Pre-Conception Counseling
1. Are you planning your menstrual cycle around a particular event, such as your wedding?
2. Have you started taking folic acid?
3. Have you had a Pap smear?
4. Are you using a contraception method?
5. Have you checked if you are immune to Rubella and Toxoplasma?
6. Have you checked your blood group to know if you are rhesus positive or negative?
The questions above are just some of the things that need to be considered before preparing for your pregnancy. Planning for your pregnancy is important. Preconception care and counseling are important because they may identify women who can benefit from early intervention and may help reduce birth defects. Optimizing maternal health and nutritional status prior to pregnancy and early in gestation is important because organogenesis (early stages of embryo development) begins just 17 days after fertilization.
During your consultation the following points may be addressed and discussed:
Assessment of your physical reproductive health:
Our physician will conduct a nutritional assessment and discuss your reproductive history with you, asking questions about any previous pregnancies or how long you have been trying to conceive. Any infections, maternal medical diseases or uterine malformations will be diagnosed and treated, lessening the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss.
Infectious disease screening:
Before becoming pregnant it is important to screen your immunity to Rubella. Women who are not immune should receive a vaccination after which they should wait at least one month before attempting to get pregnant. Assessing immunity towards Toxoplasma. Cytomegalovirus (CMV), HPV, HIV and Hepatitis B status, depending on patient profile.
Discuss your family history Based on any hereditary diseases running in your family or your ethnic background, Fakih Fertility Centers can provide you with carrier screening for hereditary diseases (Link to Single Gene Disorder), allowing for counseling before the first potentially affected pregnancy. Early recognition of carrier status informs couples of their risks outside of the emotional context of pregnancy and facilities educated decisions about reproductive goals and a plan for testing during or after pregnancy.
For more information on the genetic screening services offered at Fakih IVF Fertility Center before conception click here (Genetic Screening with IVF).
