What is preconception care?
Preconception care is based on the premise that it takes two healthy parents to conceive and have a relaxed, nurtured pregnancy to birth a healthy child. Many people believe if you want to have a baby, you stop taking the pill or no longer use contraception. Then, you fall pregnant and have a happy, healthy baby. For many, that does happen, but unfortunately, for some, it doesn’t happen like that. A healthy pregnancy – and a healthy baby – has a more considered path. Preconception care is important because of the research epigenetic studies have found. Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviours and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Preconception care is specifically important because epigenetic studies have found the benefits and damage incurred during preconception can extend to at least another 2 generations.
What happens in preconception care?
Both parents need to address their lifestyle and health choices. The most straightforward and obvious are: exercising regularly, eating healthy and balanced meals, having a healthy body mass index (BMI), stopping smoking and drinking alcohol and start taking preconception supplements. In addition, stress management is extremely important as during pregnancy, a mother needs to be as relaxed and happy as possible. When a mother secretes high levels of stress the baby’s muscle’s are further developed, however, when the mother secretes a low level of stress, then the baby’s brain and organs develop better. Also, research has found when a mother experiences high levels of stress during pregnancy, their newborn babies were born with shorter telomere lengths which is the marker for biological aging. In other words, telomere lengths are similar to candlesticks and will naturally shorten over time. Therefore, it is vital a newborn baby does not have a shortened telomere to ensure longevity. In saying that, telomere shape and structure are also equally important in marking health.
How long should preconception care be?
Preconception care should be a minimum of 4 months because the maturity of an egg takes approximately 100 days whilst sperm may take up to 116 days. The health of the egg and sperm reflects the health and toxicity of the environment in which they grow. However, it is recommended that those with pre-existing conditions such as thyroid disorders, diabetes, etc. should allow for a longer duration.
Below is a preconception care checklist published in The Australian Journal of General Practice.
Table 1. Preconception care checklist |
Diet
Weight
Exercise
Pregnancy history
Genetic screening
Smoking/alcohol/illicit drugs
Psychosocial aspects
Medical conditions
Environmental
Contraception/family planning
Breast examination Dental health check Screening for sexually transmissible infections and other infectious diseases
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If you’re interested in regarding about preconception care in further detail, I highly recommend the book Building Healthy Humans by Dr Pia Martin.
You can purchase the book in the link below.
https://www.amazon.com/Building-Healthy-Humans-Beautiful-Pregnancy/dp/194697823X
Or, if you would like discuss your preconception care in person with Dr Cindy, contact Provolution Health on 6299 2660.