[Best possible start for child and parent].

The health of women during the periconception period and pregnancy is important for a healthy start of the child. All care providers can make a major contribution to this. In this learning article we provide answers to a number of questions that have been collected from the professional field about preconception care and care for vulnerable pregnant women.

Surgical treatment for tubal disease in women due to undergo in vitro fertilisation.

Background: Tubal disease accounts for 20% of infertility cases. Hydrosalpinx, caused by distal tubal occlusion leading to fluid accumulation in the tube(s), is a particularly severe form of tubal disease negatively affecting the outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART). It is thought that tubal surgery may improve the outcome of ART in women with hydrosalpinges.

Change in Lifestyle Behaviors After Preconception Care: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of preconception care (PCC) consultations by change in lifestyle behaviors.

Setting And Intervention: Women in deprived neighborhoods of 14 Dutch municipalities were encouraged to visit a general practitioner or midwife for PCC.

Sample: The study included women aged 18 to 41 years who had a PCC consultation.

Systematic Development of Materials for Inviting Low Health-Literate Individuals to Participate in Preconception Counseling.

In this study we aimed to systematically analyze problems in the recruitment of women with low health literacy for preconception counseling and to adapt and evaluate written invitations for this group. In a problem analysis (stage 1) we used structured interviews (n = 72) to assess comprehension of the initial invitations, perception of perinatal risks, attitude and intention to participate in preconception counseling. These outcomes were used to adapt the invitation.

The effect of a preconception care outreach strategy: the Healthy Pregnancy 4 All study.

Background: Preconception care has been acknowledged as an intervention to reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity. However, utilization of preconception care is low because of low awareness of availability and benefits of the service. An outreach strategy was employed to promote uptake of preconception care consultations.