Preconception

The range of time from the moment a couple decides for having the baby up to the time the women conceives is known as preconception.

This is the period where the woman prepares herself for becoming pregnant. This includes intake of healthy food as well as doing regular exercises. One needs to check if all her vaccinations like varicella as well as rubella are updated.

In certain cases, the pregnancy will not be a planned one. In such cases, the woman should start monitoring herself as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed.

What exactly is meant by preconception

Preconception care is the assessment of the health, fitness as well as lifestyle of a woman by a doctor or any other health professional and the identification of the areas that require improvement before conceiving. Some of the factors that are assessed include exercises- related factors, diet, use of cigarettes and alcohol etc.

The next part involved in preconception care is to avoid or control any long term health conditions. These conditions may be epilepsy, diabetes as well as asthma. These need to be controlled as they can pose potential harm for the baby as well as the mother during the pregnancy.

Tests for any genetic conditions are performed to rule out the chances of any abnormality in the baby. Certain conditions may be passed to the baby from the parents, which can harm the baby. These inheritable conditions are:

Cystic fibrosis – where the secretions within the body become thicker, which in turn disturb the functioning of vital organs like the heart as well as lungs.

Sickle cell anaemia – where the red blood corpuscles will not be able to transmit oxygen in a normal way.

Huntingdon’s disease – where the deterioration of the nerve cells of the brain occur.

This information will ensure that the couple takes proper care once the woman conceives.

Facts

Some facts that need to be understood by a couple before the woman conceives are given below:

If a woman does not conceive after two years, even if she has unprotected sex regularly, then the couple must visit the doctor for medical advice.

In normal cases, once the use of contraception is stopped, the woman normally gets pregnant. But if a woman has been using progesterone-only injection for contraception, then she will conceive only after one year of taking the last injection.

If a woman has had three miscarriages continuously, then she must consult a gynaecologist to rule out the chances for the presence of any other medical conditions.

Risks

There are many factors which can pose serious threats to the baby as well as the mother during the pregnancy as well as in the later stages. So it is good to have a thorough knowledge on the various risks that may harm the woman as well as the baby.

Women who smoke during pregnancy may face miscarriage, premature delivery as well as the baby with a very low weight.

Use of illegal drugs during pregnancy can cause baby to be born with mental problems like cerebral palsy.

The couple must check for the presence of inherited conditions that affect the baby.