Preconceptual Care

PRECONCEPTUAL CARE:

                                          Preconception care is an opportunity for you and your partner to improve your health before you start trying for a baby. A healthcare professional can help you to assess your health, fitness and lifestyle, to identify areas that you may want to improve.

Unplanned pregnancies are at greater risk of preterm birth and low birth weight babies. Although many babies are still conceived accidentally, more and more hopeful parents-to-be and their medical advisers are becoming aware of the benefits of dealing with health problems and attaining optimal physical and mental well-being prior to pregnancy. Both partners may decide to prepare for conception by giving thought to their diet, alcohol consumption, smoking habits, exercise routines, occupation and drug (medicinal or social) intake.

Assessment

Each woman requires individual assessment.Talk to your doctor before you become pregnant.

Establish the following in order to offer appropriate advice

Timing of planned pregnancy.
Folic acid.

 Managing health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, obesity, depression, eating disorders,hepatitus b and asthma.
Smear history.
Smoking history.
Alcohol intake.
Weight (overweight or obese?).
Medication, including over-the-counter or herbal medication. History of illicit drugs?
Risks of exposure to hazardous substances or radiation.
Rubella immune status.
History of miscarriage
Risk or concern regarding chromosomal abnormalities or inherited genetic disorders.

Timing of pregnancy:

              Women and men should prepare for pregnancy before becoming sexually active or at least three months before getting pregnant
In couples having regular sexual intercourse every 2 or 3 days, and not using contraception, 84% will become pregnant within a year, and 92% within two years. Following use of the contraceptive injection, normal fertility may take up to a year to re-establish. The optimum biological age for pregnancy is between 20-35 years.

Medications:

                      f you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, talk with your doctor about any medications you are taking or thinking about taking. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as dietary or herbal products. Less than 10% of medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1980 have enough information to determine their risk for birth defects.Taking certain medications during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects. Examples are thalidomide (also known as Thalamid®) and isotretinoin (also known as Accutane®).

The effects depend on many factors, such as:
• How much medication is taken (sometimes called the dose).
• When during the pregnancy the medication is taken.
• Other health conditions a woman might have.
• Other medications a woman takes