If a woman plans to get pregnant, she should meet with her OBGYN before to discuss plan of action and health concerns.
Prior To Conception
Before planning to have a baby, visit your doctor to check for risk factors that may cause complications with our pregnancy. Prenatal vitamins should be taken before you start trying to get pregnant so that your body is ready to support another life. Some medical and dental procedures cannot be done while pregnant so you can discuss with your doctor what steps need to be taken to address those issues before becoming pregnant.
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See All 2 AnswersBefore you get pregnant, you should be immunized for varicella, rubella and hepatitis B. During your pregnancy, you’ll want to be immunized for whooping cough during the third trimester, and the flu during flu season.
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See All 2 AnswersIf you are diabetic, it is important to discuss any plans for pregnancy with your physician before conceiving, if possible.
There are several things that a doctor will check during a pre-pregnancy examination for a person with diabetes. Diabetic patients may have increased risks of complications during pregnancy, and these risks can be reduced prior to pregnancy. It is very important to have blood sugar levels under good control before becoming pregnant. Blood tests such as a hemoglobin A1C can be checked to determine a diabetic patient's level of control. Immunizations may need to be updated prior to pregnancy in order to decrease the risks of infections to which pregnant and diabetic patients are prone. Drugs that are used to treat diabetes and its complications may need to be stopped or altered. This is in order to avoid any potential health hazards for the developing fetus. Your doctor may also counsel you on proper nutrition and exercise as well as other lifestyle changes to reduce your risks of pregnancy complications.
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Dr. Robert W. Chalmers, MD , OBGYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology), answered on behalf of Intermountain HealthcareSee All 3 AnswersPatients will often ask me, "What should I do when I'm trying to get pregnant, when I'm trying to start a family?" "How do I maximize my chances of conceiving?" I usually recommend to them that they take a multivitamin that contains folic acid. That helps give them all the nutrients that they need in order to be healthy and also to help support a developing baby.
I also recommend that the patients keep a calendar of their menstrual cycle, so if they do have trouble conceiving, we can take a look at that calendar and figure out where the problems may be occurring.
I usually also recommend that if patients have other medical conditions, they make sure that those are under control. So if they have diabetes, they should see their primary-care manager and make sure that is well controlled.
The other issue that comes up frequently with fertility is related to weight. There is definitely an ideal weight for women when it comes to conceiving. If they're underweight, oftentimes their menstrual cycles will cease—they're usually not fertile during that time. If they're overweight, similar things can occur with irregular menstrual cycles and inability to conceive. Often, all that many women need is appropriate counseling about nutrition and exercise therapy in order to help them start their family.
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American Diabetes Association answeredSee All 5 AnswersThe general recommendations for any woman planning a pregnancy are:
- Have a rubella lab test done.
- Start taking multivitamins with folic acid and calcium.
- Stop smoking, alcohol and drugs.
- Involve your husband or partner in the planning.
- Receive genetic counseling (optional).
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Wesley Medical Center answeredNon-invasive prenatal testing is a blood test that isolates fetal genetic material to screen for evidence of aneuploidy (abnormal chromosomes). Non-invasive fetal testing is done through a blood draw taken from the pregnant woman.
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Good In Bed answeredSee All 3 AnswersIt’s easy to get caught up in the stress of trying to conceive. With every passing month, you may find yourself becoming more and more focused on getting pregnant. The result? You can also start feel more distant from your partner. Bring your relationship back to center stage by scheduling a regular “date night” for yourselves. On that night, ban all ovulation and procreation talk. Check in with each other about other issues, hold hands, and reconnect with the couple you were before trying to conceive. Don’t feel pressured to get busy on date night, but do experiment with sensual, relaxing activities like massage that may naturally lead to sex.
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Dr. John C. Lipman, MD , Vascular & Interventional Radiology, answeredIt would be very unlikely. Increasing age (over 35) decreases fertility, and it is markedly diminished at age 50. Fibroids also can hinder a woman's fertility, and there may even be a negative impact on fertility from Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) similar to that seen with women that undergo surgery (myomectomy). There have been numerous pregnancies reported after Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) but further studies are needed. -
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March of Dimes answeredBirth spacing is the period of time between giving birth and getting pregnant again. It's also called pregnancy spacing or interpregnancy interval (also called IPI). It's best to wait at least 18 months (1½ years) between giving birth and getting pregnant again. Too little time between pregnancies increases your risk of premature birth (before 37 weeks of pregnancy). The shorter the time between pregnancies, the higher your risk. Learn more at: marchofdimes.org/birthspacing