You’ve decided you’re ready for a baby. So, what comes first?
You might start taking prenatal vitamins, download an ovulation app, or simply stop using birth control and see what happens. But there’s another first step worth putting on your list: schedule a preconception counseling visit.
At Nile Women’s Health Care in Alpharetta and Johns Creek, Georgia, preconception counseling gives you a chance to prepare for pregnancy before you’re pregnant. And that timing matters more than you might realize.
Those first few weeks after conception are incredibly important, and you may not even know you’re pregnant yet.
That’s one reason preconception care can make such a difference. Instead of discovering after a positive pregnancy test that a medication needs to change or a health condition needs better control, you have time to address those issues beforehand.
For example, preconception care may include reviewing your medications and supplements for pregnancy safety, checking your immunization status, making sure chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or thyroid disease are well managed, and discussing any previous pregnancy complications.
Think of it less as an extra appointment and more as a head start.
Here’s another reason not to wait. Folic acid plays an important role very early in fetal development.
For people at average risk, experts recommend taking 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, beginning at least one month before conception, to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects. Some people need a different amount based on their medical or pregnancy history, so your provider can recommend what’s appropriate for you.
Your visit also gives you a chance to talk about nutrition, exercise, alcohol and tobacco use, weight, environmental or workplace exposures, and other factors that may affect pregnancy.
This isn’t about achieving some mythical state of perfect health before you’re “allowed” to have a baby. It’s about identifying changes that could give you and your future pregnancy the healthiest possible start.
Preconception counseling becomes valuable when you already know pregnancy may require additional care.
Perhaps you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a thyroid condition. Maybe you’ve experienced pregnancy loss or complications in a previous pregnancy. Your age, family history, medications, or genetic history may also raise questions.
Nile Women’s Health Care offers care for high-risk pregnancy, diabetes in pregnancy, high blood pressure in pregnancy, and thyroid conditions in pregnancy. Identifying these concerns before conception allows your team to anticipate your needs and, when appropriate, coordinate care before pregnancy begins.
And sometimes preconception counseling provides reassurance: A risk you’ve been worrying about may be manageable with the right plan.
Preconception counseling isn’t just about what we need to know. It’s your chance to ask the questions you’ve been wondering about.
Is this medication safe? Should you get genetic screening? Does a previous miscarriage change your risk? How long should you wait after your last pregnancy? Should you change your diet? When should you worry if you don’t conceive?
You don’t have to arrive knowing exactly what to ask. That’s part of the point of the visit.
Our experienced healthcare team at Nile Women’s Health Care recommends scheduling preconception counseling at least three months before you plan to start trying, giving you time for appropriate screenings and any recommended changes.
Pregnancy may begin with a positive test, but preparing for a healthy one can begin much sooner. If growing your family is on the horizon, schedule a preconception visit with Nile Women’s Health Care and start with a plan designed for you.
