quick clicks

preconception articles

preconception q&a

message boards

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

Six Months to Conception

A Practical 5-Step Plan Toward Pregnancy

By Lisa Marie Metzler

Are you thinking about becoming pregnant? Before you plan that romantic evening, you may want to put your plans on hold. Six months could be all you need to ensure that you (and your partner) can be in optimal health.

According to Dr. F. Sessions Cole, director of the division of newborn medicine at St. Louis Children's Hospital and instructor of neurology and pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., the most important time in a pregnancy is the first four to eight weeks when most of your baby's vital organs are forming. "To wait to stop smoking or drinking, taking prescription medications or adding nutrients to your diet until you find out you're pregnant means you're weeks or months late," he says.

Six months might be just what you need to get your body prepared for a healthy conception. In fact, by the time you're ready to conceive, you'll wonder why you waited so long to feel this good!

"It's always good to have a thorough physical and check with your doctor prior to becoming pregnant," says Megan Steelman, B.A., A.C.C.E., author of Thinking Pregnant: Conceiving Your New Life With a Baby (New Harbinger, 2001). A full checkup will either result in a clean bill of health or reveal some things you will want to work on before conception.

Taneshia Laird, a hopeful mom-to-be living in Princeton, NJ, made an appointment for a full checkup before conception. "It was revealed that I had hypothyroidism, which can affect fertility, so now I'm on Unithroid," she says.

At this time you should also discuss any prescription medications you are taking. "Most doctors will recommend that a woman stop smoking, drinking, taking drugs and birth control pills for at least three months prior to conception," says Steelman. Medications for emotional disorders, blood thinners or drugs taken for heart disorders may need to be stopped or changed. "Many prescription medicines are necessary and won't necessarily interfere with conception," Steelman adds. Do not stop taking any prescriptions without talking to your doctor first.

Other important medical factors that you should consider now can be revealed by simple blood tests. For instance, you can confirm your immunity to rubella and chicken pox, so you won't have to worry if you're exposed during your pregnancy. You should also be tested for HIV at this time so you can prevent your baby from contracting the disease after delivery. If you don't know the father's blood type or your own, now is the time to find out. RH disease, the result of being incompatible, can be easily treated during the pregnancy.

Want to see more?

• Upping the Odds: Doing Your Best to Conceive
• Eight Ways to Help Improve Male Fertility
• Six Ways to Help Improve Female Fertility
• Talk about it!