BACKGROUND The London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) is a psychometrically validated measure of the degree of intention of a current or recent pregnancy. The LMUP is increasingly being used worldwide, and can be used to evaluate family planning or preconception care programs. However, beyond recommending the use of the full LMUP scale, there is no published guidance on how to use the LMU...

The use of prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements are common among women of reproductive age. For medications, little information about the teratogenic risks or safety is available, as pregnant women are traditionally excluded from clinical trials, and premarketing animal studies do not necessarily predict the effects of treatment in human pregnancy. Even less is ...

Preexisting Diabetes c Starting at puberty, preconception counseling should be incorporated into routine diabetes care for all girls of childbearing potential. A c Family planning should be discussed and effective contraception should be prescribed and used until a woman is prepared and ready to become pregnant. A c Preconception counseling should address the importance of glycemic control as c...

Background Preconception care means interventions required for maternal and fetal health care and detection of pre-pregnancy risk factors. Some risk factors that have a significant effect on the outcome of pregnancy can be detected and controlled before pregnancy. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of pre-pregnancy risk factors, and its relationship with preconception care in I...

In the United States, major advances in perinatal health care have occurred within the last decade. Th is progress, although signifi cant, has not alleviated the poor birth outcomes many families continue to experience.1 Even with the best health care during pregnancy, it is diffi cult to overcome the eff ects of unhealthy behaviors that existed prior to conception. Addressing these behaviors d...

INTRODUCTION Despite the beginnings of preconception care (PCC) delivery around a decade ago in Iran, there are still significant gaps in its service delivery. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of women as well as midwives toward gaps in PCC delivery in the Iranian reproductive health care system. METHODS In this exploratory qualitative study, 27 married...

BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus is a common medical disorder in pregnancy. It contributes particularly to perinatal morbidity/mortality, and maternal morbidity. This review aims at improving maternal and neonatal health care especially in Sub-Saharan Africa by improving the knowledge of health practitioners on current evidences in the classification and management of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy...

We present the data of male participants in the Coordinating Center of the Hungarian Preconception Service (HPS), Budapest, 1984-2010. One of main objectives of the HPS was the incorporation of male partners of female participants into the preparation of childbirth. The HPS is based on three steps: (I) Reproductive health check-up. (II) A 3-month preparation for conception with the major determ...

INTRODUCTION There is increasingly a double burden of under-nutrition and obesity in women of reproductive age. Preconception underweight or overweight, short stature and micronutrient deficiencies all contribute to excess maternal and fetal complications during pregnancy. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence was conducted to ascertain the possible impact of preconcep...

BACKGROUND Worldwide, 199.5 million women have diabetes mellitus (DM). Preconception care (PCC) education starting from adolescence has been recommended as an effective strategy for safeguarding maternal and child health. However, traditional preconception care advice provided by health care professionals (HCPs) within clinic settings is hindered by inadequate resources, suboptimal coverage, an...