Pregnant in Japan: Visiting the Doctor and What to Expect

We’re down to the wire with less than 2 weeks to go until baby’s due date. The past 9 months (or 10 if you go by the Japanese system) have flown by and I’ve found myself hustling to get things ready beforehand.

I haven’t written a “pregnant in Japan” post in a while (though they’ve been in my queue), so this time I want to write about what you might typically expect at a doctor visit when you’re pregnant in Japan.

Of course, specifics will vary depending on location, the doctor, and other factors. I’ve gone to a few different doctors in my entire process, two of which I’ve seen regularly, and what happens at each visit has been fairly standard and similar.

As for how often you’ll visit the doctor if you're pregnant in Japan, the typical schedule is once a month from 12 to 23 weeks, every two weeks from 24 to 35 weeks and once a week from 36 weeks on, unless you go over 40 weeks, as then you’d probably visit the doctor twice a week.

Powdered prescription? Try capsules

Those of you who’ve already been living in Japan for some time likely know that on occasion, doctors hand out medicine in powder form rather than easier-to-swallow pills. So far, I’ve been fortunate enough to not have been prescribed anything powdery (surprisingly, given my many visits to the doctor in Japan). Despite my own experience though, many people are prescribed medicine in powder form and are often stumped as to how they are supposed to take it (or, they have a miserable time taking it).

While browsing at the drug store in the first aid section, I came across a small box of “capsules”, or カプセル. The capsules are empty medicinal capsules you can use to make taking powdered medicine easier.

Empty medicine capsules at the store

Looking for Floss in Japan?

When I first came to Japan, floss was slightly difficult to find (though not impossible). Over the past few years since, I've seen more options pop up at local stores (including western brand Reach). So, if you're worried about finding floss in Japan, well, there's no need.

I should note that if you live in a small town far away from most civilization, you likely won't find a great floss selection (if at all), but it is possible to order online.

So, what are your options?

Lots of floss at this particular store (and not even in a large city).

Preparing a Will in Japan

If you're a long-term resident in Japan (or planning to stick around long-term), you may have thought once or twice about estate planning. Or perhaps you've already written up a Will.

For those who haven't but would like to or plan to and aren't sure how to go about doing so, especially if you're planning to stay in Japan, you may want to check out some of the following resources in this article:

Where there's the will for a will, there's a way - Japan Times

If you know of other resources to share regarding the topic of Will preparation in Japan, please let me know.