PRE-CONCEPTION AND EARLY PREGNANCY

A normal healthy pregnancy begins before you become pregnant. Pregnancy makes huge demands of a woman’s body; to start a pregnancy with a poor diet, nutritional deficiency, biochemical imbalance, infection or harmful habits, may lead to problems. Good nutrition before and during pregnancy can make the difference between health and sickness for both mother and child. Lifestyle issues also have an effect on male fertility.

During a pre-conception check-up, a woman is screened for infections, and other health problems. Blood tests can measure immunity to certain infections including: Rubella (German measles), Toxoplasmosis, and Hepatitis B. Where appropriate genetic screening and counselling to identify carriers of conditions such as Tay-Sachs disease, Sickle cell disease and Thalassemia,

Millions of women take herbal supplements and assuming that “natural” remedies are safe; will not record them in a medical history. Some herbs may be specifically harmful to pregnant women. A number of herbal supplements stimulate uterine contractions, which may increase the risk of miscarriage or premature labour. One example is raspberry tea, commonly used to treat morning sickness, which may cause uterine contractions, so this is one remedy pregnant women should avoid.

There are a number of potential environmental risks during pregnancy. It has been estimated that we are exposed to more than 4 million chemicals on a daily basis in everyday life; a few of these are known to be harmful to an unborn baby.

Pregnant women can take steps to help protect themselves and their babies from pollutants and potentially risky chemicals used in the home.

The time for a complete evaluation is when you first think about the possibility of having children, with a medical and laboratory assessment together with lifestyle, diet and nutrient analysis. Many pregnancies are however not planned and therefore, where appropriate, certain screening procedures, investigations and counselling may be utilised during early pregnancy.