Doing—or not doing—a few things in advance can help your baby get a healthy start.
- Take folic acid (a B vitamin) daily. Begin at least a month before you starttrying to get pregnant, and continue throughout the first three months of pregnancy. This simple act can help prevent many cases of spina bifida andother neural tube defects (birth defects that affect the brain and spinal cord).The recommended dose of 0.4 to 0.8 milligram (mg) is found in most multivitamins.
- If you smoke or drink alcohol (even moderately), stop.
- If you are severely overweight or underweight, work toward achieving ahealthier weight before you attempt to get pregnant. This can reduce yourrisk of many prenatal problems.
- If you have a chronic illness or suspect you have a sexually transmitted disease,see your doctor and get treatment before you become pregnant.
- Do not take oral prescription drugs called retinoids (synthetic variants ofvitamin A); they can be dangerous to your fetus. The most commonly prescribedform of this drug is the acne drug Accutane (isotretinoin). This drugcan be particularly damaging early in pregnancy, before a woman may evenrealize she has conceived. Related drugs Soriatane (acitretin) and Tegison (etretinate), used to treat psoriasis, may damage a fetus even after a womanhas stopped taking them. If you have ever taken these drugs, talk to yourdoctor. (Some skin creams, such as Retin-A or Renova, contain a related substancecalled tretinoin or retinoic acid. In studies so far, these do not appearto cause problems. But until more research is done, it may be wise to avoidretinoic acid creams before and during pregnancy.)
Dealing with potential problems ahead of time can make life better for you andyour baby. That’s one reason doctors advise that women or couples have a “preconceptionvisit” with a health care provider months before a planned pregnancy.
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