What to Look for in an OB/GYN EHR in 2025

Prenatal Care and the EHR Features That Hold It All Together

From the moment a woman finds out she is expecting, prenatal care becomes the heartbeat of her entire OB/GYN journey. It involves everything from tracking the baby’s growth to managing vitals, offering genetic screenings, preparing for labor, and addressing potential complications along the way. 

And while the human connection between an obstetrician and a patient is irreplaceable, a well-designed Electronic Health Record (EHR) works behind the scenes to hold this process together. It’s the system that keeps everything organized, accessible, and intelligent across all trimesters, emergencies, and even the postpartum phase.  

First Trimester Focus: How OB/GYN EHRs Facilitate Early Screenings

The first trimester is where it all begins: confirming the pregnancy, calculating the due date, understanding family history, and laying the groundwork for healthy outcomes. This is where risks are labeled early, and decisions about nutrition, supplements, and screening tests are made. 

During this phase, a thoughtfully designed OB/GYN EHR: 

• Automatically calculates Estimated Due Date (EDD) from the Last Menstrual Period (LMP) 

• Identifies high-risk histories (e.g., previous miscarriages, thyroid, diabetes) 

• Offers smart prenatal visit templates to capture initial lab orders and screenings 
• Schedules for genetic screening timelines based on natal age and more.

Second Trimester: EHR Tracks Growth, Kicks, and Key Milestones

As pregnancy moves into the second trimester, the attention turns to fetal development, those defining moments during the 20-week ultrasound when tiny fingers and toes emerge and the brain and heart begin to take form. It’s also the stage for glucose screening, monitoring fetal growth, and keeping a close eye on maternal weight and vitals. 

 In this middle phase, the EHR: 

• Integrates ultrasound findings (like the 17-week or 20-week scan) directly into the patient chart 

• Charts fetal biometry (head circumference, femur length) with visual growth curves 

• Supports prenatal diabetes management workflows 

• Creates alerts for abnormal measurements or lab values 

Third Trimester: EHR Gears Up for the Labor Prep and Unexpected Risks

In the final stretch, prenatal care gets more intense. Obstetricians watch for signs of preterm labor, fetal positioning, pre-eclampsia, and overall maternal well-being. Birth plans are discussed, NSTs (non-stress tests) may be performed, and the countdown to delivery begins. 

During this time, a good OB/GYN EHR will: 

• Log fetal movement reports and fundal height consistently 

• Display historical BP and proteinuria trends for preeclampsia risk 

• Link birth plans directly to the patient chart 

• Notify care teams of abnormal NSTs or reduced fetal movement 

But, as we’ve observed, not all pregnancies are straightforward. Some come with twists, placenta previa, gestational hypertension, or fetal growth restriction. When these arise, the OB/GYN-focused EHR serves as a command center, pulling past history, allergies, previous c-sections, and current vitals into one comprehensive view for rapid decisions. That said, it  

• Auto-alerts you to warning signs (e.g., BP >140/90 or abnormal fetal weight) 

• Displays visual timelines of fetal growth and lab trends 

• Equips team collaboration between OBs, MFMs, anesthesiologists, and pediatricians 

• Embeds emergency protocols and e-consents into the workflow 

But, a woman’s reproductive health doesn’t pause once the baby arrives; it simply changes the tempo. From contraception to menopause, from menstrual patterns to early cancer detection, from obstetrics to gynecology, the story continues, and it deserves to be told in full.

How Your Specialty-Focused EHR Rises to Bridge the Gap Between Pregnancy and Preventive Health

Gynecology, a sub-specialty of OB/GYN, refers to the ongoing management of menstrual cycles, uterine health, ovarian function, breast screenings, and hormonal transitions. As these are not episodic but lifelong concerns, they require a smart system that tracks, trends, and empowers decisions over decades. 

A well-designed, advanced gynecology EHR accomplishes it all as it comprises: 

• Annual exam templates with prompts for pap smears, breast exams, and contraceptive counseling 

• Longitudinal tracking of cycle irregularities, fibroids, or endometriosis symptoms 

• Tools for managing and tracking contraceptive devices (IUDs, implants) 

• Integration with imaging and pathology systems for mammograms and ultrasounds 

• Fertility and menopause management modules 

The goal is a comprehensive view of the patient’s reproductive life, organized, secure, and ready to support every stage of care. Besides, the modern OB/GYN EHR also realizes a deeper truth: not all patients who need obstetrics and gynecological care are identified as women. The language of ‘holistic woman well-being’ must evolve to embrace a more expansive view, one that includes transgender men, non-binary individuals, and intersex patients navigating health on their own terms. Therefore, for transgender women, the contemporary OB/GYN EHR includes: 

• Separate fields for gender identity and sex assigned at birth 

• Clear documentation for hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries 

• Screening modules guided by current anatomy, not outdated gender norms 

For intersex individuals: 

• Custom anatomical inventories based on actual organs and genetic findings 

• Flexible screening recommendations not locked to male/female defaults 

• Genetic condition tagging (e.g., Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome) for clinical relevance 

Across all identities: 

• Respectful use of names and pronouns throughout interfaces and documentation 

• Privacy guardrails for sensitive history (transition care, fertility treatments) 

• Adaptive care plans grounded in body reality, not bureaucratic categories 

A truly inclusive OB/GYN EHR supports diversity and dismantles assumptions and replaces them with care that is precise, affirming, and accurate.

In Closing

Care in gynecology and obstetrics is intimate, long-term, and deeply human. But behind the empathy and expertise lies an intelligent system, quietly orchestrating, surfacing, and supporting the work. The modern EHR is no longer a passive repository. It’s a living memory, a clinical conscience, a bridge between specialists, and a lens that never forgets. 

When built to honor complexity, in cycles, in pregnancies, in identities, the OB/GYN EHR becomes more than software. It becomes care’s nervous system: invisible but essential, responsive but humble, always ready, always watching.