Pregnancy Guide: getting pregnant | during pregnancy | labour & the birth
Your New Baby: 1st month | first 6 months | 6 months - 1 year | 1 year+
Forums | Competitions | Baby Names | Pregnancy Calendar

Expecting

Sleeping

Feeding

Travelling

Washing

Changing

Clothing

Playing

Safety

Medical

Nursery

Finance

Reviews
Follow your baby's development through pregnancy and beyond.
Find out more!
-

Watch your baby's development from conception right through to birth - now you can actually see how much your baby is growing each day!
-

Win 1 of 2 Luxury Baby Swim Kits!more competitions
-

No question is too big or small - find advice, support and friendship in our Talk forums.
-

The good, the bad and the ugly - find out what we think of the latest baby products on the market.
-

What is the best alternative to Easter eggs

What would you like your children to receive instead of chocolate eggs this Easter?

Money for your child's savings
Toys or books
Easter crafts or activities
Clothes or shoes
Family day out
  survey results
-

Pre conception health check up

Advice on the benefits of visiting your GP for a pre conception health check with information on family planning, fertility and pregnancy.


Discuss pre conception health check up on our forums, right now! Or, post a comment below.

If you are planning on starting to try for a family, it is a good idea to visit your GP for a pre conception check up. During the check up your GP is likely to discuss both your own and your partners lifestyle habits and general state of health as well as any potential 'risk' factors that may affect your chances of conceiving and carrying a healthy pregnancy.

Factors your GP may look at include;
  • Contraception - If you are currently using a hormonal form of contraception such as the pill, your doctor will provide you with information about switching to a non-hormonal method until your natural menstrual cycle is re-established.


  • Smoking - Smoking serious affects your chance of conceiving and carrying a healthy pregnancy to term. It also increases the likelihood of premature birth and low birth weight so it is important that you and your partner stop smoking before trying to conceive. Your doctor will be able to provide you with all of the advice and support you need to help you quit.


  • Weight - If you or your partner are significantly under or over weight your chances of conceiving may be adversely affected and risk of pregnancy and birth complications increased. Your doctor will be able to recommend a healthy pre pregnancy weight and provide you with suitable diet information to help you achieve this.


  • Diet -Your diet will have a big impact on your chances of conceiving a healthy pregnancy. Your doctor will provide you with information on the foods that you should be eating and the supplements you should take to encourage the healthy development of a fetus (i.e folic acid).


  • Exercise - Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. While exercising to excess may reduce fertility, participating in moderate exercise is likely to boost your physical health, energy levels and chance of conceiving. Current NHS recommendations suggest that you should try to walk for at least 30 minutes 5 times a week and participate in aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes 3 times a week. Brisk walking, swimming, jogging or yoga are good options and can be continued throughout pregnancy. Your doctor will be able to advise you on your current exercise habits and on starting and building an exercise regime.


  • Alcohol - Whilst trying to conceive both you and your partner should reduce the amount of alcohol that you consume as it can reduce fertility and also pose a developmental risk to a fetus once conception has occurred. You GP will provide you with information on the effects of alcohol on fertility and pregnancy and make a recommendation as to how much and how often it is safe for you to drink.


  • Medication - Your doctor will want to discuss any medication you or your partner are currently taking, whether prescription or otherwise (this includes vitamins and herbal diet supplements) to check whether they are compatible with conception and pregnancy.


  • Vaccinations - Your doctor will make sure that you are up to date with your vaccinations as many cannot be given during pregnancy. It is particularly important that you have been immunised against Rubella as if contracted during pregnancy the effects on the fetus can be potentially fatal.


  • Medical History - During your pre conception check up your doctor will discuss your own and your partners medical history including any hereditary or genetic diseases known to be in your family and any other factors that may affect the conception and development of a healthy pregnancy.


  • Physical - Your doctor may also carry out a physical examination of you and your partner to check your immediate health. This may include screening for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and a cervical smear.


  • Fertility - Your doctor will also be able to provide you with information and advice on monitoring and maximising your fertility.
Research has suggested that attending a pre conception check up with your GP can help increase your chance of conceiving a health pregnancy with fewer complications. This is thought to be because any potential problems that may affect you or your partners fertility can be identified early on so that treatment or lifestyle alterations can be made. This helps to ensure that you and your partner are in the best of health when you start trying to conceive and so gives your baby the best possible start in life.

Your Comments

We would love to hear your comments or views on this subject. If you would like to ask a question or start a discussion, please post a topic in our forums.
Login to add your comment:
Email: Password:

Not yet a member? Join thousands of other parents and parents-to-be and Sign Up Here.
Forgot your Password?
Hi, i'm pretty new to this forum stuff so any help on this would be great. I was diagnosed with endo 2 years ago and my boyfriend and I would like to start trying for a baby. I came off the pill in October and only had 1 period since. As this would be my first baby i'm not sure what i should be doing to help increase my chances of getting pregnant. I'm thinking of making an appointment to see my GP although that usually takes ages and then they aren't much help! So any advice from here would be much appreciated :-) xxx
added by essexbird [Mon 11th Jan 2010 @ 16:17:18]
i have joined this webiste, so it can help with my child devlopment :)
added by hannah95x [Mon 30th Nov 2009 @ 10:53:32]
ive joined this to help me with my child development work
added by kelly95x [Mon 30th Nov 2009 @ 10:53:20]
hi im 17 and my partner and i are planning to have a baby i have had a misscarrige early on this year and i was wondering if i could conceive after what had hapened
added by LittleMissSuzie [Wed 26th Aug 2009 @ 11:13:53]
hi! I am 33 years old.I have a 5 years old daughter.When she was born,everythng was normal.But as she is growing Dr. is saying that she has delayed milestone.Now her problem is that when she walks she locks her knees,and has tendency to falls down stretching her legs,She can't run and jump.But she is intelligent and is going to school,her memory is very sharp.She can draw,colour,does calculations,writing spellings.Her speech is not very much clear.
Now my question is I wanna have a second child,but can't proceed,I am getting feared that whether my second child will face the same problem.Please guide me.
added by nunku [Thu 6th Aug 2009 @ 10:06:02]
Hi. I'm 28 years old. Me and my husband want to have our baby. But before that, we want to know what kind of vaccines we should have before the pregnancy.
added by saraaaa [Thu 16th Apr 2009 @ 09:19:19]
I am 36 years old. My husband is 40. I have a 10 year old daughter from my previous marriage. My husband and I became pregnant in 2003 and jointly decided to terminate the pregnancy for personal reasons. I am currently taking 150 mg per day of seroquel, a pill that helps me with PTSD. My husband is not taking any medication at this time. We both have had a recent health check and we have overall good health. We a re currently triing for our second pregnancy and want any advise on successful conception.
added by Dru [Thu 25th Sep 2008 @ 08:53:55]
i have joined this website in order to help with my child development coursework and have found it very helpful
thx
cassie
added by kittycass [Wed 26th Sep 2007 @ 08:51:04]
© 2004-2010 AskBaby.com All rights Reserved - About | Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact Us | Feedback | Resources | Add Your Site | Advertise