Situation · Acute in pregnancy
Acutely ill while pregnant in Berlin
Acutely ill while pregnant in Berlin is an occasion for a private medical home visit, for which RAB Arztbesuche dispatches a licensed physician to your home, office or hotel in Berlin daily from 6 am to midnight.
In pregnancy the conditions are the same as usual — the therapy is not. Which antibiotic is approved in the second trimester? Which painkiller is safe? Is vomiting normal or hyperemesis? We come to your home, examine, treat with pregnancy-safe medication, and coordinate with your obstetrician or midwife if needed.
Medically reviewed by Susanne Reiche · Last reviewed
Pregnant and acutely ill — what is safe
Pregnant patients have the same spectrum of acute complaints as anyone else — febrile infections, sore throat, urinary tract infections, lumbago, gastroenteritis, migraine. The therapy is specific however: many medications are contraindicated, others only allowed in certain trimesters, and others explicitly recommended. A quick web search will not help — the patient needs a medical statement. We come for a house call, examine, place the symptoms in the pregnancy context, and treat with medications that are safe in the relevant pregnancy week.
Concretely: for streptococcal angina in the second trimester, penicillin V as a safe antibiotic. For UTI in the first trimester, penicillin derivatives or cefuroxime preferred, no trimethoprim, no nitrofurantoin in the final trimester. For pain, paracetamol as first choice, no ibuprofen from week 28. For migraine, no triptan without strict risk-benefit analysis. This logic is routine for us — the patient gets immediate clarity on what is safe and what is not.
Typical reasons during pregnancy
Hyperemesis gravidarum with vomiting multiple times a day and weight loss (especially weeks 6–14), urinary infection (common in pregnancy and more serious than usual, with risk of preterm labour), acute sinusitis and pharyngitis, febrile respiratory infections (with special care — fever above 38.5 °C should be lowered consistently), migraine attacks (often altered in pregnancy), lumbago and SI-joint blockages (typical in the third trimester), conjunctivitis, allergic reactions, haemorrhoidal symptoms. Important: dyspnoea, vaginal bleeding, suspected labour, premature rupture of membranes — ALWAYS go to the maternity hospital, not to us.
Coordinated with your obstetrician and midwife
We see ourselves as complementary — not as a substitute — to the obstetrician and midwife in charge. If your obstetrician is reachable by phone, we coordinate therapy. If not, we treat per guidelines (DGGG, Embryotox recommendations) and write a physician's letter for the obstetrician's review on Monday or after the weekend. For midwife-led pregnancies we inform the midwife on request. For findings that belong immediately in obstetric hands (e.g. unclear abdominal pain with uterine tone in the third trimester, vaginal bleeding), we organise direct referral to a Berlin maternity hospital (Charité Virchow, Vivantes Friedrichshain, St. Joseph, Waldfriede — depending on preference and insurance).
How a house call during pregnancy works
You call. We record symptoms, pregnancy week, comorbidities, obstetrician, midwife and insurance. For complaints that belong directly in the maternity hospital (labour, bleeding, ruptured membranes, dyspnoea), we redirect immediately — we are not the right contact. For general-medical acute complaints we arrive within 60 to 90 minutes. On site: history including pregnancy course, thorough examination, targeted rapid tests, clinical assessment in the pregnancy context.
You receive a pregnancy-safe prescription, sick note if needed, behavioural rules, recommendation for follow-up with the obstetrician, physician's letter and GOÄ invoice. On request we send the findings and therapy encrypted to your obstetrician. If needed we organise referral to the maternity hospital.
Cost and reimbursement
All services are billed under the GOÄ via our Privatärztliche Verrechnungsstelle. Typical cost EUR 240 to 380 depending on time of day and diagnostic scope. PKV reimburses fully. Pregnancy preventive services may follow different rules under the Mutterschafts-Richtlinien — acute complaints fall under normal GOÄ.
Statutory-insured pregnant patients can pay as a private service or seek individual-case reimbursement from their statutory insurer. For life-threatening and obstetric emergencies: 112 or call the maternity hospital directly.
Emergency? Dial the emergency number
If unconscious, with severe chest pain, breathlessness or heavy bleeding, dial 112 immediately. Our service complements the emergency services — it does not replace them.
Case profiles
Typical scenarios
Hyperemesis in week 9
Patient in Charlottenburg, vomiting for 5 days, 4 kg weight loss, circulatorily stable but dehydrated. Ringer infusion, antiemetic (ondansetron with informed consent on data), bland-diet plan, obstetrician follow-up next day, employer certificate.
Urinary tract infection in week 28
Patient in Friedrichshain, dysuria for 2 days, no fever, no flank pain. Positive urine dipstick, pregnancy-safe antibiotic (cefuroxime, no nitrofurantoin in the third trimester), hydration plan, obstetrician follow-up in 3 days.
Migraine in week 16
Patient in Prenzlauer Berg, severe migraine attack, used triptans pre-pregnancy. Now: IV paracetamol, antiemetic (metoclopramide with informed consent), dim room, 2 hours observation until clear improvement. Pregnancy migraine plan drawn up and sent to obstetrician.
Streptococcal angina in week 22
Patient in Mitte, sore throat for 24 hours, can barely swallow. Streptococcus rapid test positive. First-dose penicillin V (safe in pregnancy), analgesia with paracetamol, 5-day sick note, physician's letter to the obstetrician.
Frequently asked questions
Can you treat safely during pregnancy?
Yes. Pregnancy-safe therapy is standard practice. We follow Embryotox recommendations and coordinate with your obstetrician when needed.
When do I see you, when do I go to the maternity hospital?
General-medical complaints (sore throat, UTI, gastroenteritis, migraine) — to us. Obstetric complaints (labour, bleeding, membrane rupture, abdominal pain with uterine tone, dyspnoea, suspected eclampsia) — straight to the maternity hospital or 112.
Do you coordinate with my obstetrician?
On request, yes. We call the obstetrician if reachable, otherwise send a physician's letter with findings and therapy.
Does my PKV reimburse the visit?
Yes. GOÄ invoices are reimbursed in full by private insurers. Beihilfe and supplementary insurance also cover. Statutory-insured patients pay themselves.
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