Preconception Care and Your Fertility

Treat it before it becomes a problem. 

We see far too many patients coming in for infertility care after they have been through numerous tests, seen various doctors, and an exuberant amount of fertility procedures and medications that have left them exhausted, frustrated and confused.

Preconception care is all about prevention and management. Identifying any factors in one’s health that may be an obstacle for conception and pregnancy outcome. Being optimally healthy prior to conception can save many couples from going down that long path of infertility.

What areas could indicate suboptimal fertility?

Irregular cycles

Premenstrual symptoms

Painful/Heavy cycles

Endometriosis

Obesity/Overweight

Underweight

Diabetes

PCOS

Thyroid disease

Lifestyle factors: alcohol, smoking, drugs

Previous complications in pregnancy

Mental health (anxiety, depression, etc.)

Advanced maternal age

A large study done followed 367 couples (ages ranges from 22 to 59). The study consisted of couples with a previous history of miscarriage (38%), infertility (37%), therapeutic abortion (11%), stillbirth (3%), low birth weight babies (15%), malformations (2%), and SIDS (1%).

Preconception care consisted of basic nutritional counseling and prenatal supplements for both partners. After 2 years, 89% of couples conceived and had live births. In the group that was previously diagnosed with infertility, 81% achieved live births, indicating that lifestyle and nutrient modifications may positively impact fertility. No reported miscarriages, deaths or malformations were noted, and most infants were of a healthy weight, born full-term.

Not only does preconception care support your ability to conceive, it can also influence the health of your egg and sperm, and thus the health of your child.

We recommend preconception care to start 3-6 months prior to conceiving. We do a full fertility focused intake for both partners to identify any factors that could potentially affect your fertility.

General and specialized testing for hormones and nutrients to establish a baseline is performed and to catch any undiagnosed issues. Treatment is catered around prevention and management of any disorders to optimize the health of both partners and to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

In good health,

Dr. Kirti Deol

References:

Ward N, Eaton K. Preconceptional care and pregnancy outcome. J Nutr Env Med. 1995;5(2):205-207.