Why is Pre-Pregnancy Counseling Important?

While many couples do not prefer pre-pregnancy counseling, in certain cases it might be important, particularly if any of the partners has health concerns or the couple had faced some problems during the previous pregnancy or have had a history of miscarriage. Counseling helps to address such concerns beforehand. Though most of the issues that arise during pregnancy may not occur the next time, there might a risk of recurrence. Therefore, having pre-pregnancy counseling from an experienced doctor is important.

Why Should You Go for Pre Pregnancy Counseling?

Here are the reasons why you should go for pre pregnancy care:

• Earlier history of stillbirths or miscarriages


• Repeated attempts to get pregnant but with no results


• If one of the partners have diabetes, low blood pressure, hypertension and other lifestyle health conditions


• If you or your partner was exposed to environmental toxins that can deter conception or prevent fetal development during pregnancy


• If the previous child was born with some birth or genetic defects   


• Seek help from doctors in case both of you have problems related to heart, liver and kidney


• If the expectant mother is having any kind of autoimmune disease or have had a surgery that can affect pregnancy, like heart surgery or renal failure

Medical Tests that should be Done before Getting Pregnant

During pre pregnancy counseling, you doctor might prescribe you a number of medical tests that include routine blood examination, antibody testing for Rubella, Complete Blood Count to diagnose the possibility of anemia in a woman, Thyroid tests, tests for sexually transmitted diseases, vitamin deficiencies, and Pap smear test to check the possibility of cancerous growth in the cervix. Genetic counseling is also an important part of pre-pregnancy care. It would help you to understand the probability of having the baby with a birth defect. It is generally recommended for older mothers or people with a family history of birth defects, genetic problems and mental retardation.

Caring for your health and taking necessary precautions before you conceive is good for you and your baby. The objective is to identify potential risks, if any, to you and your baby during pregnancy and to address any medical condition that you may have before you get pregnant. The doctors can diagnose a lot of things and health issues beforehand, based on your medical reports and lab tests, and help you to take preventive measures to avoid any risk that might arise during the course of pregnancy. If your doctor recommends, you should also delay your pregnancy until you are fine enough to conceive. This is particularly so when you have not been vaccinated against chicken pox or rubella, or undergoing certain medical treatment. Therefore, pre pregnancy care is important to have a healthy pregnancy.