Having a child today can be planned consciously. Your health plays a very important role, because the mother’s body will be the baby’s environment and protective space for nine months.
Your lifestyle, diet, and mental and physical health affect the healthy and undisturbed development of the baby. So take the planned pregnancy as an opportunity to consciously pay attention to your body, your thoughts and feelings.
With the doctor
Talk to your gynecologist about your desire to have a child. Many indications of risks during pregnancy or a possibly existing Infertility can often be detected and treated in advance. You should ask, for example, in case of irregularities in the menstrual cycle or severe menstrual pain.
Palpation examinations can be used to detect fibroids, for example. These benign uterine tumors can – should this be necessary – be removed with a minor surgical procedure.
Also recommended is a Cancer screening. If the smear is abnormal, you will probably be advised to postpone having children until the cells at the cervix are normal again.
Of great importance are also previous vaccinations and childhood diseases.
A Protection against rubella is especially important, because a rubella infection during pregnancy can have serious health consequences for the baby.
According to maternity guidelines, every pregnant woman is tested for rubella antibodies. If there is proof of two rubella vaccinations, there is no need for a titre check, as immunity can be assumed. Since it is too late for a preventive vaccination if you are already pregnant, young women and mothers with uncertain vaccination status who are planning a pregnancy should have their rubella titer determined before becoming pregnant. If the titer is below the value that provides reliable protection (15 IU/ml in the ELISA test), it is possible to obtain effective protection through preventive vaccination. Even after the birth of a child, the mother can get vaccinated against rubella immediately.
It is also important Check for sufficient vaccination protection against tetanus (tetanus) and diphtheria.
A vaccination to protect against influenza is also recommended, because a real flu with high fever can possibly cause a miscarriage and because the baby is also protected against illness in this way.
Through a Blood test can also be used to determine whether you have sufficient antibodies against other infectious diseases that could harm the unborn child, such as toxoplasmosis, hepatitis B, cytomegalovirus, genital herpes, and AIDS.
At acute or chronic health problems such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, thyroid dysfunction, epilepsy, bronchial asthma, or heart, kidney, and liver disease should be reported to the gynecologist before pregnancy. Drug treatment may then have to be changed somewhat – in consultation with a specialist in internal medicine or the family doctor – out of consideration for the unborn child. This does not mean that there must be disadvantages for you as a result.
Use a drug that Retinoic acid (also isotretionin) and is used, for example, for severe acne? You should definitely discontinue this if you wish to have a child, as the high doses of vitamin A (retinoic acid/isotretionin is a form of vitamin A) are harmful to the unborn child. Talk to your doctor about what alternatives are available to you.
A human genetic consultation regarding dangerous drugs can generally be useful. It is best to refrain from taking medicines that are not prescribed by a doctor, or to discuss taking them during a consultation in the doctor’s office.
Dangerous habits!
Stop smoking as soon as possible smoking, if you wish to have a child. It has been proven that smoking impairs fertility. By the way, even if your partner smokes, because Passive smoking harms health and fertility (fertility) to an extent that has so far been widely underestimated. Normal fertility is not restored until a year after the last cigarette is used.
Men, Smokers not only produce fewer sperm than non-smokers, but also fewer motile sperm. smokers become pregnant less often and not as quickly and reach menopause earlier.
Even more important is the abstinence from cigarettes during pregnancy, because smoking harms the unborn child: It thrives worse, its growth is delayed. Smoking also increases the risk of premature birth.
With every cigarette the baby gasps for air
In many intensive care units for poorly developed babies and underweight "premature infants Doctors and nurses go to great lengths to ensure that the baby is born healthy Children with nicotine damage. the more cigarettes the mother smoked during pregnancy, the greater the deficiency development. Smoking impairs blood flow to the uterus and thus also the supply of blood to the unborn child. Just one cigarette increases the baby’s heart rate by 10 to 15 beats per minute. This is an attempt to compensate for the lack of oxygen. At the same time, his blood pressure rises. Poorer blood supply to the placenta (placenta) in the long run leads to a Disturbance of the development. The unborn child grows more slowly and does not thrive as well.
Babies of smokers weigh on average up to 200 grams less at birth than children of non-smokers.
The Consequences of deficiency development in the womb But this is not only reflected in the baby’s birth weight. There are other dangers looming as well:
- smokers have more frequent bleedings during pregnancy. This can lead to miscarriages come. Risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked.
- Cleft lip and palate are more than twice as common in babies born to smokers.
- Children born to female smokers are more likely to Goiter to the world.
- In Germany, 500 to 600 deaths occur annually due to smoking Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at. Up to half of all SIDS cases are attributed to secondhand smoke.
Smoking during pregnancy and after delivery significantly increases the risk. If the mother-to-be consumes more than ten cigarettes a day, the risk of SIDS increases sevenfold. Overall, the risk of SIDS is two to four times higher with parental tobacco use than in smoke-free households.
Also Alcohol harms the unborn child. High-proof alcoholic beverages in particular can harm your baby even in small quantities.
Alcohol is the most common substance known to cause abnormalities in pregnancy. Twenty years ago, it was first suspected that alcoholism during pregnancy could lead to a specific combination of malformations known as "fetal alcohol syndrome", can lead. Affected children are impaired both physically and mentally-intellectually and in their social maturation. Both the ethanol contained in alcoholic beverages and its breakdown product acetaldehyde reach the unborn child via the placenta and cause damage to the child’s cells and organs.
Since it is not possible to set a limit below which alcohol is certainly not harmful, you should avoid it during pregnancy. Alcohol consumption should also be limited if you are planning to become pregnant, as alcohol can have negative effects even in early pregnancy – at a time when many women do not yet realize they are pregnant.
Keep yourself physically fit
Sporty women get pregnant more easily, have a pregnancy without complications and an easier birth. Exercise creates a sense of well-being, and this has a positive effect on hormone balance. But do not overdo it! Suppressed ovulation and reduced fertility can be the consequences of competitive sports with continuous physical stress.
Men who exercise excessively must also expect reduced fertility.
If your muscles and circulatory system are used to exertion, the abdomen will be much easier to carry during pregnancy and you will have fewer typical pregnancy symptoms.
Therefore, prepare yourself: Exercise in the fresh air, swimming, cycling, walking and gymnastics will train your muscles and blood vessels. The cycle becomes more stable and you tank up strength for nine exciting months.
If you are active in sports, you should maintain one of the above mentioned sports even during pregnancy. Risky sports like z. B. Diving or paragliding should be reduced now, however, out of consideration for a possible pregnancy.
To the dentist?
If you have an Dental appointment If you have been putting off having your teeth checked for a long time, it would be a good idea to have any necessary treatments carried out or simply have your teeth checked during the planning phase of your pregnancy.
Elaborate interventions should still before pregnancy take place. X-ray examinations (with lead apron) and anesthetic injections are not forbidden during pregnancy, but should only be performed in emergencies.
The presumed connection between Amalgam fillings (mercury exposure) and infertility has now been disproved in several scientific studies. Therefore, there is no reason to have amalgam dental fillings replaced before a planned pregnancy. A harmful effect on the unborn child could also not be proven.
Avoid environmental toxins
If you have regular Handling substances that are harmful to your health, If you are exposed to substances such as solvents, pesticides, toxic gases, vapors or radiation, it can endanger your health, your fertility and, if you are pregnant, the health of your baby.
Talk to your employer to see if you can switch to a less hazardous occupation now. Once you are pregnant, activities involving such substances are no longer permitted under the Maternity Protection Act anyway.
Make sure you eat a healthy, balanced diet
A deficiency of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) can be the reason for reduced fertility. Therefore, eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and meat and dairy products. You can get more info about healthy nutrition here.
In addition, women who wish to have children are advised to go to the dentist before they become pregnant adequate folate and iodine intake as these nutrients are important in early pregnancy – at a time when the pregnancy is not yet known.