Preconception and Family Planning Counselling
Consult with our healthcare team on conception as well as contraception methods
Along with our pregnancy and birthing services, Aastrika Midwifery Centre offers family planning counselling and preconception counselling for couples who want to plan or prevent a pregnancy.
- Preconception
- Counselling at Aastrika
- Appointment
- FAQs
FAMILY PLANNING COUNSELLING
Family planning counselling involves decisions on whether to have children, how many to have, the spacing between them, and contraception decisions to prevent pregnancy.
What it is
Family planning counselling involves assessment of family history, medical conditions, and risk factors related to planning a pregnancy. The doctor provides families with information on the risks and benefits of having pregnancies close together or with a long gap. Families can discuss their individual scenarios along with medical guidance and take an informed decision on whether to plan or prevent a pregnancy.
Contracept-ion Methods
During family planning counselling, the doctor provides information on the various contraceptive options available, and discusses each option. Families can discuss their reservations about contraception and decide which methods are best suited for them, based on their health conditions, preference for convenience, and the duration for which they seek contraception.
Types of Counselling
Family planning counselling sessions may be done on an individual basis or as couples counselling. Some individuals may prefer counselling on an individual basis as there is a greater sense of privacy and confidentiality between the person and their counsellor or doctor. Couples may choose to attend together. This is particularly recommended for discussions of irreversible contraception.
PRECONCEPTION COUNSELLING
Preconception counselling is for families that are actively planning a pregnancy.
In these sessions, couples understand their specific health conditions and risk factors that may affect pregnancy. The doctor provides information and recommendations about diet, fitness, controlling existing health conditions, vaccines, dental health, and more, so that the couple can be in the best possible health for conception and pregnancy.
Preconception counselling also includes screening for medical and genetic conditions that may impact the conception process and pregnancy, and couples are given individual advice based on the screenings.
Becoming physically and emotionally ready to conceive.
Preconception counselling sessions provide information to the woman and her partner about the biological cycle of menstruation and ovulation, and how to calculate the dates of ovulation in order to maximize the chances of getting pregnant.
Above all, preconception counselling is an opportunity for couples to resolve all their questions and doubts. It can help a woman feel confident in her own strengths and abilities and the process of pregnancy and birth.
COUNSELLING AT AASTRIKA MIDWIFERY CENTRE
At Aastrika Midwifery Centre, we value long counselling sessions, with ample time for each woman or couple. Our healthcare team provides detailed information and is available to answer any concerns or questions. Our empathetic and sensitive doctors spend extensive time with each client to ensure they feel reassured and confident.
At Aastrika Midwifery Centre, we emphasize on continuity of care, wherein the client interacts with the same healthcare team starting from preconception to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, including family planning. Choosing Aastrika Midwifery Centre’s preconception counselling services ensures that this continuity is started and maintained, so that the mother feels comfortable and safe with her trusted healthcare team during pregnancy and childbirth.
FAQ’s
Family Planning Counselling FAQs
Family planning counselling is a discussion between the couple and the doctor, to help gain clarity on how many children the couple wishes to have, their ideal age gap between multiple children, and their preferred contraception. It involves a thorough understanding of the individual or couple’s medical and family conditions before providing suggestions specific to each individual’s situation and choice, and ensuring individuals or couples have access to contraception that suits their needs.
Some of the common methods of family planning/ contraception are long-acting reversible contraception such as the intrauterine device, hormonal contraception such as the birth control pill or depo provera injection, barrier methods such as condoms or diaphragms, and use of emergency contraceptives. There are also more permanent contraceptive measures such as a vasectomy or tubal ligation. Couples can choose a contraception method suited to their specific situation.
Family planning counselling supports the family in exploring the benefits and shortcomings of various methods of family planning or contraception and finding one which may be best suited for them. Family planning counselling also helps in determining the spacing between multiple pregnancies so that the mother has fully recovered from the previous pregnancy and is in optimal health for the next pregnancy.
Preconception Counselling FAQs
Preconception counselling includes talking to the doctor about future pregnancies. It covers almost all the information a person could need before they start trying to conceive. Preconception counselling broadly includes three components:
- Understanding medical and family history and risk conditions before planning pregnancy, and ensuring the couple is in optimal health before trying for a pregnancy.
- Understanding the biological processes of menstruation and ovulation to ensure quick and easy conception.
- Providing emotional and mental support to the woman and her partner in the conception journey.
With preconception counselling, a couple can ensure they are in the best possible health for pregnancy. Diet, fitness, risk factors such as smoking and alcohol, and existing health conditions can be addressed before the pregnancy. Any treatments that are difficult to do during pregnancy, such as certain vaccines or dental treatments, can be completed preconception. The woman can start taking vitamins such as folic acid that are recommended during the earliest stages of pregnancy. With preconception counselling, couples can be both physically and mentally fully prepared for pregnancy.
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