Preconception care as standard care
These are the things I see that confuse me:
- How many couples spend thousands of dollars and at least 1-2 years on wedding plans but little time or money into prepping for a baby
- We spend thousands on all the clothes, pram and gadgets for the baby, but not on preparing the health of the baby
- We expect our bodies, to work 40 hr weeks, have minimal sleep, eat rubbish and then go on to conceive and have a health pregnancy.
Of all the couples that come to see me to trying to conceive, only 10% would be coming just for preparing and not have already been struggling to conceive.
It’s not your fault, we have been trying to avoid pregnancy all our lives and so when the time comes, we just think have sex,and have a baby.
But what if we put a little planning and prepping before we fell pregnant and what could that do?
Chronic disease has now taken over from infectious disease as the major health issues affecting our children- think obesity, asthma, allergies, fertility issues, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, eating disorders, poor bone health, behavioural and developmental issues. Increasing data shows that these childhood chronic health issues, are often started in the early phases of foetal development (often before a woman even knows she is pregnant). It is also becoming increasingly evident that prenatal factors such as nutrient deficiencies, and exposure to toxic substances have a direct link to chronic disease in children.
Preterm labour has also been on the rise over the last 30 years, which is often associated with short and long term health issues for the child. It is estimated the costs of health issues associated with preterm labour in the US every year is $26.2 billion.
And preconception care is not just about our next generation’s future, but also about a woman’s health during her pregnancy and post natal. Preconception care can also reduce that rates of gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia in pregnant as well as rates of postnatal depression and anxiety.
And of course preconception care has been shown to increase fertility through natural conception and with IVF.
So why can’t we make preconception care standard?
Just 4 months of preparing our bodies, through working on optimising nutrition, repleting the body of nutrient deficiencies, lowering toxic burden and optimising hormonal and microbiome health. 4 months for a generational impact to last a person’s lifetime, while also reducing the burden of disease and improving mental wellness on a woman’s body.
Sounds good to me.
Confused about when you should be trying to conceive in your cycle?