Questions About Prenatal Care

[Beth41777]

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge regarding prenatal care? What I am referring to specifically is whether I should be tested for vitamin deficiencies etc... before trying to conceive. I have never been pregnant, but would like to have a child or two, and have been gluten free (except for accidental glutening experiences) for a little over a year. I know even the smallest amount damages my intestinal villi, causing malabsorption etc... and I want to know I am really healthy before going off my birth control pill. I am not sure what specific nutrients / vitamins to consider asking my doctor to test. (The obvious one to me is hemoglobin since my celiac has caused iron deficiency anemia in me) but other than that... any thoughts?

[NicoleAJ]

Dear Beth,

I'm thinking about getting ready to try, and this summer I had my doc do a full workup. You'll want to do the standard CBC w/diff as well as all the B vitamins (especially B12) and folate as well. He did a lot more tests for me including calcium, vit D, potassium, etc. The problem is that my PPO didn't cover all of the tests for some reason that I'm still trying to figure out. The sooner you get off birth control, the better. I've been off for over two months and though I've gotten "periods," I'm fairly certain that I have not started ovulating yet--it can take some people months to ovulate after getting off birth control. You may want to check out Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which is a great book for understanding Fertility Awareness Method, which helps you to avoid or achieve pregnancy without chemicals or barrier methods. Good luck!

Nicole

[Mother of Jibril]

Another good test to have before conceiving is TSH (for thyroid hormones). Hypothyroidism can cause pregnancy loss and lower the IQ of your baby It's often missed because the symptoms seem like normal pregnancy symptoms... fatigue, constipation, anxiety, etc...

Thyroid disorders are also a common cause of postpartum depression. Some doctors are starting to test all of their pregnant patients.