Before Pregnancy
The path to parenthood is different for everyone. For some, falling pregnant can be challenging. For others, pregnancy can come with greater risks. In any case, starting medical care before contraception helps to ensure a happy and safe pregnancy.
That’s why each independent doctor working from GOG is committed to offering comprehensive and uniquely personal attention to you right from the beginning as you start out on the path to parenthood.
Pre-conception counselling is available to optimise your chances of falling pregnant, and manage any medical conditions which may be making conception more difficult.
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If you are planning to fall pregnant in the near future, here are a couple of pieces of advice which will help to ensure you are as ready as possible for the physical challenges pregnancy can bring:
- Take folate supplements for 3 months before you conceive in order to minimise the risk of problems for your baby such as spina bifida. The recommended dose is 0.5 mg daily unless you are at higher risk of problems, in which you should take 5 mg daily.
- Have your iron levels checked and start an iron supplement if you are deficient. It is nearly impossible to replace your iron stores from dietary intake alone during pregnancy as the normal changes in pregnancy along with your growing baby and developing placenta put pressure on your iron stores. Low iron can put you at risk of developing anaemia (low blood count) which can lead to increased tiredness and other problems around the time of labour and delivery.
- Have your ‘routine’ antenatal serology checked to confirm your immunity to rubella, hepatitis and other infections. This would be a great time to make sure your immunisations are up to date.
- If you have any ongoing medical conditions, make sure your treatment is optimised and that you discuss with your doctor the implications of falling pregnant. Sometimes pregnancy can have an impact on pre-existing conditions (e.g. kidney disease) while pre-existing conditions and their treatment can have an impact on your pregnancy (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes).
- Now is a great time to optimise your physical fitness. Please consider the usual suspects of weight, smoking and aerobic fitness, as well as pelvic floor exercises.
Please seek advice if you need assistance in any of these areas.