Preconception health: health before pregnancy

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Preconception health, or health before pregnancy, is the health of men and women during their reproductive years. Your health affects your fertility. It also influences the health of your children, during pregnancy, at birth and throughout their lives. It can include:

  • deciding if you want to have children and when
  • protecting your sexual and reproductive health
  • making healthy choices and reducing health risks
  • preparing for a healthy pregnancy and becoming a parent in the future

On this page

Creating a reproductive life plan

All teens and adults who can conceive are encouraged to have a reproductive life plan. This plan can help you:

  • think about if you want to have children and when
  • be as healthy as possible now, so you will be more likely to conceive and have healthy children when you are ready
  • think about birth control and prevention of sexually transmitted infections

It is helpful to write out ideas and goals to make a reproductive life plan. Using these resources can help:

You want to have a baby

Whether you want to have your first baby or another one, your health before conception affects:

  • your fertility
  • your health and your baby’s health during pregnancy
  • your health after having your baby
  • your children’s health during their lifetime

Whether you want to have a baby soon or in the future, focus on being as healthy as possible, refer to the related topics below.

You don’t want to have any children

About half of all pregnancies are not planned. If you are sexually active and do not want to have children, you may have questions about:

  • birth control
  • preventing sexually transmitted infections
  • staying healthy

There are areas in your life that can affect your health, see the related topics below for more information.

You don’t want to have another baby

You may feel your family is complete. If you do not want to have any more children, you may have questions about:

  • birth control
  • preventing sexually transmitted infections
  • staying healthy

There are areas in your life that can affect your health, see the related topics below for more information.

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