10 important things you need to do before pregnancy

1Planning pregnancy - these words are used more and more often when visiting a gynecologist. What is behind these words?

Most women planning a pregnancy come to the gynecologist to check for sexually transmitted infections, so as not to infect the unborn baby during pregnancy or childbirth. This is right. But this is just part of the necessary plan of examinations and recommendations that these patients receive at their doctor’s appointment.

Our common goal is the birth of healthy children.

The health of a child is laid down very far in time - in the childhood of his parents.

Sometimes, it is from childhood that those threads stretch that, as a person grows up and the basic functions of his body develop, turn into tangled tangles that have to be “unraveled” by numerous doctors and specialists.

Visiting specialists

You need to start planning your pregnancy by visiting a gynecologist. The doctor will examine the woman’s medical record, find out everything about previous pregnancies, abortions, contraceptive methods, previous and existing diseases. After the examination, the gynecologist will give the woman referrals for tests and examinations, and if health problems are suspected, she will advise visiting the appropriate specialists (endocrinologist, surgeon, allergist, etc.).

Next, it is recommended to visit a therapist, whose task is to diagnose and treat chronic diseases that may complicate the course of pregnancy. To identify and treat foci of chronic infection, a consultation with an ENT doctor and a visit to the dentist are necessary.

If there are hereditary diseases in the family (Down's disease, muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea, etc.) or cases of stillbirth, consultation with a geneticist is necessary. A geneticist can conduct special studies to identify genetic abnormalities and give a prognosis for the birth of a healthy child.

Why do you need to prepare for pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a very important and responsible moment in the life of a woman and family. This is not only a pleasant chore, but also a serious psychological test. It is very important that during the gestation period the expectant mother is healthy, calm and happy, since her condition is passed on to the fetus.

In addition to the psychological stress, the body of a pregnant woman is also subjected to a physiological test. If it is weakened by chronic diseases, bad habits and poor lifestyle, the chances of bearing and giving birth to a healthy child are significantly reduced.

Women who are mentally and physically prepared for the birth of a child endure pregnancy much easier. Therefore, careful preparation will not only preserve the health of mother and child, but also enjoy the process.

For husbands: instructions for dealing with a pregnant wife

Analyzes and examinations

All women planning to conceive a child are advised to do the following:

• general and biochemical blood tests;
• analysis to determine blood type and Rh factor (for both spouses);
• general urine analysis;
• smears and blood tests for sexually transmitted infections - PCR (chlamydia, ureaplasmosis, mycoplasmosis, gonorrhea, candidiasis (thrush) - for both spouses;
• blood for antibodies to rubella, toxoplasma, herpes, CMV, chlamydia, HIV, RW, hepatitis B and C viruses;
• blood sugar test;
• coagulogram (blood clotting indicators);
• colposcopy (to assess the condition of the vagina and cervix);
• Ultrasound of the pelvic organs (to assess the condition of the uterus and ovaries).

Additional examinations:

• If the menstrual cycle is irregular, there are problems with conception and previous miscarriages, a blood test for sex hormones is prescribed.
• According to the indications of the endocrinologist, tests for hormones of the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, etc. may be prescribed.
• In case of miscarriage and infertility, determination of lupus anticoagulant, antibodies to human chorionic gonadotropin, antibodies to phospholipids, TPO antibodies, antibodies to TSH receptors and other examinations may be prescribed.
• Immunological examination.

Stage 4 - Choosing a doctor

This is the final stage of pregnancy planning. For the next nine months, the gynecologist will become your most important doctor. The health of the expectant mother and baby largely depends on his professionalism. Therefore, you should approach the choice of a doctor with all responsibility. There are many options here - from a local doctor in a antenatal clinic to specialists in commercial medical centers. Moreover, the rule “the more expensive the better” does not work here. Practice shows that many high-class professionals work in antenatal clinics. You just need to look hard.

Vaccinations

• If a woman has not had rubella and does not have antibodies to this infection, it is recommended to get vaccinated (at least 3 months before the planned conception). This is due to the fact that rubella infection during pregnancy is fraught with the formation of fetal malformations and other disorders.
• In addition, hepatitis B vaccination is recommended.
• Additionally, you can get vaccinated against diphtheria and tetanus, as well as influenza.

Bad habits.

It's no secret that smoking, alcohol and drugs are contraindicated during pregnancy. Unfortunately, in practice, quite often one has to deal with the unpleasant smell of tobacco emanating from a pregnant woman. But this habit is harmful to both the mother and her unborn baby. Cigarette smoke contains nicotine (constricts blood vessels and, thereby, reduces the delivery of nutrients to the baby), carbon monoxide (competes with oxygen, thereby reducing its delivery to the baby), benzene (a potential carcinogen, i.e. increases risk of developing tumors), hydrogen cyanide (used by humans as rat poison) and formaldehyde (is a poison and leads to mutations in cells). Why not a modern detective?!

A whole criminal gang! And they act, these poisons, every day, imperceptibly, but methodically, according to the selfish desire of the expectant mother to “take a couple of puffs.” In addition to her own smoking, a woman can receive all the same substances while in a smoky room. Many women are mistaken in thinking that smoking should be stopped gradually, because... the body is accustomed to nicotine. The sooner you quit smoking, the better for you and your child. There are many ways to self-heal from this addiction. You just need to understand and want it.

Alcohol easily crosses the placenta and is found in the same concentration in the fetal blood as in the mother's blood. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to birth defects, especially in the arms, legs and heart. Brain cells are severely damaged. To prepare for pregnancy, you need to know that alcohol can reduce ovarian function. Therefore, when planning a pregnancy, the amount of alcohol should be limited to 2-3 units for a woman, and 3-4 units for a man. One unit is equal to 125 ml of dry wine (8-9%) or 25 ml of fortified drinks (40% strength). There is an opinion that you should not drink alcohol for three months before conception. If you and your spouse follow this opinion, then honor and praise to you! At the moment of conception, the egg and sperm are least susceptible to the effects of alcohol, since they are in “free flight”, moving along the fallopian tube to the uterus. But already 5-7 days after conception, the small embryo becomes susceptible to alcohol, because... attaches to the wall of the uterus and is washed by maternal blood.

Drugs, in addition to their direct terratogenic effect, carry the risk of giving birth to a child with drug addiction, with worse birth outcomes, and infection with infections such as HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis. To remove drugs from the body, future parents are required to undergo a special detoxification course.

Analyze your daily routine: how many hours do you devote to active recreation in the fresh air, a quiet walk, how much time does it take you to travel to work? How do you get to work? Are you stuck in traffic jams? Are there any hazards at your place of work that could interfere with the favorable course of pregnancy?

Nowadays, many people work with a computer. In this regard, studies have been conducted on the effects of radiation from computer monitors on humans and pregnancy. This radiation is not ionizing, like X-rays, and therefore does not have a harmful effect on the developing organism. For your information, the greatest radiation comes not from the screen, but from the back of the monitor, so as a precaution, try not to sit with your back to a colleague's monitor.

During the pre-pregnancy examination, you may sometimes need to undergo X-ray diagnostics. Ask the medical staff to provide you with a protective apron for the abdominal area to reduce radiation exposure to the genitals, in particular the ovaries, where eggs mature.

Immediately before conception

If everything turns out to be in order, you can begin direct preparations for conception. It is recommended for a married couple not to take any medications for 2-3 months without consulting a gynecologist, not to smoke (as a last resort - reduce the number of cigarettes, switch to lighter cigarettes), not to drink alcoholic beverages (more than 100 ml of wine per day ), do not abuse coffee, eat more fruits and vegetables, do not take hot baths, do not go to baths and saunas, try not to get sick.

Women three months before expected conception should start taking vitamins with folic acid.

Now you can stop using protection and start actually conceiving. According to statistics, a healthy married couple who has sex 2-3 times a week without contraception usually takes from several months to a year to conceive. So don't worry if it doesn't work out the first time. This may be due to recent use of hormonal birth control pills, stress, lifestyle changes, etc.

If after a year pregnancy has not occurred, you should consult a gynecologist. Modern medicine cures many cases of both female and male infertility. As a last resort, you can use artificial insemination methods (IVF, ICSI, etc.).

Nutrition.

There is a well-known saying: “We are what we eat.”

The nutrition of future parents should be complete and varied. It is necessary to observe the principle: “The simpler the food, the healthier it is.” It is quite difficult to follow this rule in modern conditions, since on store shelves there is a huge amount of all sorts of tasty things, which, by the way, are not always healthy. Here's some advice for you.

Try to gradually get rid of eating foods:

• with a long shelf life,
• containing “identical to natural” flavors, dyes, additives,
• semi-finished products,
• artificial drinks.

The experience of their use in comparison with the millennia-long history of human existence is very small - only a little over 100 years. People used to get along without all this! But how the ingredients of these dishes affect our eggs, sperm and the baby’s growing body is not always known. Due to the huge amount of the above products we consume, it is not possible to monitor the influence of each of them.

In addition to eliminating all of the above from food, it is advisable to limit the consumption of drinks containing caffeine, namely coffee, strong tea, Coca-Cola, cocoa. The fact is that caffeine causes developmental defects in the offspring of laboratory animals. It has been noted that drinking three or more cups of coffee per day by a pregnant woman doubles the risk of miscarriage. In addition, caffeine reduces the absorption of iron from the intestines and increases the excretion of calcium from the body in the urine, and these elements are very necessary for both the mother and the baby growing in her. In addition to caffeine, coffee and tea contain many tannins, which also bind iron, vitamins and other beneficial substances in the intestines, thereby reducing their concentration in the body.

Try to switch before pregnancy from the usual fatty meats, fish and cheeses to leaner ones.

Instead of animal fats (butter, lard, fatty pork, cakes), it is better to eat vegetable fats (cold-pressed olive oil, unrefined oils, flaxseed oil).

The food you eat must be fresh and not reheated, because... in this case, a large amount of nutrients is lost. For the same reason, it is advisable to minimize food preparation methods such as frying and long-term cooking.

For a balanced diet, you should increase the proportion of plant foods, because in addition to a large amount of vitamins, it contains fiber, which promotes better intestinal function and food absorption.

HIV-positive women can conceive and give birth to a completely healthy child

There are a lot of discordant couples, when one of the parents is infected and the other is not. Such patients receive preventive treatment and successfully give birth under the supervision of doctors. They arrive at the birth with special medications. If a woman has cervical cancer, she gives birth by cesarean section. HIV-infected women are also required by law to undergo surgery: it is believed that a caesarean section reduces the risk of infection of the child. At the same time, she can write a refusal and give birth naturally - the same applies to breastfeeding.