PRE CONCEPTION COUNSELLING
Ideally a pregnancy should be “by choice and not by chance” and “by appointment and not by accident”. The couple should start their preparation at least three to six months in advance, thereby ensuring a solid foundation for the varied experiences of parenthood. A couple’s decision for parenthood depends on a variety of factors like late marriage ,financial restrictions ,career development ,change of job or any illness.
With preconceptional counselling the pregnancy can be powered by a proper balanced diet coupled with a healthy life style, which will result not only in a healthy stress free pregnancy but also in an easy delivery with a healthy baby.
Preconception counselling includes risk assessment for potential complications during pregnancy, as well as the changes that you can make to diminish your risk factors, such as increasing folic acid intake, cessation of harmful habits such as smoking and drinking, and management of medications that could compromise your baby’s development. You will also have sessions with us , regarding what comes next.
We recommend that you come in for the preconception counselling session 3-6 months before you begin to try to conceive. This gives you the time to make whatever changes are necessary in your lifestyles, and allows the mother-to-be to prepare her body for a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby. It also prepares both partners for the enormous responsibility- parenthood.
Preconception screening helps to solve and rule out
· Any addiction like alcohol, smoking, gutka, etc which should be stopped.
· Certain medical conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and tuberculosis should be treated properly and well controlled in the preconceptional stage.
· If there is family history of birth defects, genetic counselling is a must. It is very important to rule out a thalassaemia trait (major or minor) in the couple for a baby born with thalassaemia major can have a life debilitating disease requiring frequent blood transfusions.
· Infections like measles, mumps and rubella can cause severe birth defects. It is best to be vaccinated three to six months before you try to conceive.
· Existing or emerging illness or disease which might have gone undetected
· Existing risks to the mother-to-be during pregnancy
· Existing risks to the baby during pregnancy
· During the preconception screening, both partners are tested for: Infectious Diseases
1. HIV
2. HbsAg
3. Hepatitis B& C
4. Rubella IgM, IgG
5. VDRL
6. HCV
· Routine Blood Studies
1. RH Typing
2. Complete Blood Count
3. Hemoglobin to rule out Anaemia
· Pelvic ultrasound scan and vaginal examination
· Semen analysis, which is done after 2 -3 days of abstinence, to gauge the male’s ability to fertilize an egg .
The new era of working, independent evolved women has resulted in late marriages and late pregnancies. These women not only face difficult stressful pregnancies with increasing chances of vomitting and high blood pressure, but also have increased chances of difficult vaginal deliveries and increased chances of caesarean sections. A healthy body with a balanced diet and life style, tuned by proper exercise in the preconceptional stage can make things easier for them.
Preconceptional counselling, which has been overlooked for so long by couples should be seriously considered as it plays an important role in planning out a healthy pregnancy, an easy labour and a healthy baby.
Hormonal assay is done for both men and women, to test all the hormonal levels necessary for normal follicular stimulation, sperm production, implantation of the fertilised egg, to sustain the baby and induce labour. These set of tests are done for woman on the 2nd day of her ovulation cycle.