What is the purpose of pre-pregnancy examination?
Pre-pregnancy examination and counseling are as important as during pregnancy. One of the purposes here is to reveal the extent to which a known or unknown disease will progress during pregnancy or to what extent this disease will be affected by pregnancy. The ideal is to get under the check of a doctor 3 months before you plan the pregnancy and if possible, to get pregnant consciously and by planning. Because the first weeks when you do not know that you are pregnant are the period when your baby’s development will be most easily affected. You should get information from your doctor about physical factors that may be harmful to the fetus in the early period when the baby’s organ drafts are formed. You should share with your doctor the possible harmful environmental factors that you are exposed to due to your working conditions and if there is a situation that needs to be taken care of, you should be conscious about it before getting pregnant.If you and your spouse have a disease known genetically transmitted in your family, you may need to receive genetic counseling before pregnancy, your doctor will guide you on this issue
What is the importance of the gynecological history in the examination?
Particularly serious gynecological diseases of women who wish to become pregnant and who have stopped being protected for this purpose are important in terms of whether they can get pregnant or not. For example, people who have had an operation related to the uterus, ovaries or tubes before should convey this information to their doctor.
What are the tests and examinations that should be done in people who do not have any known disease?
In pre-pregnancy evaluation, it is investigated whether the expectant mother and father has a disease that may show hereditary characteristics in themselves or their relatives. A general examination of the expectant mother is made and it is investigated whether she has any disease. If any problem is detected (for example, abnormal heart sounds during heart examination), the relevant specialist doctor is consulted and the importance of this problem and how much it may affect the pregnancy are investigated. The uterus and ovaries are evaluated by gynecological examination and ultrasonography. With some basic laboratory tests, liver, kidney functions and the presence of chronic diseases (such as diabetes, hepatitis) are investigated. If there are drugs that are used continuously for any reason, it is evaluated whether they are suitable for use during pregnancy. Cervical smear is taken.
What is the importance of examining previous pregnancies and their results?
Information about previous pregnancies and their results can give important clues about how the planned or actual pregnancy will progress. The problems that have arisen during pregnancy are questioned in detail. Since some problems such as premature birth or high blood pressure have a risk of recurrence in the next pregnancy, these should be known. In addition, the birth weeks of the babies, their weight, the mode of delivery, how many hours it takes, whether there is any difficulty in birth, are evaluated in detail. Your doctor will definitely evaluate you in detail before getting pregnant again, especially if there are events such as recurrent miscarriages, a disabled baby, a mentally handicapped baby or stillbirth.
How do the habits of the expectant father affect his wife and the child to be born?
First of all, it should be known that in order to get pregnant, the number and movement of the sperm of the man must be at a sufficient level. If the expectant father is a heavy smoker or alcohol consumer, this will definitely affect the quality of his sperm and even the genetic structure of the sperm. Therefore, the ideal is to quit such habits not only by women but also by men.
How should people who want to have children, nourish?
As soon as you decide to have a baby, you should review all of your eating habits. Start taking folic acid. From the days when pregnancy is just understood, even when there is a possibility of becoming pregnant or when it is desired to become pregnant, what the expectant mothers should do is to start taking the vitamin called folic acid. The reason for recommending folic acid supplementation is to prevent problems that may occur in the brain and spinal cord. The best natural sources of folic acid are green leafy vegetables, freshly squeezed juices, beets, broccoli, okra and dry legumes. However, at least after it is understood expectant mother is pregnant, in addition to these foods, folic acid should be taken in the form of medicine. In addition, the use of many substances such as artificial sweeteners and caffeine should be minimized. If you have excess weight, the best period to get rid of them is pre-pregnancy. When you plan to get pregnant, you should stay away from fast food and switch to a protein-based diet.
Does the stress in the life of expectant mothers who are trying to get pregnant negatively affect this process?
Of course it can affect. Especially since the hormonal systems of women are based on a very delicate balance, any psychological problem can directly affect this delicate balance of the woman and disrupt the ovulation function. Therefore, it reduces the chances of getting pregnant.
Should women quit alcohol and smoking before deciding to become pregnant? How long before should they quit?
Do alcohol and cigarettes affect sperm quality?
Quit smoking as one of the first things to do. Because it is known that difficulties in conceiving, an increase in the probability of miscarriage when pregnant, premature births, giving birth to low-weight babies, and even baby deaths in the womb increase in smokers. Although all these undesirable events occur in heavy smoking and alcohol consumption, of course, the ideal is not to take any harmful substances. Although there is no specific period, it is recommended to quit smoking and alcohol at least a few months ago. It has long been known that alcohol and smoking have adverse effects on sperm quality.
How often do you need to have sex to get pregnant?
It is not correct to classify as normal or abnormal in terms of sexual intercourse frequency. However, considering the lifetime of the sperms in the female body and their ability to catch the egg, the optimum number is 3 per week, or every other day. In the case of not ejaculating for 8-10 days in men, there is a significant decrease in sperm movement, the number of immobile sperm in the semen increases, and a decrease in the number of sperm is observed in frequent intercourse. Therefore, every other day intercourse is healthy, especially on the days of ovulation, that is, on the days that coincide with the middle of two menstruation.
What are the available positions?
Any position is possible in terms of pregnancy, but positions where the man is on top should be preferred in order to prevent the sperm from flowing out.
What to do during and after sex? (Putting a pillow under your pelvic muscles)
It is actually normal for some sperm to flow out after ejaculation. However, in order to keep this minimal, raising the hips, lying down for at least 5 minutes, and not having a vaginal douching can be listed. In addition, since the effects of different lubricants or gels on sperm are not fully known, they should not be used either.
