Contents
In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.
Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.
Planning a pregnancy is a very important issue related to conscious motherhood. It is worth preparing properly for pregnancy. When planning a pregnancy, the expectant mother should start to eat healthy and lead a healthy lifestyle before becoming pregnant, so as to optimally improve her health. Before a planned pregnancy, it is also worth doing some tests.
Why is it worth planning a pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a period of great effort for the woman’s body. Therefore, it is a good idea to plan your pregnancy in advance, and prepare yourself properly before then. Planning a pregnancy it is worth starting 12 months in advance to have time to supplement any vitamin and mineral deficiencies. During this time, it is also good to take care of untreated infections, visit a dentist and stabilize the state of chronic diseases if the expectant mother suffers from them.
The general rule is that the healthier the expectant mother is, the greater the chances of delivering pregnancy and giving birth to a healthy baby. For this reason, it is worth changing your lifestyle, quitting stimulants (first of all, giving up smoking), starting to get enough sleep, eat healthy food and play sports. It is also worth doing tests that will allow you to eliminate diseases and ailments that are dangerous during pregnancy.
What tests should be performed before a planned pregnancy?
When planning a pregnancy, it is worth doing the following tests:
- general blood (morphology) and urine tests
- glucose level testing (this allows you to rule out diabetes or start treatment early if the glucose level is too high),
- blood iron level test,
- thyroid hormone tests,
- general test of hormone levels,
- testing for the presence of toxoplasmosis antibodies,
- HIV testing and cytomegalovirus antibodies.
In addition, ultrasound of the reproductive organs and breasts as well as cytology and biocenosis (vaginal cleanliness test) are recommended.
At Medonet Market, you can buy a package Preparation for pregnancy – blood tests for the mother-to-be. This way you will examine the most important parameters for a possible pregnancy. You can also check your ovulation by doing the Home Ovulation Test – LH Test. It will help you find out when the best time to conceive is. In addition to performing the test, it is a good idea to check your body temperature regularly to determine your ovulation time. To do this, order the Medel Fertyl Ovulation Thermometer.
Planning a pregnancy is also a good time for preventive vaccinations, especially for diseases that are dangerous for the development of the fetus and for termination of pregnancy. Such diseases include rubella, measles and hepatitis B. However, care should be taken not to conceive for at least 3 months after vaccination – this may be detrimental to the fetus.
If the mother-to-be has a chronic disease (for example, diabetes, anemia, hypertension, asthma or kidney disease), pregnancy planning should also include monitoring their condition. A woman should consult her doctor and seek his advice about the planned pregnancy. The physician should inform the patient how the medications she is taking may affect the development of the fetus and work out a possible treatment plan with other medications if the current medications pose a risk. Some medications must be discontinued, at least in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Certain genetic mutations can also contribute to health problems that interfere with the course of pregnancy (e.g. metabolic or circulatory disorders). In order to exclude them, you can now order mail-order genetic tests for pregnant women and those planning a child from the Medonet Market offer.
When planning a pregnancy, it is worth getting a home test kit for women planning a pregnancy. It includes a pregnancy test, an ovulation test and a test for the presence of intimate infections.
How to change your lifestyle and diet when planning a pregnancy?
Lifestyle and diet are very important in planning a pregnancy. If a woman planning pregnancy is overweight or underweight, she should take care to balance her meals to achieve optimal weight before pregnancy. It is especially inadvisable overweight in pregnancybecause it adversely affects both the health of the mother and the baby. Being underweight, in turn, can lead to a low child’s weight and lead to malnutrition.
Losing weight before becoming pregnant is not advisable – it is best to stop any slimming diets at least three months in advance.
Both during pregnancy and when planning it, it is worth giving up stimulants such as coffee and strong tea, eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, drinking freshly squeezed juices and reducing the amount of sweets in the diet. It is also worth betting on easily digestible dietand eat meals more often, but less abundant.
The diet should be planned so that the expectant mother gets all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper functioning of the body and health. If necessary, they can be additionally supplemented. However, remember not to overdo it with supplementation – especially important when planning pregnancy is caution with vitamins A, D, E and K, which are easy to overdose. Adequate levels of folic acid, zinc, iron and calcium are also important.