Ovulation is when an egg is released from one of your ovaries.

There are a number of things which can help find if you are ovulating

• ovulation usually occurs around 10 to 16 days before your period starts, so you may be able to work out when you're likely to ovulate if you have a regular cycle
• cervical mucus – you may notice wetter, clearer and more slippery mucus around the time of ovulation
• body temperature – there's a small rise in body temperature after ovulation takes place, which you may be able to detect with a thermometer
• ovulation predictor kits – hormone levels increase around the time of ovulation and this can be detected using ovulation predictor kits that measure the level of hormones in your urine.

Folic acid supplement

• It's recommended that all women who could get pregnant should take a daily supplement of folic acid.
• Folic acid reduces the risk of your baby having a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida.
• A neural tube defect is when the foetus' spinal cord (part of the body's nervous system) does not form normally.

Stop smoking

Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to a variety of health problems, including:

• premature birth
• low birth weight
• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death
• miscarriage
• breathing problems or wheezing in the first 6 months of life

Stop alcohol

Do not drink alcohol if you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Alcohol can be passed to your unborn baby.

Keep to a healthy weight

Extremes of weight can cause problems getting pregnant and fertility treatment is less likely to work. If you are underweight & malnourished its more likely that baby may have growth retardation in utero.

Being overweight (having a BMI over 25) or obese (having a BMI over 30) also raises the risk of some pregnancy problems, such as high blood pressure, blood clots, miscarriage and gestational diabetes.

Please confirm if you have received complete immunisation in childhood. In case any thing is missed a catch up vaccination may be recommended by your doctor for the following :

• Hepatitis B
• Tetanus/ Diphtheria/ Pertussis
• Typhoid
• Influenza
• Rubella

Rubella Vaccination:

It is recommended to give Rubella Vaccine to all adolescent girls. This is to prevent occurence of Congenital Rubella Syndrome , that occurs if a woman is infected by Rubella Virus during pregnancy. ( Pregnancy should be avoided within 4 weeks of vaccination)

HPV vaccination:

HPV vaccine is recommended to all adolescents, to be given between 9 to 16 years; or before commencement of sexual activity. How ever if you are planning a pregnancy vaccination may be deferred. In case the vaccination schedule has been initiated pending vaccins will be administered after delivery.

Talk to your doctor if you have a long-term illness

If you have a long-term condition, such as epilepsy or diabetes, it could affect the decisions you make about your pregnancy. Some health conditions do need careful management to minimise risks to both you and your baby.

If you're taking medication for a condition, do not stop taking it without consulting your doctor. The doctor can change some medications which are not suitable for pregnancy.

We may not be able to screen for all genetic diseases. Sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassaemia are inherited blood disorders for which screening can be done. Screening is offered to find out if you're a carrier of a gene for sickle cell or thalassaemia and therefore likely to pass it on to your baby.