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Preconception Visits
Working with Your Doctor for a Healthy Conception
By Nancy Vondrak
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Birth defects
- Cystic fibrosis (CF)
- Mental retardation
- Any inherited diseases associated with birth defects, such as sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease or Thalassemia
Complete Personal Medical History
Your doctor will need to know a personal history on both prospective parents in relation to diseases, conditions or infections that can effect fertility. They include the following:
- Sexually-transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, syphilis and genital herpes
- Infections of the reproductive tract including PID (pelvic inflammatory disease)
- Heart disease
- Epilepsy
- German measles
- Mumps
- Chronic health threats including arthritis, colitis, high cholesterol and weight problems
Life Style
Because life style can influence one's ability to conceive, be prepared to answer questions relating to where you live, where you work, your occupation and how your leisure time is spent.
In addition, your physician will probably ask you these questions:
- How much alcohol you each consume on a regular basis
- What your eating habits are, including any vitamins taken
- If either of you smoke, and if so, how much
- If either of you has used recreational drugs, and if so, what and when
- If either of you work with radiation or are exposed to any toxic chemicals
- If you own a cat, because of toxoplasmosis, an infection linked to a parasite found in cats' intestines
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