How should we prepare for pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most important periods in a woman’s life. Women should be ready psychologically and physically. The most important is their health, i.e. extent of the organism’s readiness for conception, pregnancy and delivery.

What should we know planning pregnancy?

Even if you consider that you are healthy, you should still undergo therapeutic examination (complete blood count, clinical urine analysis, control of arterial pressure etc.)

The future parents should undergo sexually transmitted infections tests (mycoplasmosis, clamidiosis, ureaplasmosis, herpesvirus, cytomegalovirus, syphilis, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis). For examination purposes, you should prefer PCR diagnostics. In case of detection of infection,  spouses should undergo the full course of treatment and only after its completion plan pregnancy.

The future parents should give up the harmful habits: males need 3 months for maturing of healthy spermatozoids. This period they should give up smoking, drinking alcohol, use of joint baths and sauna, limit physical loading.

If you have chronicle diseases (hypertension, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, insular diabetes, varicosity), visit your physician and receive the recommendations to ensure your safe pregnancy and delivery free of any complications.

The Dentist’s consultation is also important: it is better to solve all  the stomatological problems before pregnancy.

It is desirable to examine uterine tubes patency for prevention of extrauterine pregnancy.

Also the laboratorial tests for rubella  antibodies are required. A woman who has no the antibodies, should undergo preventive vaccination against rubella to protect herself and her future child from the complications causing by this virus during the period of pregnancy. If a woman remembers that she has had rubella, the laboratorial test is not necessary.

A woman should also undergo the laboratorial test for toxoplasmosis antibodies. The causative agent of this disease is cat’s parasite causing severe damages of fetus in the period of pregnancy. A woman should not touch cats or dogs, when she is pregnant. If she has a pet, any other family member  should take care of it. Thoroughly wash your hands before meal.

If a woman takes hormonal contraceptives, 3 months before occurrence of the planned pregnancy, cease their taking; non-hormonal contraceptives, such as spiral, may be removed 6 months before. Preservatives or spermicides may be used as contraceptives.

2-3 months before occurring of pregnancy a woman may start taking of folic acid and continue up to 13 weeks of pregnancy.

Finally, it is important for the parents to start psychological preparation. It is desirable to spend more time in kids’ shops, walk on the open air etc. to energize with the positive emotions.

Planning pregnancy and aiming to avoid undesirable pregnancy or not to face any serious problems in the period of pregnancy,  a woman should before planning pregnancy undergo all the required examinations, such as gynecological echoscopy, ultrasonography of mammary and thyroid glands.

The last period the thyroid gland problems became more frequent. They effect occurrence and course of pregnancy. If resulted these examinations a problem is detected, the appropriate specialist’s supervision becomes required. Also a woman should undergo PAP test, cytological analysis of smear from uterine neck (uterine neck cells are examined under microscope).

Woman’s reproductive function is determined with the fertile ovum , which grows in the follicles of ovaries. Coming of the mature ovum from the follicle – ovulation – occurs after each 21-35 days. The ovum passes to fallopian tube, where fertilization occurs. The fertilized ovum moves from the fallopian tube to the uterine cavity, fastens to the mucous tunic of uterus and development of fetus starts, i.e. pregnancy occurs.

Abortion is not  a safe or the best way to avoid undesirable pregnancy. Termination of pregnancy has negative impact of a woman’s organism. Repeated abortions are especially dangerous. Abortion may be avoided by taking of the modern contraceptives. But if abortion unavoidable, a woman should timely visit the physician to avoid possible complications.

I wish you happy pregnancy!