A woman during pregnancy should not arbitrarily take vitamins and medications or even a headache medicine
Preparations for pregnancy should be made before the baby is healthy
With the development of biotechnologies, numerous factors have been identified that influence the appearance of irregularities in fetal development. Some of them can affect and prevent the birth of a child with a developmental disorder especially if preparations for pregnancy begin before conception. Today, more than ever before, we are all exposed to a number of unfavorable agents that have been found to be able to affect the hereditary basis and development of the fetus. Some pregnant women think they are healthy and well-dressed, so they do not need medical supervision or advice. That is why a large number of pregnant women go to the doctor only after giving birth. The importance of regular medical check-ups is also confirmed by numerous diseases during pregnancy.
Modern medicine can greatly help give birth to healthy offspring
Gynecologists and obstetricians say that preparations for a healthy conception mean a series of medical examinations to determine hidden or already manifested endocrine disorders (diabetes, thyroid disease, other metabolic diseases, heart and kidney diseases). All these diseases can in some way affect the appearance of various anomalies and an unfavorable outcome of pregnancy. Normal conditions are created for the development of the fetus and the birth of a healthy child if these problems are detected in time (and with appropriate nutrition and therapy) and brought under control.
Regular medical examinations are necessary throughout pregnancy
This primarily refers to pregnant women with increased blood pressure, which reduces the fetus’ supply of oxygen and nutrients. Hypertension can significantly affect a pregnant woman’s health, the course of pregnancy and the outcome of childbirth. Adapted nutrition and medical therapy enable the fetus to develop normally and preserve the health of the future mother. Iron deficiency and accompanying anemia during pregnancy should be diagnosed and treated because the baby and the pregnant woman do not have enough oxygen in those conditions. Anemic pregnant women find it more difficult to tolerate childbirth due to this deficiency, and recovery after childbirth is much slower. Special attention of doctors is aroused by RH-negative women. In these women, the presence of antibodies in the blood is regularly checked (which can adversely affect the child during pregnancy and after birth).
Some pregnant women neglect the harmful effects of tobacco on the fetus
Both alcohol and drugs are either exposed to extreme physical activity. All these factors adversely affect the development of the fetus and their importance should not be diminished.
Some women take vitamins on their own during pregnancy (with the desire for the baby to develop well)
A woman should not take vitamins and medications or even a headache medicine during pregnancy. Pregnant women are given only those medications (and vitamins) that will not harm the fetus if necessary. A balanced diet (which contains enough meat, fruits and vegetables) includes all the necessary vitamins and minerals and other ingredients important for fruit development. Vitamins are recommended only when there is reliable evidence that their use will achieve a better pregnancy outcome.
Special care is needed when taking vitamin A. If vitamin A is taken with food, it should not be taken in vitamin preparations because excessive use adversely affects the fetus.
Caution is required with fluoride (a mineral to protect teeth).
To determine various fetal disorders, various laboratory tests are used to identify chromosomal abnormalities and detect disease-carrying genes. It is also possible to perform blood and urine tests of the fetus, through which possible and individual anomalies can be diagnosed. Laboratory diagnoses are confirmed by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.
Certain developmental disorders can be treated if they are detected in time
When, for example, a hormonal deficiency of the fetus is identified (which stops the fetus from developing further) then the treatment consists of giving hormones. These drugs are given to the mother whose bloodstream reaches the fetus, or are injected into the amniotic fluid and it is possible to give the drugs directly into the baby’s muscles. With modern therapy, it is possible to treat babies in whom there is an indication that the lungs and blood vessels of the head are insufficiently developed (which is a great progress) because children with these developmental irregularities are not ready for further life afterwards. The fetus can be treated surgically, although such complicated interventions are rarely performed (as in the case of anomalies in the urinary bladder that cause urinary retention). Some congenital anomalies are successfully treated surgically immediately after the baby is born. It is ideal to give birth to children in their 20s, although the border has moved a lot in recent decades. There are more and more women who postpone pregnancy for later years of life. Today, giving birth is still possible after the age of 45, although such a late birth (with one’s own eggs or a donor one) raises some ethical, cultural and moral issues still in some parts of the world.
Due to modern knowledge, new medical approaches, drugs and the development of medical technology, today an extremely small number of cases have an undesirable outcome. This mainly happens to patients who have not been under medical supervision, control or women whose health condition prevents them from withstanding the efforts of childbirth and women who were warned about it but whose desire for a child was stronger than their own safety.