Planning for New Life

 

Planning
Pregnancy is a major event in a family's life. By planning for it, you can make informed choices that will benefit the health of you and your baby. Good health before pregnancy can better help you through the stress of pregnancy, labor and delivery. The early weeks of pregnancy are some of the most crucial ones for the baby growing inside of you! Healthy habits can help promote your baby's health, such as eating properly, getting enough rest, and quitting unhealthy habits such as cigarette smoking and drug and alcohol consumption.

Fertilization
A woman's fertility depends on her menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle changes are caused by hormones, substances produced by the body to control certain functions. During each cycle, hormones cause the lining of the uterus to build up and an egg to mature in a follicle tiny clusters of cells in the ovaries. When an egg is mature, it is released from the ovary. This process is called ovulation.

Average menstrual cycles last about 28 days, however, cycles of 23-35 days are normal and may vary month to month. You may wish to keep a diary of your cycle, counting from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. This will help track your normal ovulation cycle and it can also help to better determine a due date for the baby if you do become pregnant.

Ovulation occurs about 14 days before the next period. After ovulation, the egg moves down one of the fallopian tubes toward the uterus. If the egg is not fertilized, it is absorbed by the lining of the uterus. Then, on the last day of the cycle, the lining of the uterus is shed as menstrual fluid.

If the egg is fertilized, it becomes attached to the lining of the uterus. The fertilized egg starts to grow as pregnancy begins.

The union of egg and sperm that results in pregnancy is called fertilization. Once an egg is released, it can be fertilized by a sperm.

Sperm cells are made in a man's testes, in the scrotal sac below the penis. When the sperm cells mature, they leave the testes through small tubes called the vas deferens. As sperm move from the testes, they mix with fluid made by the seminal vesicles and prostate gland, small organs located near the bladder. The mixture of sperm and fluids is called semen. When the man ejaculates or climaxes during sex, semen moves through the urethra, a tube in the penis, into the vagina. A woman does not have to climax to become pregnant.

When a man ejaculates into the vagina, sperm move up through the cervix, into the uterus, and out into the fallopian tubes. Sperm live two to three days or longer. If a sperm joins with an egg in one of the tubes, fertilization occurs.

Sperm cells are made throughout a man's life cycle, all the time. Some couples may worry that having sex too often will reduce the number of sperm and make it hard to become pregnant. However, daily intercourse should not be a problem if the man has produced enough sperm. The sperm count is the number of active sperm in a milliliter of semen a normal sperm count is between 20 million and 250 million..

Detecting Ovulation
Approximately 85 percent of women having sex without the use of birth control will get pregnant within one year. Having sex near the time of ovulation increases a woman's chance of getting pregnant. There are several ways to detect ovulation. One way is to figure out when your next period will start and count back 14 days. To use this method, you must know how long your cycle usually lasts.

A woman can also detect ovulation by watching for changes in the amount and makeup of the cervical mucus, a fluid released from the vagina. (It may have the appearance of egg white.) At the start of the menstrual cycle, the cervical mucus is sparse and dense. Around the time of ovulation, the cervical mucus is plentiful and slippery. The fertile period starts with the first signs of slippery mucus and continues through the peak day.

Another detection of ovulation is the basal body temperature method. Most women have a slight rise in their normal body temperature after ovulation. A woman using this method takes her temperature at the same time every morning of her cycle before getting out of bed. She records it on a graph. This method shows a pattern predicting when ovulation occurs in future cycles.

There are also "over-the-counter" kits available without a prescription, using chemicals to show the change in hormone levels that occur before ovulation. The directions must be followed exactly to be accurate.

Infertility
Only about 15 percent of couples face fertility problems when trying to conceive. Couples not able to conceive after trying for one year should consider a fertility evaluation. This usually begins with a medical history and general physical for both the man and woman. Medical history includes past illnesses such as appendicitis or pelvic infections that may have harmed the woman's reproductive organs. The couple will also be asked about their sexual relations to find out whether their infertility may be tied to factors such as timing or frequency of sex. Often a couple may simply need more information on the sexual techniques that are most helpful for becoming pregnant. A fertility evaluation is then followed by more in-depth testing of the couple to determine the exact cause of infertility. Many alternatives are available depending on the cause, including: medications to induce ovulation, artificial insemination with sperm from the partner or donor, surgery to open blocked fallopian tubes or assisted reproduction techniques. These methods are best determined and used under the guidance of your doctor.

Preconceptional Care
If you are planning to become pregnant, we recommend scheduling a preconceptional visit with your OB/GYN physician. The doctor will ask you questions about your family and medical history, and it is important to be open and honest with your answers. That way the doctor can prepare you for any special care you may require during pregnancy. This is also the time for you to ask any questions you might have.

Questions to Consider
Should I make changes in my life style?
Do I, or a family member, have a disorder that could be inherited?
Could any medications I'm taking cause problems during pregnancy?
Do I need to gain or lose weight to prepare for pregnancy?
Can I continue my present exercise program?

Diet
Eating a balanced diet is a basic part of good health before and during a pregnancy. Eating right can help make sure that you and your baby start out with needed nutrients. The foods you eat are the main source of nutrients for your fetus and as the pregnancy progresses, you will need more of these nutrients to keep up with the demands on your body. Following a healthy diet can make an easy transition to pregnancy.

To complement good eating habits, moderate exercise is crucial to staying fit before and during pregnancy. Your activity level during the pregnancy depends on your health at the time and how active you are before becoming pregnant.

Diet and exercise influence your weight, which is important to good health. Weighing too much is a health risk linked to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart strain. These symptoms can lead to low birth-weight babies with problems during labor and after birth.

Medications
Some medications can affect fetal development and should not be taken while you are pregnant. This includes prescriptions such as birth control pills and some over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin and antihistamines.

Women planning a pregnancy should stop using birth control several months in advance. Depending on the method of birth control, it can take a while for periods to resume and become regular. Pregnancy can still occur while on a birth control method and you should contact your doctor if you could be pregnant.

Women who stop using birth control pills can experience irregular periods, making it difficult to detect fertile times and thus taking longer to get pregnant. This can make it harder to tell the baby's due date once you do become pregnant. Birth control pills do not cause birth defects no matter how close to conception you use them.

Other forms of birth control such as implants, injections, or an intrauterine device (IUD), may also cause delays. Implants and IUDs should be removed by your doctor if you are trying to get pregnant.

Past Pregnancies
Preconceptional care also involves reviewing your obstetric history, including previous pregnancies, and if you had any complications. Problems in past pregnancies do not mean these problems will recur or that you shouldn't try to get pregnant again. Most problems do not recur. However, previous problems can be a sign that you may need special attention before and during future pregnancies.

Some women worry that they will have trouble conceiving and having a baby if they have had a miscarriage. Approximately one in five women who become pregnant have a known miscarriage, and many more are thought to occur undetected. Most women have normal pregnancies the next time they conceive, going on to have normal, healthy babies.

Having a previous pregnancy termination (induced abortion) does not make it harder to get pregnant again, nor will it affect the outcome of future pregnancies. However, not much is known about the risk for women who have had more than one abortion. It is possible that more than one pregnancy termination might increase the risk for a low birth-weight or preterm baby.

Family & Medical History
Medical disorders can be directly inherited, called genetic disorders. Looking over family medical history can help couples be aware of their chances for these disorders, and if possible, to decrease these chances.

Some women may also have medical conditions that require special care during pregnancy. It is important to explore these conditions, even those that are under control, as pregnancy can change the state of your body.

Later Childbearing
Although some questions arise, most women in their mid-30s and older have uncomplicated pregnancies and healthy babies. There may be concerns about whether their age will affect their ability to become pregnant, their health, and the health of their baby. Although there is no absolute age that is unsafe for women who want to become pregnant, there are some special concerns to consider.

A woman's fertility gradually decreases as she reaches her mid-30s and beyond. Therefore, it may be more difficult for women at this age to become pregnant. There are also more considerations for medical and obstetric problems to occur as well as the risk of birth defects. It is important to be aware of these risks and discuss pregnancy plans with your doctor so that you are sure to get the proper medical attention that special concerns require.