Starting your pregnancy right

Having a baby may seem easy for some people, but for others, it can be quite challenging.

Preconception counselling is a good way to start getting ready for your next pregnancy. Your doctor can review both your personal and family’s medical history to see what might matter. Whilst you may think you are well, strong family histories of things like hypertension, pre-eclampsia or diabetes are potential warning signs of things to look out for in your own pregnancy. A review of medications would be useful as well, as some medications are less safe in pregnancy than others. There should also be some simple investigations, such as taking your blood pressure and calculating your BMI. Knowing what your blood pressure is before falling pregnant can help us get on top of potential problems early.

In addition to this, some simple blood tests can be done to make sure you are pregnancy ready. If you aren’t immune to Rubella, for instance, you can have a top up dose of the vaccine before falling pregnant. This helps to reduce the risk of transmission to the fetus. You can also talk to your GP about more advanced testing such as carrier genetic screening. It is important, too, to ensure you are on the right doses of folic acid and iodine before conceiving in order to support fetal development. In addition to this, if you are having difficulty falling pregnant, preconception counselling is a good way to start looking at the reasons for this and your GP is a good place to start.