Early pregnancy assessment unit

The Early Pregnancy Unit is a consultant-led service and is delivered by a team of specialist nurse sonographers who provide consultation, assessment, scans and treatment plans for women with complications of pregnancy from 5 to 20 weeks. If you are over 20 weeks of pregnancy please contact Maternity Triage.

The Early Pregnancy Unit assesses women with complications such as pain, bleeding and excessive vomiting. The dedicated staff are sensitive and committed to supporting the emotional needs of women and couples requiring this service.

You must telephone the unit before attending we do not run a walk-in clinic or service. This is to ensure you have a consultation with the specialist nursing team who can call you back and advise the best management going forward. This is because women with an early pregnancy complication may not necessarily need to attend in-person or may be more suited for an assessment in different clinical or maternity service. Some women may also be advised to monitor their symptoms at home

Please do not contact the Early Pregnancy Unit to arrange an appointment with the midwife. You can do this by going online: www.elht.nhs.uk/badgernet - if you have any problems accessing this please call 01282 804512.

Please be aware:

The Early Pregnancy/Gynaecology Assessment Unit will be temporarily relocating to  Area 7 Level 3 of Burnley General Hospital, so if you are due to attend or have an appointment on or after the 22^nd April 2023 please attend this new location.    

If you have been referred for an urgent assessment between the hours of 8.30pm and 8am you will need to attend the Gynaecology and Breastcare Ward. This ward is accessed via the Urgent Care Entrance at Burnley General Hospital. Please check-in at The Urgent Care Reception and you will be safely transferred to the Gynaecology and Breastcare Ward for your assessment.

Are you worried about symptoms in your pregnancy?

Whilst the majority of pregnancies will progress without complications, many women experience problems that they feel they would like support or further information for. If you develop worrying symptoms during pregnancy or you need to discuss any underlying medical conditions in pregnancy, there are several places that you can turn to for advice:

When should I contact the Early Pregnancy Unit?

You should contact the Early Pregnancy Unit if you have a positive urine pregnancy test, and are experiencing pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding and or excessive pregnancy vomiting from 5 to 20 weeks of pregnancy. If you are under 5 weeks of pregnancy we are unable to support you with an assessment and advise you to contact your GP for further advice and support.

What does bleeding and pain mean in Early Pregnancy?

Bleeding and pain during early pregnancy are relatively common symptoms and do not always mean there is a problem. Therefore many women may prefer to monitor mild painless bleeding in early pregnancy (below 12 weeks and 6 days) and you may want to explore our information about bleeding and pain in pregnancy prior to contacting the unit, here. 

Following reading the above information or if you would prefer to contact the Early Pregnancy Unit for information and support, you can contact the Specialist Nursing Team for a consultation between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday. Note: Outside of EPAU opening hours ultrasound scanning is not available. If you feel your symptoms require urgent assessment outside of these hours the wider medical team are here to support you 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You should still contact the Early Pregnancy Unit on the phone number below, which will inform you of where to call in the event of an emergency.

You may require emergency care if:

• you are in significant pain despite simple pain killers such as Paracetamol
• experiencing moderate to severe vaginal bleeding

Click here for a guide to help you assess your bleeding.

What do I do if I am vomiting in early pregnancy?

Nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy affects up to 80% of pregnant women. The severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is called Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which affects about 0.3–3.6% of pregnant women.

Women with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy should contact their GP for an assessment of their symptoms to exclude other causes for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy such as urinary tract infections. If your GP is closed you can access the out of hours GP services. Your health professional will assess to see if you require a referral to the Early Pregnancy Unit.

We do not accept self-referral to the Early Pregnancy Unit for vomiting in pregnancy unless you are currently under our care or have been diagnosed with hyperemesis in a previous pregnancy.

You can find some more helpful advice regarding nausea and vomiting in pregnancy on the Pregnancy Sickness Support website, here.

ELHT leaflet - Information and Advice on Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP) and Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) 

What else do I need to know?

The Early Pregnancy Unit is classified as an Emergency Service and you may be invited to attend the unit for an appointment. Women are seen in order of clinical priority, which means that you may be in the department for longer than anticipated.

Coping with problems in early pregnancy can be difficult and therefore when you attend an early pregnancy appointment you can bring one adult support partner with you, however children are unable to attend with you. If you have concerns with regards to this please speak to the nurse in charge.