Why You Should See Your Practitioner for a Pre-Conceptional Health Visit Before Getting Pregnant?
Once you have made the decision to get pregnant, as with any big decision in your life there is planning involved. A pre-conceptional health visit will enlighten you on the preparations necessary for a smooth pregnancy.
The doctor will tell you the best time to stop birth control. If you are on the pill or implanted contraceptives, contraception has to be stopped for several months before you can try to conceive.
Lifestyle changes are advised; adopting a healthy diet, regular exercise and giving up bad habits like smoking. Find an exercise plan that agrees with your body type. Begin early so you can continue with ease the regime through your pregnancy, keeping up the strength of your body and relieving most of the discomfort caused by pregnancy.
Your medical practitioner will examine you in addition to noting you and your husband’s medical history. From the information, you will be counseled on the various measures that will reduce possible problems with conception.
Simply, reading a book on pregnancy will not help. Only a competent doctor can supply you with in-depth information after hearing about all your details and running important tests. The doctor can underline the medicines, prenatal vitamins and herbal supplements that are conducive to pregnancy. Based on your health requirements, a doctor can help you outline a dietary plan. If you have a vitamin or element deficiency, ingest food items or supplements rich in the vitamins.
Women looking to get pregnant must increase their folic acid intake by feasting on green leafy vegetables and certain cereals. This prevents neural tube defects in the baby.
Some women have to take special precautions because of factors in their medical history. Hence, it is vital you specify if you have predisposition to heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure. If you have ever had a serious illness or there have been occurrences in your family, for example cancer, epilepsy, kidney disease or arthritis, it has to be presented to your doctor as part of your medical history. Other things to include is your menstrual patterns, sexual history, pap smear tests, sexually transmitted diseases, birth control use, previous pregnancies, miscarriage, abortions and any gynecological issues. Moreover, if you are taking any prescribed medication for a condition, ask the doctor on the possible harm these medicines can do to your body.
An examination at the doctor’s entails a check of heart-rate, breast check, blood pressure and a pap smear. A blood and urine test is also ordered to ensure everything is normal. The tests allow the doctor to confirm the presence of antibodies against German measles. Contact can result in birth defects like deafness. Doctors usually keep a record of your blood pressure before pregnancy and then, continue to monitor your blood pressure during pregnancy. The record is crucial to detect changes that may indicate problems like pre-eclampsia.
Your doctor can assist in your pregnancy care by recommending an obstetrician, a hospital birth center, pregnancy books and answer the nagging questions you might have.
