Studies
How Effective Is Pre Conception Care?
1. The Foresight Study 1995
Foresight, the Association for the Promotion of Preconceptual Care, was established in the United Kingdom in 1978. A Foresight study, carried out in conjunction with Surrey University (published in the Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine 1995), clearly shows the effectiveness of pre conception care.
Foresight Study Results: The women participating in the study ranged from 22 to 45 years, the men from 25 to 59 years. 41% of the couples had no previous adverse reproductive history, but among these were the older couples. The 2-year study involved 367 couples.
Normal expectation:
- 70 miscarriages
- 6 malformations
Results (Overview):
- No miscarriages, perinatal deaths, malformations
- No baby admitted to intensive care [1,2]
Results (Detailed):
Presenting with a Previous History of (Percentage in Sample):
- Infertility 37%
- Miscarriage 38%
- Therapeutic abortion 11%
- Still birth 3%
- ‘Small for Dates’ or low birth weight babies 15%
- Malformations 2%
- SIDS 1%
Outcome (Percentage in Sample):
- Live births 89%
- Live births to those previously infertile 81%
- Average gestational age 38.5 weeks
- Earliest gestational age 36 weeks
- Average weight of males 7lb 4oz (3303g)
- Average weight of females 7lb 2oz (3232g)
- Lightest baby 5lb 3 oz (2367g)
2. The Foresight Study 2003
Foresight completed a further, larger study with 1,061 couples. The statistics from this show excellent outcomes, with a conception rate of 78.4% (leady to a healthy baby) within 2 years of following the programme. This study also suggests a more than doubled conception success rate for IVF of 47.1% following pre conception care [1].
3. University of New England
Susan Arentz, BHSc(Hons) ND, Dip Hom; Dip Bot Med. And Dr Gemma O’Brien, BSc(Hons), PhDSyd, carried out an independent study of 67 patients on the Natural Fertility Management Conception Program at the Jocelyn Centre. A high proportion of the couples in this study (those in the test group) had serious fertility problems and were diagnosed as infertile. In both the test and control group, 25% of women were over 40 years. Results showed that 56% of previously infertile couples conceived within the first 2 months following the programme and 50% of these women were in the 40+ age group [3,4].
References:
[1] Nim Barnes, How to Conceive Healthy Babies Naturally, Bristol: Author Essentials Ltd, 2014.
[2] N. Ward and K. Eaton, “Preconception Care and Pregnancy Outcome,” 13 07 2009. [Online]. Available: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/13590849509000218. [Accessed 12 01 2018].
[3] The Jocelyn Centre for Natural Fertility Management & Holistic Medicine, The Natural Fertility Management Conception Program, Sydney: Natural Fertility Management Pty Ltd, 2009.
[4] Arentz, Susan. Fertility and Conception [online]. Journal of Complementary Medicine: CM, The, Vol. 8, No. 1, Jan/Feb 2009: 28-30, 32. Availability: https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=569063296219717;res=IELHEA ISSN: 1446-8263. [cited 12 Jan 18].