Discuss how preconception care contributes to a healthy pregnancy and positive pregnancy outcomes.
Preconception care is a set of interventions intended to identify and to modify biomedical, behavioral, and social risks in women of reproductive age. It has a goal of improving pregnancy outcomes and women’s health in general by the prevention of disease and management of risk factors that can have effects on pregnancy outcomes. Health-promoting changes in lifestyle should be given early in pregnancy since the most critical period for organ development usually occurs before many women know that they are pregnant. Women with chronic illnesses such as Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), diabetes, hypertension, and obesity often face challenges in reproductive planning. With preconception care, most of the modifiable factors are identified. Thus, a proper management of health and lifestyle before conception can mitigate the detrimental effect in pregnancy outcomes.
Factors affecting pregnancy outcomes are usually within the environmental domain which involves two determinants as such getting what we need and being exposed to things that are toxic. Susceptibility and exposure levels during gestation are high and affect greatly during gestation. Physiological differences are often marked with the developing child in the utero or the gestational phase. It is a common notion that various chromosomal abnormalities are simply caused by random arbitrary genetic mutations. However, recent studies suggested that environmental factors also apply to some chromosomal abnormalities. Having deficiencies to certain nutrients are being associated with higher rates of chromosomal abnormalities including Down’s syndrome. This leads to the idea that a woman’s nutritional status must be adequate in order for her to support a healthy pregnancy. Folate deficiency elevates risks for open neural tube defects, miscarriage, and even Down’s syndrome. Moreover, later studies also revealed that micronutrient deficiencies can also have detrimental effects. An example of this is gestational iron deficiency which is associated with cognitive and immune impairment in offspring.
Prenatal supplements must also be taken with caution since some are contaminated with toxicants which provide a daily dose of pollutant to the developing child. With this kind of possibility, it is better to rely on healthy foods as a source of most nutrients rather than supplementation.
Prenatal care has a vital role in healthy pregnancy outcomes. Both women of reproductive age as well as maternal health providers should both have access to training in environmental health sciences and toxic exposures since they both contribute to the success of maternal care.