What is Preconception Care?

Preconception care refers to a set of biomedical, behavioral, and social health interventions provided to women and couples before conception. The primary goal is to improve overall health and reduce risk factors that contribute to poor maternal and child health outcomes, both in the short and long term.

Goals of Preconception Care

Preconception care seeks to optimize health by reducing harmful behaviors and addressing individual and environmental factors that may affect pregnancy. By enhancing health status before conception, preconception care can contribute to better outcomes for mothers and children.

Long-Term Health Benefits of Preconception Care

Opportunities for disease prevention and health improvement arise throughout life, from infancy to adulthood. A life-course approach to health, supported by strong public health programs, is essential. Preconception care plays a key role in these efforts.

While the main focus of preconception care is maternal and child health, it also provides significant health benefits to adolescents, women, and men regardless of their plans to have children.

Unplanned Pregnancies and Missed Health Interventions

• 40% of Pregnancies are Unplanned: Approximately 4 out of 10 women report that their pregnancies are unplanned. This means that crucial health interventions introduced only after conception may arrive too late for nearly half of all pregnancies.

Nutritional Deficiencies and Maternal Mortality

• Maternal Under-nutrition and Anemia: Maternal under-nutrition and iron-deficiency anemia significantly increase the risk of maternal mortality, contributing to at least 20% of maternal deaths worldwide.

Neonatal Mortality and Health Risks

• Neonatal Tetanus: In 2010 alone, neonatal tetanus was responsible for 58,000 newborn deaths globally.
• Increased Neonatal Deaths from Female Genital Mutilation: Female genital mutilation (FGM) raises the risk of neonatal death (including stillbirths) by 15% to 55%.

Impact of Young Maternal Age on Child Health

• Higher Perinatal Deaths in Young Mothers: Children born to mothers under 20 years of age face a 50% higher risk of perinatal death compared to those born to mothers aged 20–29 years.

Infections and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

• Gonococcal Infections: Among women with untreated gonococcal infections, up to 35% of pregnancies result in low birth weight and premature deliveries, with up to 10% resulting in perinatal death.
• Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission: Without interventions, the rate of HIV transmission from mother to child ranges between 15% and 45%.

Violence and Health Risks for Women and Infants

• Impact of Violence on Reproductive Health: Violence against women and girls leads to severe physical, psychological, and reproductive harm, increasing risks for premature delivery and low-birth-weight infants.

Epilepsy, Smoking, and Pregnancy Risks

• Risks for Women with Epilepsy: Women with epilepsy are at greater risk of giving birth to babies with congenital anomalies due to both the condition and certain epilepsy medications.
• Avoidable Risks from Smoking: Eliminating smoking before or during pregnancy could prevent 5–7% of preterm-related deaths and reduce sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases by 23–24%.