Planning a pregnancy - where to start
More and more young couples begin to think about pregnancy not after its fulfillment, but in advance, and start planning for three to four months, and some six months before the moment of conception. The appearance of a child in the family is a very important step, for which it is necessary to prepare both morally, psychologically, and physiologically so that the baby is born healthy. Planning should begin with a visit to the gynecologist who examines the woman at the reception, takes smears for tests and writes out recommendations for a further plan of action. If you mark the days of menstruation in the calendar, it will not be superfluous to take it with you. Even as a result of a simple examination and a conversation with the expectant mother, the doctor can draw conclusions about whether the woman has a reproductive system disorder.
Pregnancy Planning - Highlights
In parallel with the visit to the gynecologist, you will need to visit the offices of the oculist where the doctor will check your eyes and examine the retina of the eye, the dentist to cure all your teeth, and the therapist who will refer you for examination and consultation to additional specialists if you suffer from chronic diseases (gastritis, bronchitis, tonsillitis, etc.).
Three months before conception, the contraceptive method should be changed: it is necessary to abandon the contraceptive pill, remove the intrauterine device. At the time of planning, to prevent possible pregnancy, it is best to use condoms.
It is not pleasant to talk about this, but couples, where at least one of the future parents takes drugs, is contraindicated in children. Planning can be started only after three years from the moment of parting with this pernicious occupation, in order to give the body a full recovery. And after the treatment of syphilis until conception, a rehabilitation period of five years is necessary.
Planning a pregnancy - for the future father
For some reason, the statement of the doctors that the health of the unborn child depends not only on the state of the woman’s body, but also the man, is not always taken seriously. Therefore, if you have planned the birth of a baby, then the future father should take an active part in this. This does not imply an immediate conception process, namely, preparation for this very process, which should start much earlier. Time should be enough to get rid of bad habits, pass the necessary tests and, if necessary, undergo a course of treatment.
Planning a spouse’s pregnancy should begin for the future of the dad with quitting smoking and any alcohol, including beer. Alcohol toxins and nicotine have a negative effect on sperm quality and fertility. A complete renewal of seminal fluid takes two to three months. It is necessary to include as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible in the men’s diet, start taking multivitamins and additionally folic acid and vitamins E and C. Vitamins E and B9 (folic acid) reduce the formation of poor-quality sperm cells in the male seed with a broken number of chromosomes, vitamin C is known An antioxidant, it accelerates sperm renewal, makes sperm more viable and mobile. During the planning period, it is necessary to guard against colds, not to take antibiotics and other potent drugs, to refuse strong coffee.
Future dads can be given some more tips that will help improve sperm quality, which will positively affect conception and the emergence of a healthy baby. During the planning period, avoid:
- sedentary lifestyle to avoid stagnation of blood in the pelvic region;
- Long-term overheating of the testicles and wearing tight linen;
- debilitating physical exertion;
- working with a laptop on your lap;
- carrying a mobile phone in the front pockets of the pants.
What to do during the planning period:
- take vitamins B9, C, E;
- eat natural products, exclude preservatives, convenience foods, fast food;
- strengthen immunity and health - go to the pool, gym (with a moderate level of physical exertion), sunbathe;
- treat chronic diseases that are also a focus of infections.
Folic when planning pregnancy
Folic acid, or vitamin B9, is one of the first drugs that a gynecologist prescribes for future parents, both mother and father. Why is this element important, and why should it always be taken from the first days of planning and the entire first trimester of pregnancy? For men, vitamin B9 helps to significantly improve the quality of sperm. It is known that the portion of the male semen necessary for conception contains up to 4% of defective spermatozoa, which, in the case of fusion with the egg cell, will lead to the formation of the embryo with notorious pathologies. In order not to play roulette with fate once again, it is better to be safe. After all, folic acid helps to reduce the percentage of defective sperm and the chance to conceive a healthy child increases.
For the female body, vitamin B9 is even more necessary. It is known that the main organs of the fetus, even the embryo, are laid during the first weeks of pregnancy. To avoid defects in the formation of organs, a “building material” such as folic acid is sufficiently necessary. Its deficiency can lead to a delay in the mental development of the unborn child, the formation of a cleft lip, a defect in the neural tube and other anomalies, as well as provoke a spontaneous abortion, placental abruption, or lead to a frozen pregnancy. Therefore, the body of a pregnant woman has a great need for the receipt of a sufficient amount of this vitamin. It is found in green vegetables, greens, bananas, orange juice, liver, chicken meat and some other foods. But during heat treatment, most of it is destroyed, so the lack of this element must be replenished in the form of tablets. Usually, when planning a pregnancy, 400 micrograms of folic acid should be taken daily. Sometimes the amount of vitamin B9 needs to be increased or decreased. In any case, the dosage to future parents is determined by the doctor.
Vitamins when planning pregnancy
Folic acid is an important element when planning pregnancy. But besides her, there are still other vitamins necessary for the future mother, which should be taken by her.
Vitamin C - helps to reduce inflammatory foci in the body, destroys bacteria, neutralizes toxins, strengthens the immune system and connective tissue.
Vitamin E - affects favorably the work of the ovaries, helps to restore the menstrual cycle, helps in the formation of sperm in men and eggs in women. In addition, vitamin E increases physical endurance, takes an active part in metabolic processes.
It is very important not to “invent” a lack of certain vitamins, but together with your doctor, on the basis of the results of all the necessary tests and studies, determine the appropriate drugs. Moreover, it is important to assess not only which vitamins are not enough, but also to correctly determine the dose, to specify the features of the intake, commensurate with the life rhythm, especially of a still working pregnant woman. As a rule, experts prescribe not individual vitamins, but special vitamin-mineral complexes, such as the Finnish Minisan Mom, which has proven itself in the Finnish market and has a whole range of vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, iodine , iron and magnesium. In addition, this complex is convenient to take - one tablet per day will support and protect the body of the future mother.
Pregnancy planning for an irregular cycle
When planning a pregnancy, a woman may need to take complexes of biologically active substances that normalize and maintain reproductive function. For example, the biologically active food supplement TIME-FACTOR®, which contains in its composition vitamins C and E, folic acid, rutin, minerals (iron, magnesium and zinc), indole-3-carbinol, glutamic acid, aukubin, gingerols, as well as standardized herbal extracts of angelica root, ginger root and Vitex sacred fruit. The complex of biologically active substances that make up the dietary supplement TAYM-FACTOR® helps to normalize the menstrual cycle and maintain hormonal balance.
Pregnancy Planning Tests
The list of tests that must be passed to future parents is quite large. It may be a little more or less, depending on their state of health. For example, if future mothers and fathers do not have problems with the thyroid gland, then thyroid hormone tests will not be necessary. The list of the most significant analyzes for the future mother consists of:
- blood test - biochemical and clinical. If the blood type of the future father is not known, it is necessary to donate blood to both spouses in order to compare the compatibility of the Rh factor of the future parents;
- urinalysis;
- blood test (for sugar);
- blood test for clotting;
- blood test for syphilis and HIV;
- blood samples for antibodies to cytomegalovirus, herpes, rubella, toxoplasma, hepatitis C and B viruses. If the expectant mother does not have rubella and there are no antibodies to her disease in her blood, then she is recommended to be vaccinated. Rubella is a very dangerous disease during pregnancy. may cause severe fetal malformations.
To eliminate the possible transmission of disease to the child, both spouses must be tested for chlamydia, candidiasis, mycoplasmosis, ureaplasmosis and gonorrhea. This should be done without fail, because viruses of sexually transmitted diseases are quite insidious, and can be in the body in a latent form, without giving any signs. They can only be detected by laboratory: blood taken from a vein, or smear from the urethra. If positive results are found, diseases are necessarily treated.
If a couple are over 35 years old, or if any of the expectant parents were genetic hereditary diseases, the therapist or gynecologist may refer you to a geneticist for advice. A visit to which may be limited to a conversation or, if necessary, examination and delivery of additional analyzes.
Planning for pregnancy after pregnancy
Quite often, couples do not want to stop at the birth of one child and plan to have a second, and some, a third baby. What is the optimal time to pass after previous births, so that the woman's body was ready for bearing a subsequent pregnancy? A woman can become pregnant after the first menstruation after delivery. If she is not breastfeeding, then the monthly cycle can recover two to three months after the birth of the baby, i.e. in fact, pregnancy can come literally right away. But physiologists advise not to rush and give the body a rest for at least a year and a half, and preferably three or four, in order to restore hormones, replenish the reserves of vitamins and trace elements, especially iron and calcium. After all, pregnancy is an additional burden on the heart, internal organs, hormonal, nervous and immune system of a woman.
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