Preconception care (PC) is a set of preventive measures aimed at reducing the risk of having a baby with congenital malformations (CM): neural tube defects (NTDs), heart defects, and other congenital anomalies.
Examination and treatment of identified health problems in women reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
The main goal of PP is to correct existing health problems in parents so that the couple can become pregnant in the best possible state of health and with complete psychological readiness.
Who needs pre-pregnancy preparation
- if either spouse has chronic diseases, especially if they are hereditary;
- special attention should be paid to patients who have been cured of cancer — there is a high chance that the future baby is at risk of recurrence of the disease;
- if either spouse has relatives with genetic disorders, malformations, or various developmental abnormalities;
- if there have been miscarriages, stillbirths, or situations where the foetus stopped developing in the family;
- if there is a history of premature births;
- when the sex of the baby is of fundamental importance;
- if the expectant mother has taken medications that can cause birth defects in the baby;
- if one of the spouses works in a hazardous industry;
- if there is already a child with genetic abnormalities in the family;
- the family already has a child with genetic abnormalities;
- there have been cases of haemophilia in the family;
- the parents’ ages — the woman is over 35 and the man is over 50.
Gynecological examination:
- a thorough medical history (previous illnesses, injuries and operations, chronic and hereditary diseases, working conditions and occupational risks, living conditions and lifestyle, eating habits (e.g. consumption of raw fish), presence of harmful habits, medication use (especially those contraindicated during pregnancy), allergic reactions, episodes of arterial and venous thrombosis in young and mature age;
- When collecting reproductive history, the following data are specified: menstrual function — onset of menarche, duration of menstrual cycle, regularity, painfulness, abundance; age of onset of sexual activity, sexual activity
- obstetric history (number and outcome of previous pregnancies, birth of children with congenital anomalies, stillbirths, ectopic (extrauterine) pregnancy, use of ART, complications of previous pregnancies — preeclampsia, hypertension, premature birth, placenta praevia, placental abruption
- It is also important to find out information such as: history of infertility and miscarriage, surgical interventions, inflammatory diseases
- When collecting family history, information about hereditary diseases in first- and second-degree relatives is important.
