Planning a pregnancy is not only about wanting to have a baby, it is essential to plan it in the best health conditions. Therefore, it is important to go through a preconception check-up about 3 months before starting the search, in order to rule out any medical condition or disorder that may affect fertility or increase complications in pregnancy. This time, Dr. Claudia Del Carpio, gynecologist at Clinica Ricardo Palma, will give us more information.

What is a preconception checkup?

It consists of reviewing, together with the gynecologist, elements such as medical history, physical condition, history of menstrual cycles, among others. In addition, the measures to adopt to start planning the pregnancy are indicated. These are:

• Adopt a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and adequate physical activity for this stage
• Give up bad habits such as tobacco, alcohol and drugs
• Start folic acid supplementation of 400 to 800 ug daily from at least 3 months before pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects and cleft lip in the future baby
• If you are taking any medication, assess whether it will be necessary to make any changes during pregnancy, since some medications may be contraindicated at this stage
• In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, where there are usually non-ovulatory cycles, it is important to seek to correct these disorders for at least 6 months before starting to seek pregnancy

What is the best age to get pregnant?

Between the ages of 20 and 30, since at this stage women have the largest number of eggs and of the best quality. After the age of 35, fertility gradually and inevitably declines. In addition, the risks of chromosomal abnormalities in the baby and of medical complications in the pregnancy and in the mother are increased.

Is there any test to determine if a woman is fertile or not?

There is no test that can predict the ability to get pregnant, fertility is only evaluated along the way. However, you can pay attention to some signs of the menstrual cycle itself that can suggest problems in the reproductive system and therefore in fertility, such as:

• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Heavy or irregular bleeding
• Menstrual cramps
• PMS

Pregnancy after the age of 35 is considered of high risk?

Yes. However, there are currently techniques to preserve fertility by freezing or vitrifying eggs, either for women with a medical condition or simply who wish to postpone motherhood for personal reasons. The ideal age to do it is before the age of 35 or much better if it is before the age of 30.

While in some cases pregnancy can occur on the first try, the chances of getting pregnant average 20% per month, so don’t worry if it takes a little longer. The search for pregnancy should be a stress-free process.

Dr. Claudia Del Carpio
Gynecologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma