If you are thinking of getting pregnant, it’s worth putting some planning into it before you actually conceive.  Some key considerations prior to getting pregnant are your general health, your relationship, and your finances.  By focusing on these aspects of your  life you may find everything runs a little smoother and you have a lot less stress later on.

Twelve Months Before

Start considering private health insurance.  If you go into the private health system, you will need to be insured for at lest 12 months before you actually get pregnant.

Six Months Before

If you are underweight, overweight or obese, you might want to start trying to achieve a healthy weight.  If you fall outside your healthy weight range, your ability to conceive may be hindered.

You should also start thinking about the risks associated with getting pregnant – particularly if you are older.  Having a baby at age 40 means you have a one in ninety chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome while at age 35 the risk decreases to one in 355.

There is also a risk that you could be one of the 15% of couples who have trouble conceiving.  Talk to your partner about how you both might handle that if it this were to occur.

Money pressures can also be a major source of stress in relationships.  It is therefore a good idea to discuss how you’ll both manage with less money.  Perhaps it is worth saving some money for the future.

It also worth considering if you both want to have a child together at the same time. Often, one person might want a child sooner than the other so its essential to ensure you both on the same page.

The irony is that usually you spend years trying to avoid a pregnancy only to find that it doesn’t always happen as quickly as you first imagined.  As you continue down this path, the efforts you both take towards trying to achieve pregnancy can be stressful.

Finally, in the six months leading up to your planned conception attempts, its a good idea to have a check up.  Tell your doctor about your plans and any possible health problems, your own or hereditary, that may affect your ability to conceive or achieve a pregnancy.