Preconception & Fertility Testing
What is a preconception checkup, and why is it important?
Deciding to have a baby can be overwhelming. It is stressful yet exhilarating all at the same time! There are steps and measures that you can take to make your journey ahead less nerve-wracking and challenging.
When you decide you’re ready to conceive a baby, this can be a great time to get a preconception checkup. It involves visiting your midwife to get a thorough checkup to determine your health and fertility and to ensure your pregnancy journey will be safe and healthy.
Our team makes sure that you’re physically healthy and that you have emotional support. It has been proven that preconception counseling benefits most pregnancies and makes a positive difference by the end of the journey.
What happens at a preconception checkup?
Your midwife will start your preconception consultation by taking a very detailed and thorough history. They will ask about any existing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid illness, or any other medical conditions.
They might ask if you take any medications and inform you if those medications might cause harm to your baby or if any medicine requires a change of dose. They will also ask about using recreational drugs or cigarette smoking since that has a dominant effect on pregnancy and fertility.
Along with questions about your health, they require a physical assessment and a pap smear test if necessary (usually if no pap smear has been done in the past three years).
They may suggest some blood tests to ensure you are fit to start the journey.
Nutritional assessment is vital to the growth of the baby, an assessment of your dietary habits that counsels you about the need for prenatal vitamins. They will also discuss factors that influence fertility and debunk misconceptions.
You will be advised of ways to further strengthen your body and mind by making sure you are paying attention to fitness.
What health conditions can affect your pregnancy?
While it isn’t always the case, certain illnesses can cause a drastic result on your pregnancy. Some of these include:
- diabetes
- hypertension
- thyroid abnormalities
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
If you have any questions about starting your pregnancy journey, our midwives at Willow Midwife Center will help you prepare physically and emotionally to create optimal conditions for achieving a happy, healthy pregnancy.