Pre Pregnancy Counselling

Pre-pregnancy counselling aims to provide women with information about the health of themselves and their fetus in pregnancy, facilitating an informed decision by the woman regarding future reproduction. This article will discuss the opportunities that exist to offer and deliver pre-pregnancy counselling and the content of pre-pregnancy counselling that is appropriate for all women, including diet and folic acid supplementation, exercise, smoking, alcohol and screening for infections and genetic diseases. The second half of the article covers pre-pregnancy counselling for women with medical or obstetric complications in a previous pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia or placental abruption, and for women with pre-existing medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, renal and cardiac disease.