 Study Shows Optimal Baby Health Requires Practicing Healthy Habits Prior to Conception
Source: The Independent By Jeremy Laurance Date: 2/16/09
The lives of future generations are being threatened because women trying for a baby are neglecting their health at the crucial moment of conception, doctors
warn today. The environment
in which a fetus is conceived can be critical to the later physical and
mental development of the child, affecting its IQ, risk of obesity and
of a range of diseases throughout life.
Advice
about nutrition and lifestyle is widely followed in pregnancy, but few
women pay attention to the recommendations when they are attempting to
get pregnant.
A
study of more than 12,000 women aged 20 to 34 who were followed for
four years found those who became pregnant were only marginally more
likely to have followed recommendations on smoking, alcohol consumption
and folic acid intake than their non-pregnant peers. More than
three-quarters of the 238 women who became pregnant had planned their
pregnancy to some degree but there was little difference between their
lifestyle and that of the women who had not planned to conceive.
Professor
Hazel Inskip, an epidemiologist at the Medical Research Council Centre
in the University of Southampton and lead author of the study published
in the British Medical Journal, said: "The fetus is particularly
vulnerable in the first few weeks. Early influences affect the risk of
miscarriage, may contribute to the obesity epidemic, have an impact on
IQ and all sorts of subtle long-term effects.
"How
we protect the next generation is very important. Parents want the best
for their children but people get more twitchy once their children are
alive. Society needs to be thinking about this earlier."
The
National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) recommends that women
trying to become pregnant should avoid tobacco and alcohol, take daily
folic acid supplements to prevent birth defects, eat a healthy diet and
take exercise, the scientists said, but few do so. The results showed
that fewer than 3 per cent of the women who became pregnant complied
fully with the guidance on alcohol and folic acid. But when they knew
they were pregnant, they followed the advice more closely.
Professor
Inskip said: "The difficulty is that few women know when they are going
to get pregnant. If your lifestyle is to go out drinking with friends
you might not want to tell them. No one wants to say they are trying
for a baby because it is so difficult if they fail."
Public
health specialists at the University of Southern Denmark said:
"Pregnancy has been called a window of opportunity for health promotion
because it is thought to be the time when women are most willing to
give up unhealthy habits ... Sadly, the window often opens too late."
Making a good start: The guidelines
*
Follow a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg, starchy
foods, and dairy. Avoid processed food and keep to two cups of coffee a
day.
* Cut out alcohol, smoking and drugs, which can affect the chances of conception and harm the fetus.
* Wait three months after coming off the Pill before trying to conceive, to reduce miscarriage risk.
* Take a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid every day for a month before trying to conceive.
* Make sure multivitamin supplements include zinc (30mg per day), selenium (100mg per day), iron and vitamins A, B, C and E.
*
Consider a general health check, especially if there is a family
history of medical conditions such as diabetes, cystic fibrosis or
epilepsy.
* Take regular, moderate exercise.
* Check vaccinations are up to date
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