Preconception Health Care

Amid increased concern about the causal relationship between modern lifestyle and environment factors on declining fertility, birth complications and infant and baby health, Tonic Australia stresses the importance of optimal health and well being of both parents prior to conception. In the same way that athletes go into training for peak sporting performance, it is essential that couples planning a pregnancy optimize their health and wellbeing for the best possible fertility outcome. The practice of preconception health care has been used for thousands of years, and is experiencing a resurgence in the face of modern fertility issues.

The ancient Spartans knew of preconception health benefits more than 2,500 years ago with young women engaging in wrestling, running and throwing the quoit in order for pregnancies to be healthy and strong. Later the ancient Romans recognized environmental effects on fertility when they noticed the reduced conception rate following their installation of lead water pipes. The physicians of ancient Greece recommended that young women take no alcohol in preparation for conception and during pregnancy and many traditional societies today also feed special diets to their young women and men of childbearing age.

Preconception health care is a way for both prospective parents to improve their fertility through:

• Healthy lifestyle
• Good nutrition
• Natural treatments and therapies
• Diagnostic care
• Counselling, relaxation techniques, and hypnoimagery
• Charting and timing techniques

Preconception health care lays the foundations for the best conception chances and grooms the body, mind and spirit for a healthy, vital pregnancy and birth. The chances of having a healthy conception, pregnancy, birth and baby are highest if both prospective parents take part in the program, lifestyle and dietary protocols are followed and general and reproductive health issues for both parents are resolved to a sufficient degree during this time.