What to do to be healthy before getting pregnant?

After sharing in part 1 about exercise regimes and habits to avoid good health during pregnancy, aFamilyToday Health continues to share with you the tests, vaccines and supplements that you should use. This will help you to be in the best shape for a woman's sacred duty.

What tests do a mother need to do before trying to get pregnant?

In order to prepare for a perfect pregnancy, mothers need to perform a number of prenatal tests under the prescription of a doctor, including:

Screening for sexually transmitted diseases

If you have ever had unprotected sex (including oral sex), you are more likely to get sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) even if you don't have any symptoms. Come on. You should be checked for the following diseases:

Hepatitis B disease;

Chlamydia;

Syphilis;

HIV.

Treating sexually transmitted diseases before conception will help your conception rate be successful significantly.

Test of the cervix

You should have a cervical exam before you want to have a baby. If a cervical test is performed during pregnancy, the cervix does not contract frequently during pregnancy, making it difficult for a doctor to analyze the results.

Blood tests

If you have seen a doctor before you become pregnant and your doctor or nurse says you have anemia, you need to take an extra iron supplement during pregnancy.

Depending on your family background and your medical history, you will also need to be tested for genetic diseases such as sickle cell disease or thalassemia. These tests tell you how to avoid getting these genetic diseases.

If you do not know if you are immune to rubella or not, you should have a blood test to see the condition more clearly.

What vaccines do mothers need to inject before getting pregnant?

Many infections can cause birth defects or miscarriages, so make sure you are fully vaccinated.

You should have a blood test to find out if you have been immunized against diseases like rubella . If you must be vaccinated with a live virus vaccine like rubella, you should wait a month after the vaccination before you can conceive. This is a preventative measure because your body takes time to release antibodies. Tell your doctor if you have any concerns.

If you are at high risk for hepatitis B, you should choose to get the vaccine. When you have a blood test and find out if you already have antibodies, you may not need to be vaccinated.

Should mothers take supplements to increase fertility?

As soon as you decide to have a baby, take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily. Taking folic acid has the potential to reduce your child's nerve defects like spina bifida.

It is very important to get enough folic acid during the first few weeks of pregnancy. This is the stage when the fetal brain and nervous system are developing. You may not have realized that you are pregnant in the early weeks of pregnancy, so it's best to start taking folic acid as soon as you want to have a baby.

You can buy folic acid supplements at pharmacies. If you choose a multivitamin, see if the ingredient contains folic acid or not, and it should not contain vitamin A because too much vitamin A can harm your unborn baby.

Some people need more folic acid than others. You should consult your doctor for a prescription for every 5 mg (5000 mcg) supplement if:

Your family has a history of neural tube defect;

Have you ever had a baby with a nerve defect;

Have diabetes;

Have Celiac disease;

Take epilepsy medicine;

Have a BMI above 30.

During pregnancy, you need to get an extra 10 mcg of vitamin D daily.

While thinking about how you can get ready for this exciting journey, you should also look for ways to lead a healthier lifestyle. Remember, if you had a healthy body before pregnancy, your little angel will be happy to be born.