Improving your chances by preparing for pregnancy (continued)
Check with your doctor regarding both prescription and over-the-counter medications. For example, some medications used to treat epilepsy or seizure disorder may be changed or decreased to avoid pregnancy complications. Also your doctor may recommend that you avoid more common medications such as aspirin and ibuprofen during this time period and once pregnant.
Optimize Medical Conditions
It is important that your doctor know that you are planning to become pregnant. In the case of diabetes, adequate glucose control before conception and through pregnancy can decrease chances of miscarriage, congenital anomalies, stillbirth, birth trauma to the baby, as well as health risks to you. Similarly, hypertension (high blood pressure) should be optimized, and your medications may need to be altered for safety reasons. Of course all medical conditions (asthma, epilepsy, etc.) should be reviewed with your doctor before you attempt pregnancy.
Immunizations
A blood test will reveal whether you have been immunized for diseases such as Rubella (German measles), Hepatitis, Varicella (chicken pox). Rubella can put babies at risk for blindness, deafness, and mental retardation. That is why it is so important to know if you need the vaccination, and if so, get immunized up to one month before you get pregnant.
Genetic Counseling
Several groups of patients would benefit from preconception genetic counseling:
Advanced maternal age (age >/= 35 at time of delivery) puts women at increased risk of chromosomal anomalies such as Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome).
Ethnic background. For example, individuals of African descent are at increased risk for sickle-cell anemia, Jewish persons of eastern European descent are at increased risk for a condition called Tay-Sachs disease, and non-Jewish Caucasians may want to be tested for cystic fibrosis. You and possibly your partner can be tested to see if you are carriers of such disorders, which would allow more accurate counseling on chances of the disease in your offspring/ future children.
Personal or family history of inherited conditions (eg. Muscular dystrophy)
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