Diabetes mellitus is one of the commonest pre-existing medical disorders complicating pregnancy in the UK. Having either type 1 or type 2 diabetes increases the likelihood of poor pregnancy outcomes. Here we review specific advice women with diabetes should receive before conception to help reduce such risks.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to assess preconception health behaviors among Brazilian women, and analyze the effect of pregnancy planning status in carrying out preconception measures. METHOD This is a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted with 807 women, of whom 649 had a planned or ambivalent pregnancy. Preconception health behaviors were assessed by the Brazilian version...

The past decade has witnessed increasing global attention and political support for maternal, newborn and child health. Despite this increased attention, actual progress has been slow and sporadic: coverage of key maternal and newborn health interventions remains low and there are wide disparities in access to care, within and across countries. Strategies for improving maternal and newborn heal...

INTRODUCTION Risky sexual behaviours have been recognized as a threat for sexual and reproductive health. AIM This article shows the results of the "Sportello Salute Giovani" project ("Youth Health Information Desk") in relation to determining how a large sample of university students in Italy cope with preconception health, especially in the domains of sexual transmitted infections (STIs), f...

The prevalence of paternal and maternal genetic conditions that affect pregnancy varies according to many factors that include parental age, medical history, and family history. Although some genetic conditions that affect pregnancy are identified easily early in life, other conditions are not and may require additional diagnostic testing. A complete 3-generation family medical history that inc...

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...

PROBLEM/CONDITION In 2006, CDC published recommendations to improve health and health care for women before pregnancy and between pregnancies (CDC. Recommendations to improve preconception health and health care--United States: a report of the CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group and the Select Panel on Preconception Care. MMWR 2006;55[No. RR-6]). The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Sys...

PRECONCEPTION CARE FOR WOMEN WITH DIABETES Care by an interdisciplinary diabetes healthcare (DHC) team prior to conception and during pregnancy has been shown to minimize maternal and fetal risks in women with diabetes mellitus (1-5). An early working relationship should be established between the woman and the DHC team (composed of diabetes nurse educators, registered dietitians, obstetricians...

BACKGROUND The initial vanguard cohort of the U.S. National Children's Study was a pregnancy and birth cohort study that sought to enroll some women prior to pregnancy, and to assess exposures early in pregnancy. METHODS During the recruitment phase (2009-2010), geographically based sampling was used to recruit women early in pregnancy and women not currently pregnant, not using contraception...