Do Pre- Conception Health Matters?

Are you planning to start your family? Or looking forward to conceive? If yes, then you need to start thinking of doing some preconception care before approx 4-6 months. The longer you care, the better it would be for you. As there is equal genetic contribution, both the partners need to be involved. Before exploring the fact whether pre conception health matters or not, let’s take a look on:

 What is Pre- conception health or care?

Pre conception health is defined as a set of interventions that aim to identify and modify biomedical, social and behavioral risks to the women’s pregnancy outcome through prevention measures and management. In simple words it’s a woman’s health before she becomes pregnant. It includes knowing how woman’s health conditions factors that could affect her unborn baby and herself too if she becomes pregnant. 

In order to maximize health outcomes or healthy delivery, certain steps should be taken before conception. We all want our kids to be healthy and happy and by doing pre conception health care we can help prevent illness and ensure the best possible start for our kids. 

The main aim of pre conception health care is to ensure that there is an adequate supply of all  nutritional factors which are important for the health of ova, fetus and sperm and the absence of those factors which are disadvantageous to reproductive cells and foetal development. Taking stock of your lifestyle choices could be a key to boosting your fertility. According to the expert, specific changes to diet and lifestyle not only enhance the health of sperm and eggs but also increase the chances of healthy ovulation. 

Keep remember when it comes to infertility, your lifestyle and diet matters a lot. If you are planning on falling pregnant, you should be making positive changes now. Today every woman needs to think about her health whether or not she is planning for pregnancy. One of the main reasons of it is that half of the pregnancies are unplanned and are at greater risks of low birth weight and preterm birth babies. In addition, despite the fact important advances in medicine and prenatal care, around 1 out of 8 babies are born too early. Researchers are still trying to find out why and how to prevent preterm birth. But at the same time they agree on the fact that it is necessary for a woman to be healthier before trying to conceive or becoming pregnant. 

Trying to make too many big changes to your diet and lifestyle can be overwhelming. Here are some important things that you can easily do to boost your pre conception health. 

•  Include folic acid in your daily diet (400 to 800 mg) if you are planning to conceive to lower the risks of some birth defects of the brain and spine. Consult with your doctor about your folic acid needs.

• Stop alcohol drinking and smoking

• Having any medical condition such as diabetes, oral health, obesity and asthma, make sure it is under control as it can affect pregnancy.

• If you are on any prescribed medication, talk to your doctor and be sure your vaccinations are up to date.