Managing Your Pregnancy

Plan your Pregnancy

Contrary to belief, prenatal care does not begin the moment the diagnosis of pregnancy is established, rather it begins months prior to conception, during a period of preparation for the pregnancy. This type of care is often also known as pre-conception care.

This period is of vital importance, because it allows the body to prepare itself for pregnancy nutritionally and immunologically (with antibodies and cells which defend against infection), in a way that is necessary to ensure good formation and development of the baby.

Therefore, when one has the chance to plan the pregnancy ahead of time, it is a good idea to know the steps you can take and the changes you can make to your lifestyle that can help avoid complications. Some of these measures, for example certain vaccinations, may not be administered once the diagnosis of pregnancy is established, while other measures, such as weight loss or control of blood pressure, will require time to be put into effect.

As part of pre-conception care it is worthwhile to:

Monitor medical conditions, for example in cases of women with diabetes, hypertension, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis it is very important to discuss the risks and benefits of each treatment during pregnancy.
Do blood tests for the detection of: German measles is an illness which, if contracted during pregnancy, can be associated with fetal malformation. Therefore, it is recommended to find out if the patient has had German measles prior to the pregnancy. In those cases in which the results are negative, that is, the patient has not had this infection, it is essential to offer the vaccine in the months prior to conception. Although the vaccine has not been shown to produce negative effects when it is given to women who did not know that they were pregnant, in theory there are certain risks, and for this reason the vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy.
Test for the detection of sexually transmitted diseases when risk factors exist.
Test for the detection of HIV and Hepatitis when risk factors exist.
Stop the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, as all of these substances have been associated with risks to the baby.
Complete immunization panels, specifically vaccinations for tetanus, chicken pox (in the case of patients who have not had this infection or have a negative result in a test for its detection) and hepatitis B (in high risk patients).

During pregnancy, prenatal care is directed toward:

The evaluation and monitoring of the general state of health of the mother and baby.
An early and accurate estimate of the gestational age of the baby and the probable delivery date.
The identification and treatment in a timely manner of women who are at risk for having complications, for example, women with diabetes, thyroid problems, or hypertension, among others.

To meet these objectives, during prenatal consultations it is recommended that you carry out the following series of exams:

Hematic Biometry: Detects women with different levels of anemia so they may receive timely treatment.
Blood type and Rh factor: this permits the identification of patients that may have problems of blood incompatibility with the baby, especially if there is an existing prior history.
Tests for antibodies.
Pap smear: to identify those patients with pre-cancerous lesions in the cervix (also known as the neck of the uterus) and to detect gonorrhea and chlamydia (sexually transmitted diseases).
Routine urine analysis: permits the identification of patients with recurrent urinary tract infections that may predispose to premature birth and other complications. This also detects protein in the urine, which may be an indicator of high blood pressure during pregnancy.
Test for the detection of: German measles, Hepatitis and HIV.
Glucose tolerance test: this test must be given to all pregnant women to detect gestational diabetes.
Ultrasound: to establish gestational age and corroborate fetal cardiac activity of the fetus. Ultrasound is repeated approximately every two months during the first months of pregnancy to monitor the normal development of the fetus.

Finally, it is important to note that work and exercise are not contradicting during pregnancy.