Tommy's news, 04/03/2019
As women and men rarely talk to their doctor or other health professional before they start trying for a baby there is a low level of awareness about what they can do before they conceive to reduce risks to the pregnancy and baby and increase their chance of conception. The campaign aims to address this.
Phase two of #AreYouReady, the planning for pregnancy campaign, is a month-long initiative that follows last year’s successful campaign.
Key to the campaign is a digital Planning for Pregnancy tool that was developed by Tommy’s and leading health organisations in 2018 to give women all the information they need to know before pregnancy.
The weight, diet and health of potential parents before conception can have profound implications for the safety of the pregnancy, and the growth, development and long-term health of their children.
- Folic acid should ideally be taken 2 months before conception to build the level of the vitamin up in the body to give maximum protection. As 1 out of 3 women can get pregnant within a month, waiting until stopping contraception to take folic acid means that many are at risk of inadequate protection from neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. Two women a week give birth to a baby affected by a neural tube defect that requires intensive lifelong medical care.
- Being overweight before and during pregnancy increases the risk of potentially dangerous pregnancy conditions, such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes.
- Having a BMI over 30 means women may have less choices on where to give birth as they are more likely to need an instrumental delivery (ventouse or forceps).
- Smoking in pregnancy causes up to 2,200 premature births, 5,000 miscarriages and 300 perinatal deaths per year.
- Two thirds of maternal deaths happen in those with pre-existing mental health problems.
Over the next month, both Clearblue and Tommy’s will be sharing stories and publishing useful information on all topics around fertility, conception and pregnancy health.
Deirdre de Barra, Head of Information at Tommy’s said:
“Tommy’s goal is to reduce pregnancy loss and improve the safety of the mother and baby during pregnancy. We know that there are actions women and men can take before conception that will improve the health of their pregnancy and baby. However, reaching women with this information is not easy because it’s not something people bring up with health professionals unless they are having problems conceiving. Clearblue is talking to women about conception every day so it’s wonderful to have their support in getting this information out.”
Lucy Lehane, Head of Medical Affairs at Clearblue said:
“Clearblue is so proud to be entering into partnership with Tommy’s for 2019. At Clearblue, we put women at the heart of everything we do – from our product designs to our consumer education our mission is to transform the way women manage their reproductive health. We have great hopes that working with Tommy’s will help us continue to achieve this.”