Planning
a Pregnancy
The
decision to have a child is an important one.
For many couples it is hard to decide when the right time is.
Some of the issues you could consider:
-
Are
you ready?
-
Is
your partner ready?
-
Have
you discussed how you will share the parenting of the child?
-
Have
you considered the economic, emotional and lifestyle changes that will
occur?
There
are many good reasons for preparing yourself for pregnancy.
For most couples there is a delay between making the decision to
have a baby and actually getting pregnant.
Difficulties in conception can be due to either male or female
problems. A woman’s
fertility largely depends on her age.
A woman is most fertile between the ages of 17 and 25 with a
gradual decline into her 30s and a sharp decrease in fertility after the
age of 35. Even for a woman
in her 20s it is normal to take up to a year to conceive.
Seek professional advice early if you are concerned that you may
have a fertility problem.
LIFESTYLE
CONSIDERATIONS
Alcohol
There
is evidence that a woman who drinks an excessive amount of alcohol (more
than 10 standard drinks per week) may seriously harm an unborn baby.
The risks are: mental retardation, slower growth, stillbirth and
miscarriage. Excessive
alcohol may reduce male fertility.
Drugs
If
you are taking prescription drugs regularly, tell your doctor that
you are planning a pregnancy. In
some cases you may be advised to change to a different medication or stop
taking it altogether to avoid affecting the developing fetus. This includes people taking drugs to treat epilepsy, and
anti-thyroid drugs.
Women
who are addicted to drugs are strongly advised to kick their habit
before trying to conceive. Abrupt
withdrawal from drugs during pregnancy may lead to miscarriage or
premature labour. Use of
drugs has been linked with congenital abnormalities, miscarriage and low
birth weight babies. Street
drugs are often mixed with other substances that could also have a harmful
effect on you and your baby. Women
who inject drugs may put themselves and their baby at risk of contracting
hepatitis
B and C and HIV.
As
there is uncertainty about what is a safe level of caffeine during
pregnancy, try to cut down if you drink a lot of tea, coffee or cola
drinks.
It
is best to give up smoking before you get pregnant.
Men and women who smoke are less fertile.
Women who smoke also have a higher risk of miscarriage.
Smoking during pregnancy interferes with the blood supply to the
baby and results in low birth weight babies and babies of lower
intelligence. There is no safe level of smoking and the more you smoke the
higher the risks.
Exercise
All
women are encouraged to exercise regularly.
You need a reasonable level of fitness to cope with the extra
demands of pregnancy on your body. You
can continue with your normal exercise program at this time and into the
early part of pregnancy. Raising
your body temperature by doing prolonged exercise or the use of saunas can
be harmful to a pregnancy. Being
overweight can reduce fertility for some women.
Weight loss through regular exercise and a sensible diet may help
these women become pregnant.
Diet
It
is important to get into healthy eating habits before you conceive.
Poor nutrition for the fetus can lead to later development of
conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.
A recommended balanced diet should include:
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At
least two portions of fruit and five serves of vegetables per day
-
Complex
carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread, rice, cereals, potatoes and
pasta
-
Protein
rich food such as lean meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, pulses, nuts/
seeds
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Small
amounts of oils such as olive oil, Soya oil and oils found in fish
like sardines.
-
Calcium
rich foods such as yougurt, milk, cheese and calcium enriched soya
milk
Folate
A
deficiency of folate in the diet is associated with an increased risk of
babies being born with neural tybe abnormalities (eg spina bifida). Although folate is found in most fresh fruit and vegetables
it is recommended that women take a supplement of folate (0.5 mg per day)
in the months before conception and during pregnancy.
HEALTH
CONSIDERATIONS
Before
becoming pregnant it is a good idea to be up-to-date with your routine
health screening. If your Pap
smear is due it is advisable to have this done and know the results before
trying to get pregnant. You
may want to ask your nurse or doctor at this opportunity about issues
relating to your medical history that may affect your pregnancy.
Sexually
Tansmissible Infections (STIs)
Some
STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhea can be present without you
knowing and can be passed to your baby at birth. Some blood viruses like HIV and hepatitis, can
seriously affect the baby before birth.
It is a good idea to consider testing before pregnancy.
Genital
Herpes
If
a woman has her first ever attack of genital herpes during pregnancy there
is a risk that the baby can become infected before it is born.
However in women who have a history of herpes in the past there is
a risk to the baby only if it is born vaginally at the time of an active
outbreak in the mother. If
this happens, you may be advised to use antiviral drugs or to have a
Cesarean section delivery to reduce the risk to your baby.
HIV
HIV
positive women should talk to their doctor, as there is a risk that the
virus may be passed on to the baby. This
risk can be minimized by anti-viral, having a Cesarean birth and not
breastfeeding the baby.
Genetic
Disorders
Genetic
disorders refer to disorders that a child inherits from its mother or
father. For instance
sickle-cell disease and clubfoot are examples of genetic disorders.
If you or your partner have a family history of genetic disease,
counseling may be helpful to determine the risk of passing it on to your
child. In light of that
information, counseling may also help whether or not to go ahead and
conceive. There are reliable
tests available that can detect genetic diseases and conditions very early
in pregnancy. Early detection
of disorders may help couples plan for the future.
Yellow
Fever Vaccination
This
is designed to protect you from yellow fever and is given to anyone
traveling to or through mainland Africa and provides immunity for up to 10
years. If you have this
vaccination it is recommended that you do not get pregnant for 3 months
from the date of vaccination, as the effect of the vaccine on the baby is
unknown.
Diabetes
The
stress of pregnancy usually demands very close supervision of a woman’s
diabetes by the woman and her doctor.
For
women who are diabetic excellent control of blood sugar levels around the
time of conception reduces the risk of the baby being born with a
congenital abnormality.
WARNING
If
you think you could be pregnant you are advised to avoid having x-rays and
avoid exposure to chemicals such as pesticides.
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