Get Pregnancy Ready
The benefits of achieving optimum preconception health
Whether you’re trying to have a baby or just thinking about it, now is the time to prepare your body. Focusing on preconception healthcare can help patients increase the likelihood of having a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.
“It is very important to be in good health before getting pregnant in order to reduce your risk of complications in pregnancy,” explains Elizabeth England, MD, an OB-GYN at Mission Women’s Care. “Ideally, every woman would see their provider prior to conceiving.”
Assess Your Readiness
A preconception checkup with your OB-GYN or primary care provider can help you assess your readiness for pregnancy by evaluating your overall health and helping you identify opportunities to improve your health prior to becoming pregnant, said Dr. England.
Your doctor will likely ask you about your family, lifestyle and job in order to identify any specific occupational, environmental, behavioral or genetic factors that could have an adverse effect on your pregnancy. By identifying women who are at a higher risk, healthcare providers can help reduce the risks for mother and child.
Controlling Chronic Conditions
It is important that any chronic medical conditions be well controlled prior to pregnancy. For example, diabetes, hypertension and hypothyroidism should be well managed to prevent complications for both mother and baby.
“The mother’s state of health in the early first trimester is extremely important because it’s when all of the baby’s vital organs and brain are forming,” advises Dr. England. She also suggests taking a multivitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid every day if there is any chance of becoming pregnant. “If you start taking 400 mcg folic acid at least four weeks prior to conception, you will reduce your risk of birth defects involving the baby’s brain and spine by 50-70 percent,” she explains.
Your Best Health
In addition to maintaining a healthy weight prior to conceiving, it’s also important to stop smoking, drinking alcohol and using street drugs. These can cause many problems during pregnancy, including premature birth, birth defects, low birth weight and infant death.
“In my experience, preconception health is very important, and most people do not take it seriously,” said Dr. England. “We could greatly reduce the cesarean section rate and decrease the preterm birth rate if more patients sought out preconception counseling and took their own health seriously prior to becoming pregnant.”
Start Here
Thinking of becoming pregnant in the next year? Here are Dr. Elizabeth England’s top three tips for preconception health:
Start taking prenatal vitamins with at least 400 mcg of folic acid.
Take your health seriously. If you need to lose weight, do it! Eat a well-balanced diet and stay active.
Seek out a prenatal provider or a primary care provider to help you determine if you have specific risk factors you need to address before pregnancy.