How Can Young Adults Support Their Partners in Preconception Health?

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Healthy mind. Healthy body. Health baby.

Whether you are planning to get pregnant now, next month, or in the future, preconception health is extremely important for Latino and all parents.

When you hear about preconception health, one often assumes this responsibility lies with the women, but a man’s health can be just as important when it comes to having a healthy baby.

At a population level, preconception health can drastically improve birth outcomes by reducing the number of babies born prematurely or at low birth weights, according to the CDC.

What should both partners do before planning a pregnancy?

For Latino and all families, preconception health should involve both partners wanting to take initiative to improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy.

Regardless of who’s pregnant, both partner’s can support each other by looking after one another’s health. Below are a few ways the CDC recommends for supporting a partner’s preconception health:

  • Create a reproductive life plan and take action!
    • Creating a plan for pregnancy is called a reproductive life plan. Every woman, man, and couple  can benefit from having a reproductive life plan based on her, his, or their own personal values, goals, and resources.
  • Prevent and Treat Sexually Transmitted Diseases
    • Get screened and treated for any sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Continue to protect yourself and your partner from STDs during pregnancy. Pregnancy does not provide a woman or the baby she is carrying any protection against STDs. An STD can result in infertility and can be life threatening to a women and her unborn baby
  • If you drink alcohol or smoke, STOP
    • Smoking, and drinking are harmful to your health and could lead to serious birth defects for your baby. Also, secondhand smoke can cause early death and disease among children and adults who do not smoke.
    • A pregnant woman who is exposed to secondhand smoke has 20% higher chance of giving birth to a baby with low birth weight than women who are not exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy.
  • Reach and Maintain a Healthy Weight
    • People who are overweight  have a higher risk of many serious conditions and people who are underweight share risks for serious health problems as well. Both partners should talk to talk to their doctors about healthy diets and other ways to maintain healthy weight.
  • Learn Your Family History
    •  This can help identify whether you have a higher risk for some diseases. It can help your doctor recommend actions for reducing your personal risk for a disease. And, it can help in looking for early warning signs of disease.

How do we reach the Latino community?

Research has shown that Latinas face significant preconception health disparities.

Family planning strategies of Latinos may be influenced by religious viewpoints or cultural differences.  In order to successfully reach Latinos, culturally relevant messaging and services should be implemented.

Get your partner involved with preconception planning by having them join you on healthcare visits to the doctor, engaging in a healthy lifestyle, and paying attention to your partner’s family medical history and health concerns.

Take action by reading more about the importance of preconception health for men and women and make a reproductive life plan.

For information the importance of maternal health and providing a healthy start for children ages 0-5 years, check out our healthy child resources.

See our healthy child resources here

By The Numbers By The Numbers

25.1

percent

of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage

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