<p>I wonder how long it takes to go from “should” to “must”.</p>
<p>*New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves – and to be treated by the health care system – as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.</p>
<p>Among other things, this means all women between first menstrual period and menopause should take folic acid supplements, refrain from smoking, maintain a healthy weight and keep chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes under control.*</p>
<p>I also wonder why men are not included in this , as we all know that it does take two to concieve a child, and the quality of the sperm is critical to the health of the baby.</p>
<p>you were talkin’ about ME!!! <em>lololololol</em> ;)</p>
<p>Wow…I really don’t know what to say to that! Maybe we should all live our lives as if we were RAISING children as well, even before we have them…you know, no smoking in the house, limited drinking, no drugs, no abusive relationships, etc. Not ONLY can irreparable damage be done to a fetus before a pregnancy is discovered, but UNTOLD damage can be done to children AFTER birth if they are not raised in safe, caring, and loving environments. Why stop with the pre-birth rules and regulations?? :eek:</p>
<p>ya know if they are thinking about women as constantly preconception- they should also enforce period of time between birth- length of time spent nursing, availability of grandparents to babysit so the parents can “have time for their relationship” critical to being better parents of course-how about appropriate family vacations?
Some might want to spend their time on a Dale Earnhardt tour and some at the Mouse kingdom- shouldn’t we encourage only G rated entertainment? ( TIC)
So if both women and men need to always consider they may become -pre-parents at anytime- their work conditions need to be free of toxins and hazards.
I really don’t see there being a line of where it would stop.</p>
<p>Next they’ll ban all us pre-pregnant females from bars (alcohol & smoke hazards) and restrict employment opportunities to avoid workplace hazards and then find ways to curtail any hazardous recreational activities.</p>
<p>"Some medical facilities have already found a way to weave preconception care in with regular visits. At Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y., a form that’s filled out when checking a patient’s height, weight and blood pressure prompts nurses to ask women, “Do you smoke, and do you plan to become pregnant in the next year? And if not, what birth control are you using?”</p>
<p>This is just good planning, but unfortunately it probably won’t reach the people who need it most. A lot of women don’t have the money to go to a doctor when they’re sick, let alone for regular checkups.</p>
<p>And what about females about to be sent into a combat zone? “I can’t go, I’m prepregnant!”</p>
<p>Why don’t they tell males that they should consider themselves pre-fathers and be prepared to support a child for 18 years everytime they have sex?</p>
<p>Wow. I really stewed about this article today. What about epileptic women, who must take teratogenic drugs to control their seizures? Should they refrain from doing so, as they are now “prepregnant”?<br>
While the intent of these guidelines seems innocuous enough, their implications–that a woman’s value is determined by her fertility–is outrageous. </p>
<p>With that, me, my prepregnant self, and I are going to do at least two of the things the FDA warned against.</p>