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Home › Articles › Preparing for Pregnancy › Preconception Health Check

Preconception Health Check

Preventive Medicine Before You Conceive

By Kelly Burgess

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Dr. Sussman gives as an example of a woman who may discover at her first checkup that she has cervical cancer, which happened in Griffen's case. If she had seen her doctor prior to her pregnancy, there's a strong possibility she could have been treated, had a successful pregnancy and still retained her fertility.

General Lifestyle Issues
Marking a specific period of time as the "pre-pregnancy" time can also help women focus on their lifestyle choices while they're trying to get pregnant. Dr. Sussman says he never tells people to eat certain foods, to exercise or to lose weight. Why? Because these are issues that are grounded more in intuitive good sense rather than in science. However, he does say that if a woman is very specifically focusing on a preconception time, it can help her ensure that the choices she makes during that time are ones that won't harm her potential fetus' health.

"You have to start caring for yourself when you're planning pregnancy and think about living a life that is the kind of life you would lead if you knew you were pregnant, because you could get pregnant at any time," says Dr. Sussman. "That way, when you make decisions about medications, alcohol, prescription medications or X-rays, they aren't just casual decisions."

However, if a woman doesn't live an optimally healthy life, the time before pregnancy is an ideal time to quit smoking, begin eating more healthfully and get in shape for the demands that pregnancy and birth will place on the body.

Lisa Stone, ACE, is the president and founder of Fit For 2, a prenatal fitness program that has been endorsed by Dr. William Sears, prominent pediatrician and author. The first thing she always tells women who sign up for her program is "Congratulations!"


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