Most prospective parents take the process of procreation for granted as natural and practically automatic. The idea of consciously preparing for conception and pregnancy is a rather recent phenomenon, but well worth the effort.
Preconception care encompasses the health services provided to women and men of reproductive age in preparation for a future pregnancy. Preconception care provides a window of opportunity to optimize both partners' health and identify any risks and take steps to reduce them.
Many of the recommendations included in preconception preparation can be done by the individual or in concert with a healthcare professional, including your own OB-GYN, or programs that specialize in this type of care.
Research has shown that every aspect of our reproduction is adversely affected in some way by our 21st century lifestyle and living conditions. The food you eat, the environment you live in, and the lifestyle you lead in the months before you conceive a child can have profound effects on the well being of your baby. Preconception healthcare can help prevent miscarriage, stillbirths, premature births, and congenital abnormalities, and can enhance fertility even with couples who have had difficulty conceiving on their own. In addition, preconception care can allow women to have a healthier pregnancy, recover more quickly after birth, and decrease your child's risk for certain adult health problems.
Large numbers of studies with animals show that when either parent is deficient in one or a number of essential nutrients, the offspring will be miscarried or will suffer from a variety of malformations. These malformations, which in the past were believed to be genetic, can be manipulated in the lab by inducing a deficiency or deficiencies in one or more of the essential vitamins and minerals.
All this means there are many things you can do to improve your physical health and psychological readiness in the critical six- to 12-month period before conception.
Anyone, really. But if you fit any of the descriptions below, you're a good candidate.
Normal healthy, fertile couples who want to do the best for their babies.
Couples who have had difficulty conceiving, including couples with low sperm count or motility, ovulation problems, endometriosis, etc.
Couples who have had one or more miscarriages.
Couples with a personal history of birth defects, prematurity, low birth weight, stillbirth, or sudden infant death syndrome.
Couples seeking treatment for infertility through in vitro fertilization, gamete intrafallopian transfer, or intrauterine insemination who want a healthy baby as well as an increase in their chance to conceive (success rates for advanced reproductive technologies are relatively low—25 percent per cycle at best).
Older couples, including women over 40 years.
Protecting your fertility potential should really begin in your teens. Preconception preparation for both partners should begin six to 12 months prior to attempting to conceive.
You may be wondering why certain baby-friendly actions must be implemented in the months prior to conception. For one thing, the formation of sperm may take up to four months, so that any change in diet, lifestyle, or chemical exposure should allow at least that much time for them to have the greatest effect on conception and the health of the baby.
You must also take into account the amount of time required to realistically assess your health needs, to implement changes, adopt new habits, and have them become part of your lifestyle. The added bonus is that your future children will benefit from the healthy lifestyle they grow up with.
Three organizations have made significant contributions to defining what needs to be considered before conception. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations include at least an 18-month time period between pregnancies, 400 mcg or more of folic acid a day, cessation of smoking, avoidance of alcohol, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV testing, up-to-date immunizations, assessment of chronic conditions, avoidance of unsafe drugs during pregnancy, and achieving a healthy weight. The March of Dimes, the CDC, and 34 partner organizations are working together to educate health providers, women, and men about the importance of preconception risk reduction and healthcare .
Foresight, the Association for the Promotion of Preconception Care based in Surrey, England, has been the gold standard for preconception care in the UK since the 1970s. Starting six to 12 months prior to attempting to conceive, its client couples undergo a thorough health assessment that includes medical history, lifestyle, and assessment for allergies, nutritional imbalances, heavy metal loads, genitourinary infections, and intestinal parasites. Men are assessed for prostate infections and sperm count. The couples are advised to eat a diet of low glycemic, organic food. They are also counseled on fertility timing.
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