To be properly monitored, a pregnancy requires attention to several issues such as which key tests should be performed, when and how often to consult a physician, or what to do if blood pressure rises, for example. In Guarujá, a single unified protocol provides these answers for the entire public health network.
Since the beginning of the year, the municipal administration has instituted the Municipal Prenatal Protocol, developed based on the guidelines of the Alyne Network, the Ministry of Health's strategy for the sector. The municipal document follows exactly the national guidelines for reducing maternal and infant mortality.
The protocol covers the entire journey, from the start of prenatal care to the postpartum period. It defines the tests, the frequency of consultations, the risk classification for each pregnancy, referrals and multiprofessional monitoring when necessary. Currently, approximately 1,200 pregnant women are already being monitored in the municipal network under the new rules.
One of the focuses is the control of the most common diseases in pregnancy, such as hypertension and diabetes, and the early identification of pre-eclampsia, one of the leading causes of maternal death in Brazil. Pre-eclampsia can progress rapidly and without obvious symptoms at first. Detecting it in time, through blood pressure monitoring and routine tests, is what allows protection of both mother and baby.
The development of local protocols is a requirement of the Alyne Network. Launched in 2024 in replacement of the Stork Network, the strategy requires each municipality to formalize its own rules, respecting national parameters and local characteristics. The goal is to reduce maternal mortality by 25% by 2027, and by 50% among Black women. To that end, the Ministry of Health increased from R$ 55 to R$ 144 the amount per pregnant woman allocated for prenatal tests and included new rapid tests in the routine.
Care for women in Guarujá was also strengthened during Pink October. On M Day, October 10, 2026, all basic health units in the city opened and registered 2,275 visits. These included 405 preventive exams, 214 mammography requests, 242 rapid tests for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C and 138 insertions of long-acting contraceptive implants. The implant, which provides protection for up to three years, was incorporated into the SUS in 2025 and expands women's reproductive planning options.
An experience that demonstrated the importance of the Ministry of Health defining a standard and the municipality, as in the case of Guarujá, putting it into practice. More health and fewer risks for all pregnant women.
