggering for their anxiety and negative body image issues.

"It's all I could think about when I was pregnant and all my doctor could remind me about," wrote one commenter. "Just let me grow my person in peace." 

It's already natural to feel self-conscious during pregnancy or feel a need to conform to unrealistic beauty standards — the last thing you need is to feel uncomfortable in a setting that is meant to help you. Experts say that you do have options when it comes to being weighed at your appointments.

Can you ask not to get weighed at prenatal appointments?

Yes. The good news is that you can opt out of getting weighed at your next appointment. 

"You never have to be weighed," says Christine Sterling, M.D., FACOG, an OB/GYN and founder of Sterling Parents, in a TikTok video where she responds to Myers's video. "It can be valuable information for your provider but it's your body and it's your decision whether or not you need to be weighed."

She also adds that it's very important for your OB to know if you have a history of disordered eating or body dysmorphia. "Pregnancy can be a huge trigger for recurrence," she says. "It also may put you at higher risk for postpartum depression so it's something that your OB needs to know about and needs to be addressing and asking you about and screening you for throughout your pregnancy." 

Why do we get weighed at prenatal appointments?

Women get weighed during prenatal appointments to monitor for risks of cardiovascular disease or preeclampsia, explains Kristin Mallon, a certified obstetric nurse and certified nurse midwife. Doctors are also looking for increased risks like macrosomia, a medical condition that causes a baby to be larger and grow faster than what’s average. Since it's tough for doctors to estimate weight changes visually, regular check-ins help ensure pregnant women gain the amount that's healthy for them and their babies.

“Gaining below the predetermined guidelines is associated with a higher risk of preterm birth and a higher risk of a small for gestational age baby (SGA)," adds Stephanie Greunke, a registered dietitian who specializes in prenatal and postnatal nutrition. "At the end of the day, providers want to monitor how the baby is growing and how mom’s body is adjusting to the physiological changes of pregnancy."

However, maternal weight is not as important of a data point as estimated fetal weight is to determine if there are any issues with the baby or the mother's health, according to Mallon. “While week-to-week weight can be very helpful to determine if a woman has preeclampsia at the end of pregnancy, there are other tell-tale signs of excessive edema or swelling at the end of pregnancy that are indicative,” she shares.

How to navigate required prenatal weight checks 

There may be some cases when your provider will say that weighing you is necessary, such as if you are found to be at high risk for cardiovascular disease or preeclampsia. In this case, you can ask to not look at the number on the scale or choose to only get weighed a few times throughout your pregnancy.

It is also important to keep in mind that your weight can fluctuate depending on the time of the day, water retention, choice of clothing and bowel movements, explains Greunke. Not all scales at hospitals or clinics are calibrated for accuracy, so while they can be useful tools, they're not always perfect. 

At the end of the day, it’s your body and your decision on whether this is information you want to know. The best method of assessing prenatal health, as Dr. Sterling advises in her TikTok, is to talk to your provider and come up with a plan that feels good for you and your body. The only value that needs to be weighed is how empowered and supported your prenatal care team is making you feel.