Clinical Publications > Preconception Care - Giving your baby the best!
By Sandi Barnes, Naturopath
Preconception care is about giving your future child the best start in life possible, the gift of good health. A healthy man makes healthy sperm. A healthy woman makes healthy eggs. A healthy egg and a healthy sperm make a healthy baby. The responsibility falls on the both of you, 50:50. Preconception care focuses on improving yours and your partner’s health before conceiving as once conception has taken place, the genetic blueprint for your baby is set!
Statistics also show the compromised health of our reproductive outcomes. One in six couples in Australia is infertile, one in five women will miscarry, one in ten babies are born prematurely or with a low birth weight and one in thirty is born with a congenital abnormality. Scary isn’t it?
Research has shown that a number of factors can adversely affect fertility, reproductive and general health. Any one of these factors alone can cause problems. When any of these factors are present in combination, the adverse effects are likely to be much more pronounced and/or occur more frequently.
Risk factors:
- Poor nutrition
- Stress
- Tobacco/Alcohol/Drugs * Oral contraceptive pill
- Environmental pollution * Genito-urinary infections
- Lack of exercise or excessive exercise * Other infections (e.g. Candida)
- Allergies * Child-bearing at an older age
Preconception care primarily involves two things. Firstly it’s important to make sure there is an adequate supply of all the factors essential to the health of the sperm and ova and to foetal development and secondly to ensure that all things that have been shown to be harmful are removed.
The formation of sperm may take up to 116 days (four months) and ova are susceptible to damage during a period of maturation period of around 100 days (roughly 4 months also) prior to ovulation. Therefore ideally you both need a period of optimal health which lasts at least 4 months before trying to conceive. As some of the changes needed to put yourselves in a state of optimal health can take some time, as can correcting pre-existing health conditions, the more time you can allow yourselves to properly prepare, the better. Ideally a good 6-12 months will be required to remove all negative influences, build nutrition levels to optimum stores and improve the health of the sperm and ova.
It is important to distinguish between the myths and the facts surrounding nutritional requirements in pregnancy. It is a common misconception that your baby will take everything it needs from you despite your own nutritional status. This myth was dispelled after WW1 when the effects of poor nutrition were noted (loss of periods in women, spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, neonatal deaths, birth defects and low birth weights increased dramatically). This has also been reconfirmed time and time again in modern day too. Pregnancy outcome is directly associated with the baby’s demand for nutrients and the ability of the mother to supply that demand. We know as a fact that the nutritional requirements of the mother increase during pregnancy and lactation by as much as 300%! However the actual increase in caloric requirements only increases by 300 calories per day. It is very unlikely that you will be able to increase your nutritional requirements adequately with an extra 300 calories per day.
Adequate preconception care can minimise the risk of such problems that are attributed to nutritional deficiencies and problems of toxicity from substances such as heavy metals, chemicals, infections and other hazardous substances. In the first three months of pregnancy the foetal mass increases over 2 500 00 times! This extraordinary rate of growth has unique nutritional requirements. There are numerous studies to show beneficial outcomes of nutritional agents of pregnancy and the health of your baby. Folic acid is one of these. Folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in babies and a deficiency of this vital nutrient has been linked to an increased risk of birth defects. Most doctors are even recommending folic acid supplementation for pregnant women and those trying to conceive. However what most people are not aware of is the neural tube in your developing baby closes at day 28 of gestation (28 days after conceiving), often before you even know you are pregnant!! Therefore it is essential that folic acid is supplemented before conceiving! |
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There is more and more research coming out as to the importance of adequate nutrition prior to and during pregnancy. Folic acid has shown to reduce the risk of Neural tube defects by as much as 72%! However you need a good balance of all nutrients, not just folic acid and iron. Vitamin C is required for nerve endings and brain development and is also needed for iron absorption. The amount needed also increases in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. New research has also shown another nutrient choline to be required for prevention of neural tube defects and is believed to be as important as folic acid. In additional to this a low intake of plant proteins, fibre, iron, magnesium and niacin are associated with a two-five fold increase in the risk of spina bifida in the baby. Omega 3 essential fatty acids are also necessary for the normal growth and function of your baby’s brain. The level required to have a positive effect are mush higher than what can be obtained from dietary sources.
Iron deficiency is the most common of all pregnancy deficiencies due to the dilation of your blood, especially in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Iron deficiency has serious consequences in both the short and long term for your baby such as retardation and cardiovascular problems. Adequate vitamin C is essential to absorb iron properly and the demand for vitamin C increases later in pregnancy. A low vitamin C level may contribute to a poorer absorption of iron from your dietary sources as well.
Numerous studies support the findings that a major cause of pregnancy complications is suboptimal embryonic and foetal nutrition. Therefore a lot of the complications commonly associated with pregnancy can also be minimised with proper preparation and adequate nutritional status. The risk of suffering morning sickness, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, constipation, heartburn, stretchmarks, hair loss, fatigue, increased risk of infection, mood swings etc is reduced or the severity of these complaints are much less with adequate nutritional status. Research has also shown that adequate calcium can help to prevent pre eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension (high blood pressure).
Breastfeeding should be easier with improved quantity and quality of breast milk being attributed to proper nutrition and the risk of mastitis and cracked nipples etc is also lower. The health of your baby will be greater and they will be less likely to suffer from restlessness, cradle cap, allergies, asthma, teething problems, excessive crying, inability to settle etc. adequate supplementation has also been associated with a reduction in premature births and a reduction of low birth weight babies.
For those who are having trouble conceiving preconception care may help to offer some answers. It can improve the quality and motility of sperm and increase the sperm count. Through balancing hormones in the women problem such as erratic ovulation and anovulation can be treated and the health of the ovaries and eggs improve. Also when toxicity and inflammation are addressed and corrected, your body’s function is enhanced and your overall chances of conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy are greater. A clean, well functioning body is more likely to be more alkaline and less acidic and your digestion will be better, ensuring you are absorbing nutrients from your foods and supplements well.
Adequate preconception care under the advice of a professional takes a lot of the guess work out of what and when you should be taking different supplements etc. It will also ensure you have done your utmost to improve the health of your unborn child as well as your own. The peace of mind accompanying the knowledge that you have done everything within your power to have a healthy child is worth 100 times the initial efforts involved in the preconception process.
Contact us now for professional guidance.
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