Why what you do before pregnancy matters more than you think.

A few years ago, a medical journal called the Lancet, published a series of articles focusing on Preconception Care (PCC). The Lancet was, and is, one of the world’s top ranking medical journals - so this was a real milestone for PCC getting the attention we’ve always felt it deserves.

PCC is fundamentally about optimizing the health of mom and dad before conception. By doing this, we maximize natural fertility, increase the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy, and strive to have a lifelong impact on the health of the next generation.

50 years ago, the idea that modifying our diet, our environment or our gut health could impact the health of our children was largely unknown and certainly not talked about. But research continues to be published imploring all health care professionals to take this area of medicine seriously.

‍

What We See In Practice

It has been a real privilege in our practice to watch this happen over and over again with patients. First their fatigue improves. Then their gut health gets better. Then their mood lifts. And then — they conceive and give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby. I don't know if I've ever had a couple tell me,

“We feel exactly the same as before, but now we're expecting our firstborn.”

Our objective data, monitoring their whole body symptoms, backs that up. The series of events is almost predictable. First improvements in general health, and then their reproductive health follows.

So when we see their skin improve or their sleep get better, we know we're moving in the right direction. And then we keep on going — helping our patients normalize their cycles, eliminate their PMS, minimize their cycle pain and/or grow their families.

By the time a woman is pregnant, it's often too late to do this work. That's why we begin earlier — in the preconception period.

‍

The Lancet (Vol. 391, Issue 10132, May 2018). https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/vol391no10132/PIIS0140-6736(18)X0020-8

‍