The Importance of Preconception Care Planning for a Healthy Pregnancy and Birth

‘Preconception care is an opportunity for you and your partner to improve your health before you start trying for a baby.’ NHS

The importance of preparing your body and mind ready for conception, pregnancy, birth and the health of future children is not considered enough and is certainly not mainstream knowledge.

When many couples decide the time is right to start a family, the urgency of ‘wanting’ and ‘trying’ to have a baby can become so strong that little if no time is prioritised to adequately prepare and improve overall health, egg and sperm cell quality and making necessary lifestyle and stress reduction habits that will positively impact becoming a family.

Lack of awareness of how diet, lifestyle, nutritional deficiencies, age and stress levels not only affect ease of conception but can also impact the chances of miscarriage, the health of the baby and of course the health of the parents.

It may only be when conception takes a little longer than expected, that preconception care is considered and prioritised.

The fact is…..

The physical and emotional health and wellbeing of BOTH the mother AND the father, affects the health and wellbeing of their offspring. Indeed, preparing for conception, I believe is just as, if not MORE important than important than preparing for birth.

The Word Health Organisation states that preconception care has a positive effect of a number of health outcomes including:

• reduced maternal and child mortality

• prevents complications during pregnancy and delivery

• prevents stillbirth, preterm birth and low birth weight

• prevents birth defects

• prevents neonatal infections

• lowered the risk of some childhood cancers

• lowered the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

With infertility rates affecting roughly 1 in 7 couples with many seeking medical support and help it seems odd to me that most couples do not conciously prepare for conception by allocating time and consideration to audit and assess the following:

Body

• Diet
• Nutritional Deficiencies
• Genetic Health
• Weight / BMI
• Exercise
• Reproductive Health
• Menstrual Cycle Awareness
• Sexual Health
• Sexual Relationship / Intemacy
• Sperm hazzards and health
• Sexual Trauma

Mind

• Sexual Trauma
• Physical / Emotional / Mental abuse / bullying
• Mental / Emotional Health including; Stress, anxiety, overwhelm, Perfectionism
• Mental / Emotional Health including; OCD, ADHD, ASD, BPD, Bipolar etc
• Inherited Mental / Emotional Health
• Beliefs about body and ability to be / stay pregnant
• Mental / emotional disconnect from body
• Emotional resonance within the home
• Birth Trauma from your own birth
• Beliefs about pregnancy and birth following birth loss of relative, friends, sibling or previous pregnancy

Lifestyle

• Unhelpful habits
• Stress management
• Spaciousness
• Readiness to change
• Committment
• Nourishment
• Conserving energy

Many couples now are settling down later in life; it may have taken longer than expected to find ‘the one’, career progression, saving up to own a home and not feeling ready may have delayed the process of starting a family compromising egg and sperm quality which may require a little help.

Years of eating out or takeaways, a history of eating disorders or yoyo dieting can all impact both the health, quality and DNA of the egg and sperm cells also.

Late nights partying, drinking, smoking, drug taking may have been great fun, but the body needs to rest, detox and rebuild it’s nutritional foundations ready for conception AND pregnancy.

Stress and anxiety are at an all time high with increased pressures of adult life including financial strain, environmental concerns and feelings of uncertainty that make us question whether we want to bring a child into this world.

The impact of stress on our physical health and immune system is well known as is the impact on the reproductive system, our sex hormones and ovulation. Stress also affects our relationships and the neurological development of a baby in utero.

Therefore, prioritising stress management and reduction strategies PRIOR to conception is essential.

Over time all of these things build up and start to affect the body and mind and by the time we reach our thirties it can all take its toll on health including the quality of eggs and sperm, which is why it is as important as ever for both the male and female to allow themselves at least three months of following a preconception care programme to improve egg and sperm health maximise the health and wellbeing of their child.

In my humble opinion, the male dominated medical system has let men AND couples down by skirting around the issue that men should be looking at their own health and wellbeing and making improvements that will serve them into fatherhood and beyond.

But none of this is a FEMALE ONLY issue.

Preconception care helps MEN AND THEIR SPERM TOO!!!

You would not make a cake with one half organic, high quality ingredients and the other half with substandard, out of date, slightly gone off and smelling a bit funky ingredients and expect to win the Bake off would you?

I suggest an absolute minimum of three months of incorporating positive and healthy changes to diet and lifestyle before trying to conceive or going through IVF.

Here are some things to consider:

Family History – Health, illness, mental health, deaths, trauma and abuse.

Exposure to toxins – Environmental & chemical exposures:

When researchers examined the umbilical cord blood of 10 U.S. babies born in August and September 2004, they found a total of 287 industrial chemicals. Of those, 180 were carcinogens; 217 were toxic to the brain. “Numerous environmental contaminants can cross the placental barrier,” a National Institutes of Health report noted. “To a disturbing extent, babies are born pre-polluted.”

Diet and Digestive Health- This is one of the most important aspects to look at when trying to conceive a baby and preparing for pregnancy and this does not just refer to the women. It is so important to be consuming the right nutrients and minerals and Essential Fatty Acids for hormone, healthy egg and sperm production. It is important to note that a fertility diet and a weight loss diet are not the same.

Exercise – Intense exercise can affect the hormonal system and impact burn out and depletion. Whilst not enough exercise can affect weight gain and hormonal disruption.  Not all types of exercise is recommended if you are planning to conceive so it is important to know what is right for you.

Drugs and Alcohol-  recreational and prescribed.

Looking at your history of drug use and how it may have affected you and your health, researching your prescription drugs as some are not suggested in pregnancy or can affect fertility. Reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption is really important when trying to conceive.

Stress, work and lifestyle – Looking at what your stresses are and implementing healthy strategies and copiong mechanisms to deal with it are really important.

These are just some examples of some of the things that need to be considered and discussed together as a couple before trying to conceive a baby and it is essential that both the potential mother and father are united and supporting one another in preparing for and making improvements in their health and wellbeing for the sake of their future children.