Pregnancy, maternity and children’s healthcare in Portugal combines public SNS care, preventive programmes and private options. The useful starting point is not only what happens after a positive pregnancy test: Portugal’s care pathway also covers preconception, contraception and family planning, pregnancy surveillance, birth, postpartum care, child development, vaccination, oral health and emotional wellbeing.

Quick start: if you think you may be pregnant, a home pregnancy test is available from Portuguese pharmacies and other retailers. A centro de saúde/family-planning service can also help. After a positive test, contact your health centre early so pregnancy care and the appropriate tests/referrals can be organised.

Before pregnancy: prevention and preconception care

Preconception care matters if you are planning a pregnancy or if pregnancy is possible. Portugal’s DGS maternal-care standard explicitly covers the period from preconception through pregnancy and the puerperium. A health professional can review existing illnesses, medicines, vaccination status, reproductive history and individual risk before conception.

Family-planning consultations can also cover contraception, sexual and reproductive health, planning a pregnancy and prevention. If you take regular medicines or have a chronic condition, do not stop treatment on your own because you are trying to conceive; ask a doctor or pharmacist which medicines need review.

Pregnancy tests: where can you get one?

You have several practical options:

  • Pharmacy: ask for a teste de gravidez. See our Pharmacies and medicines in Portugal guide and use the Farmácias Portuguesas locator to find a pharmacy.
  • Centro de saúde / family planning: public primary-care services can advise and arrange the appropriate assessment/testing route.
  • Youth sexual-health services: young people can use appropriate IPDJ/sexual-health services where available.
  • Supermarkets and other retailers: home tests are also commonly sold outside pharmacies. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and expiry date.
  • Online: tests can be ordered for home delivery. For convenience, readers can also browse pregnancy tests on Amazon.es. Affiliate disclosure: BorderlessAdvice may earn a commission from qualifying Amazon purchases, at no extra cost to you. This is an optional shopping route, not a medical recommendation.

A home test does not replace medical assessment where symptoms, dates or results are unclear. Severe pain, heavy bleeding, fainting or another urgent concern needs prompt clinical assessment; use SNS24 or 112 according to urgency.

You are pregnant: what should you do?

  1. Contact your centro de saúde / USF and tell them you are pregnant.
  2. Take your SNS user number and identification/residence information that applies to your situation.
  3. Bring details of medicines, previous pregnancies, important medical conditions and any tests already performed.
  4. Ask how pregnancy surveillance is organised locally and which maternity/hospital service your unit refers to.

DGS updated its national organisation standard in March 2026, including timing of the first pregnancy consultation, risk assessment and referral between primary care and hospital obstetric services. Low-risk pregnancies can largely be followed through primary care with referral for the appropriate hospital examinations and birth pathway; higher-risk pregnancies require the relevant specialist pathway.

Who can receive pregnancy care through the SNS?

Gov.pt states that Portuguese women and foreign women with Portuguese residence authorisation are entitled to free pregnancy follow-up consultations. Rules also protect access for certain foreign pregnant women who have been resident in Portugal, while the precise charging/entitlement position can depend on residence and healthcare status. Do not confuse having an SNS user number with proof that every service is funded in every immigration situation.

For the underlying healthcare-access rules, see Portuguese healthcare system / SNS and Getting your Portuguese public healthcare number.

Pregnancy appointments and tests

Routine pregnancy surveillance includes clinical consultations and appropriate blood tests, scans and screening according to gestational age and individual risk. The exact schedule can change as DGS standards are updated, so follow the schedule given by your clinical team rather than relying on an old internet checklist.

The Boletim de Saúde da Grávida is the Portuguese pregnancy health record used to document relevant information. Keep it available for appointments and maternity care.

Urgent problems during pregnancy

Not every unexpected pregnancy symptom requires a hospital emergency department. Portugal’s 2026 maternal-care standard specifically incorporates non-programmed care and the SNS24 – Grávida pathway. Call SNS24 — 808 24 24 24 when you need clinical triage and are unsure where to be seen. Call 112 for an immediate life-threatening emergency.

See SNS24, emergencies and when to use 112.

Birth and maternity hospitals

Your pregnancy team should explain where your birth is planned and when you should attend maternity services. Hospital referral depends on your local health unit, clinical risk and current maternity-service arrangements. If you are considering private maternity care, ask early about the obstetrician, maternity hospital, package price, anaesthesia, newborn care, possible Caesarean section, complications and what your insurance actually covers.

See Hospitals, referrals and specialists and Private healthcare and health insurance.

After birth: care for the mother

DGS states that every woman should have access to a postpartum consultation by the 42nd day after birth, with timing/location adapted to clinical risk and specialist needs. Postpartum care is not only a physical check: discuss bleeding, pain, wound recovery, breastfeeding/feeding concerns, contraception, sleep and emotional wellbeing.

If you feel persistently low, severely anxious, detached, unable to cope, or have thoughts of self-harm or harming the baby, seek help promptly. See our Mental healthcare in Portugal guide. For immediate danger call 112; Portugal’s national suicide-prevention and psychological-support line is 1411.

Healthcare for babies and children

Children’s healthcare in Portugal is strongly preventive. Primary-care child-health consultations monitor growth and development, identify problems early, provide health education and coordinate vaccination and referrals. Bring previous vaccination records and important medical records when moving a child to Portugal.

Register the child with the SNS/health centre as soon as practical. For the mechanics of primary care, see Health centres and USFs.

Prevention: vaccinations, development and screening

Preventive child healthcare includes scheduled health surveillance, development, vaccination, oral-health prevention and age-appropriate guidance. Portugal’s Programa Nacional de Vacinação provides the national vaccination framework. Children arriving from abroad should show their vaccination history so the health team can determine what has already been given and whether catch-up is needed.

Do not assume a foreign schedule maps dose-for-dose onto the Portuguese schedule. The health professional can reconcile the record.

Children’s dental and oral health

Portugal operates targeted public oral-health programmes for children and other eligible groups. Ask the child’s health centre about current eligibility and the cheque-dentista/PNPSO arrangements. See our Dentists in Portugal guide for the full explanation.

When a child is ill

For routine illness, start with the child’s health centre/primary-care route. For clinical triage when you are unsure what level of care is needed, call SNS24 — 808 24 24 24. For immediate danger or a life-threatening emergency, call 112.

Keep the child’s allergies, current medicines and important diagnoses available. For medicines and finding an open pharmacy, see Pharmacies and medicines in Portugal.

116 111: children can call simply because they need someone to talk to

Important for children and teenagers: Portugal has a Kindertelefoon-type service, Linha SOS Criança e Jovem — 116 111. A child does not need to be in immediate danger to contact it. They can seek support because they feel lonely, anxious, unhappy, under pressure, have problems at home or school, or simply need a person to listen.

The Instituto de Apoio à Criança describes the service as free, anonymous and confidential, with specialised professionals listening and supporting children and young people. The IAC’s current 2026 information says the service operates on working days via 116 111, WhatsApp 913 069 404, email soscrianca@iacrianca.pt and chat at iacrianca.pt. This is preferable to relying on older/general listings that describe different hours.

For more youth and adult mental-health support, crisis contacts and psychologist/psychiatrist routes, see Mental healthcare in Portugal.

Private paediatric and maternity care

Private paediatricians, obstetricians and maternity hospitals are widely available, especially in larger population centres. Private care may offer quicker appointments, continuity with a chosen clinician or easier access to a particular language. It is supplementary: many families combine SNS preventive care/vaccination with selected private consultations.

Before using insurance, confirm the specific doctor, hospital and service, plus waiting periods, maternity limits and authorisation requirements. See Insurance in Portugal.

Useful Portuguese

  • Acho que estou grávida. — I think I’m pregnant.
  • Queria comprar um teste de gravidez. — I’d like to buy a pregnancy test.
  • Estou grávida. — I’m pregnant.
  • Queria marcar uma consulta de gravidez. — I’d like to book a pregnancy appointment.
  • O meu filho está doente. — My child is ill.
  • As vacinas estão em dia? — Are the vaccinations up to date?
  • Preciso de falar com alguém. — I need to talk to someone.

Useful links

Newcomer family checklist

  1. If planning pregnancy, review medicines, vaccinations and health conditions beforehand.
  2. Use a pharmacy/home test or primary-care/family-planning route if pregnancy is possible.
  3. After a positive test, contact the health centre early.
  4. Bring foreign maternity, child-health and vaccination records to Portugal.
  5. Register children with primary care and keep preventive appointments.
  6. Save SNS24 (808 24 24 24) and 112.
  7. Make sure older children know that 116 111 exists if they ever need someone to talk to.

Last verified: 2 October 2026. Pregnancy and child-health pathways can change; the DGS maternal-care standard was updated on 23 March 2026. Follow current clinical advice for individual screening, tests, medicines and urgent symptoms.