Are you are planning to have a baby or maybe you’re just thinking about it and wondering whether the medication you are taking is safe?
This is especially important if you have a health condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure when it is necessary to take medication even when you become pregnant. Making sure health conditions are under control before you try to get pregnant will help you and your baby be as healthy as possible. It will also reduce the chance of developing problems during/after pregnancy.
What to discuss with your Health Care Provider(s):
- Tell them all the medications you are taking.
This includes any complementary and alternative therapy (also known as natural and non-prescription health products) such as vitamins and minerals, herbs, homeopathic medicines and other natural health products. - Safety of medication.
Your health care provider may stop, modify the dosage or change the medication for safety before pregnancy. - Start or continue taking multivitamins that contain at least 0.4 mg of folic acid.
Taking multivitamins with folic acid daily before you conceive can help prevent neural tube defects in baby. Your health care provider will discuss the right amount of folic acid you should take depending on your health history.
It’s never too early to discuss the safety of medications since it is estimated that almost 50% of pregnancies are unplanned.
If you have questions about preparing for pregnancy, call or eChat with one of our public health nurses at 416-338-7600.
Great article 🙌 love that you’re spreading awareness about this as many people don’t think about it before becoming pregnant 😬 I know my fiancee and I didn’t. Thanks for sharing 😊