Preconception Health Resources for Men
When you think of preconception and pregnancy, usually you think of women. Men’s health plays a huge part in preconception, as well! Use the resources below to educate yourself on men’s part in the preconception process.
When most people hear the term preconception health, they think about women. However, preconception health is important for men, too. There are things men can do for their own health, as well as for the women and children in their lives.
As couples prepare for pregnancy, it is easy to focus only on the woman’s health. However, there are several habits men need to be forming during these critical months of preparation too. Issues of fertility do not rest solely on the female.
Health experts have warned men against smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, and taking unnecessary drugs if they are planning to be fathers. Conservative measures such as these are advised in an attempt to avoid increasing the risk of health conditions in children. Today, the focus on men as partners in reproductive health has expanded to include several international initiatives; the CDC encourages men, women, and all couples to have a reproductive life plan.
It takes two to make a baby. Although a woman will carry and deliver the child, a man also has a crucial role in pregnancy.
The purpose of this article is to theoretically explore men’s preconception health as a mechanism to enhance fertility, as well as the health and well-being of the subject and his descendants. Premorbid risk factors and behaviors associated with stress, environmental toxins, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise/obesity, and the use of illicit drugs are all known to affect fecundity. While there are many health clinics available to women, where advice in areas such as postnatal care of the newborn, family planning, and couple’s fertility is provided, there are few, if any, equivalent health clinics available to men.