WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE PLANNING FOR PREGNANCY??

Pregnancy is considered to be one of the major events in the life of a woman. With the advent of new technologies and awareness about human body increases, it is becoming much easier to make the decision of planning a pregnancy. However, one should carefully discuss the important factors required to ensure a successful and safe pregnancy with her doctor.

Age

Basically, the reproductive age of a woman is from 15 to 45 years. However, pregnancy at any of the two extremes can prove to be problematic both for the mother and the child. A teenage mother is not exactly ready for a pregnancy both physically and mentally and can be harmful for the emotional state of the expecting mother. Also, many women experiencing pregnancy after 35 have experienced increased incidences of congenital abnormalities in the babies. Thus, while planning for pregnancy, age of the mother should be taken into consideration.

Medical Problems

One of the major factors that helps in planning for a pregnancy is an analysis of the woman’s health and her medical problems. Your unborn baby can get adversely affected due to these problems. You need to get a complete check up done before you plan a baby for any kind of problems that can affect him or her negatively. These problems may include anaemia, diabetes, hypertension, and other related problems. Today, most of them can be easily treated with the help of right medication and appropriate diet.

Vaccinations and Infections

A woman is at her most vulnerable state to infections during pregnancy. Not only do these harm the mother, but are also harmful to the unborn baby. There are many infections that may cause some serious birth defects or illnesses in your baby.

You also need to be careful while testing for various sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, Syphilis, genital herpes, gonorrhea, and others. These affect not only the carrying mother but also the baby she carries. Thus, before planning for pregnancy you need to consult a doctor for any vaccinations and other medications you need to take.

Past Pregnancies

Your past pregnancy history is an important factor while planning a baby. This is because any of your previous miscarriages or other pregnancy problems would have a huge impact on your future baby too.

Family History Of Health

One of the major causes of preventable death and disability is the hereditary diseases. If there is any which runs in your family, a proper genetic testing and counseling will help in preventing them to a large extent. The unborn child can get this from either the mother or father. Thus, planning for pregnancy should be done only after some tests have been done to ensure the safety of your unborn child. Some examples of these diseases are as follows:

ü  Thallasaemia

ü  Sickle cell disease

ü  Haemophilia

ü  Cystic fibrosis   

ü  Tay Sachs disease

Lifestyle & Nutrition

Planning for a baby involves major changes in your lifestyle and nutrition. For example, if you are working in a high stress environment, this has to be taken care of as stress can take a negative toll on both you and your child’s health. Also you have to avoid using any kinds of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco as it may have major implications on the growth of the baby. Apart from these precautions, you need to also increase your nutritional requirements and have a balanced diet which helps both you and your unborn baby.