Pre-conception Checklist

• Quit smoking and taking recreational drugs

• Stop drinking alcohol

• Get to a healthy weight: Keep the Body Mass Index between 20 and 30 for the best chances of conception. Calculate BMI by following step: 1. Work out your height in metres, and multiply this figure by itself. 2. Measure your weight in kilograms. 3. Divide your weight by the answer to step. You will get your BMI.

• Six months before conception start taking prenatal vitamins, including folic acid, calcium and other nutrients as these are very important for having a healthy pregnancy and baby.

• Once you've a good idea of when you ovulate, try to have sex three days before, one day before and the day after to maximise your chances of getting pregnant.

• Do get check yourself for HIV. With proper knowledge even an HIV-positive women can spare their babies from contracting the disease.

• Stop using birth control pills: Stop taking pills and give your body break for at least a month or two to come back to its own natural rhythm and than you can start trying to conceive.

• Take an appointment with your caretaker and make sure that you're in top health. Discuss with your doctor whether you should be concerned about how any medications you might be on would affect or be affected by conception.

• You should know your blood type and that of the father. If they are not compatible, your blood type also may be incompatible with the baby's. This could lead to anemia or more serious problems for the infant at birth. RH disease, which results from incompatibility, can be treated easily during the pregnancy.