Annual Report of the Department of Health 2010 - Unrwa

PRECONCEPTION CARE
PRECONCEPTION CARE
PRECONCEPTION
CARE
Prenatal care, which usually begins at week 11 or 12 of a pregnancy, comes too late to prevent a number of serious
material and child health problems in the U.S. The fetus is most susceptible to developing certain problems in the
first4-10 weeks after conception; before parental care is normally initiated. Because many women are not aware that
they are pregnant until after this critical period of time, they are unable to reduce the risks to their own and to their
baby’s health unless intervention begins before conception.
US National Centre on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Preconception care is widely recognized as a critical component of the maternal and child health. It comprises
a set of prevention and management interventions that aim to identify and modify risks to a woman’s health or
pregnancy outcome by emphasizing factors that must be acted on before, or early in, pregnancy in order to
have maximal impact. It can be broadly defined as the provision of biomedical and behavioural interventions
prior to conception in order to optimize women's wellbeing and subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Couples
receive counselling in UNRWA when planning a pregnancy and are advised to avoid too many, too early, too
late and too close pregnancies through modern family planning methods.
PROGRESS IN 2010
Preconception care services became an integral component of the UNRWA health offer and services in 2010
and were operational and fully implemented in all Fields. The preconception care program is now part of the
maternal health care and fully integrated within the primary health care system.
ACTIVITIES OF THE PRECONCEPTION CARE SERVICE
Couples with conception intentions are counselled and provided with the necessary medical care in addition
to folic acid supplementation to achieve the following objectives:
- Manage and control factors which contribute to poor birth outcomes before pregnancy;
- Ensure that all women of reproductive age enter pregnancy in optimal health;
- Encourage early registration for antenatal care;
- Achieve further reduction in infant, child and maternal morbidity and mortality by preventing or minimizing
health problems for the mother and her foetus;
- Avoid unwanted pregnancies by helping couples understand their reproductive health options and adjust
their lifestyle accordingly;
- Control hereditary diseases among new-borns through identification and counselling of parents with
increased genetic risks, providing them with sufficient knowledge to make informed decisions about their
reproductive options;
- Prevent and treat infections, in particular genital tract infections;
- Prevent and control of hereditary anaemia;
- Identify and assist, whenever feasible, couples who may have infertility problems; and
- Improve the overall knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of men and women regarding reproductive health
in general, and preconception care in particular.
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