What Should People Planning Pregnancy Do First?
Couples planning a pregnancy should first think about whether it is the right time. In other words, when they believe that they can financially and spiritually face the responsibilities that the planned pregnancy will bring and the health problems it may cause, it is the right time. Therefore, couples should first know that they are healthy. Therefore, they should go to a gynecologist for an initial examination.
What kind of tests are performed during this examination?
This examination is a general examination. The procedure performed for the woman is first a complete physical examination and gynecological examination. Information is obtained regarding previous illnesses, and if any, ongoing illnesses are evaluated. The doses of regularly used medications or their effects on pregnancy are examined. If the couple planning pregnancy cannot conceive despite unprotected intercourse for more than a year, the necessary tests (hormone analysis, hysterosalpingography , sperm analysis, etc.) are requested for infertility. A smear test is definitely taken from the woman. Screening tests for certain infectious diseases that may cause miscarriage or disability are requested when pregnancy occurs. After the couple's blood group and the woman's blood count test and thyroid function tests, folic acid is prescribed and the first visit is concluded.
Do Couples Planning Pregnancy Need to Make Any Changes in Their Lifestyle?
I think it is necessary to review the lifestyle rather than make changes. In other words, they should evaluate the stress they are exposed to in their living spaces, including their home and work environment, and the problems brought by daily life. When the arrangements that can be made in the face of these situations are made before pregnancy occurs, a more peaceful pregnancy free from environmental stress will be experienced. In this way, it will be easier to understand that pregnancy is not a disease but a physiological change that occurs in the woman's body. The process that ends with a happy ending will not only remain in the couple's mind as the addition of a new member to the family, but as a period full of beautiful memories. Reasonable arrangements made before pregnancy will make both the pregnant woman and the father-to-be who will share this process with her happy for the next 9 months.
When Should a Female Smoker Quit?
If a woman who smokes is planning a pregnancy, she should quit smoking immediately. She should not even be in places where people smoke . If her husband also smokes, I think he should quit too. I recommend this to couples for two reasons; both to save the pregnant wife from passive smoking due to cigarette smoke and to prevent the baby from being exposed to cigarette smoke in the womb and afterwards, we expect sensitivity from fathers-to-be.
Alcohol or narcotic drug use must be stopped under the supervision of a physician and before pregnancy. Some specific drugs (such as those used in acne treatment) should be stopped for a certain period of time before the beginning of pregnancy because their effects last longer and their elimination from the body is slow.
What Should Women Planning Pregnancy Pay Attention to in Nutrition?
They need to learn to eat healthy and regularly. We can summarize this briefly as follows; it will be enough to get enough from all food groups. In other words, proteins, sugars and fats, vitamins and minerals should be on the pregnancy candidate's list in the right proportion. Learning this with examples from the correct nutrition information guide that she can get from her doctor and applying it will make her job easier.
Is It Necessary to Use Folic Acid Before Pregnancy?
In the early stages of pregnancy, folic acid deficiency can cause diseases related to the baby's spine and central nervous system called Neural Tube Defects (NTD). Some of these are serious disabilities that are incompatible with life. For this reason, the American Center for Disease Control recommended in a report published in 1991 that women who give birth to babies with NTDs should take 4 milligrams of folic acid for three months starting at least one month before the planned pregnancy. Women who have not had a previous history of NTD births or who are planning their first pregnancy should take at least 0.4 milligrams of folic acid daily. Folic acid can easily be obtained at this level from foods. Folic acid is found mostly in liver, legumes and green vegetables. However, most doctors do not leave their job to chance and prescribe these medications before pregnancy.
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