Hazards to pregnancy
Pregnancy is usually diagnosed several weeks after conception. It is, therefore, advisable to avoid risk factors if you are planning to become pregnant.
I would propose that we remove these two sentences as woman reading the site are most likely looking to fall pregnant.
Contraception
If you are using a long-acting injectable contraceptive, once the injection is stopped, it may take as long as 9 months for you to fall pregnant. There is usually no delay in falling pregnant after stopping the oral contraceptive tablets or after having an intra-uterine device removed. This will allow your body to return to normal. Use barrier contraception in its place.
To further help the conception process, partners should avoid regular lubricants as a woman’s secretions just after ovulation are slightly alkaline and thus provide protection for the sperm against the acidic environment found inside a woman’s vagina. Artificial lubricants can work against this process and leave sperm without help from the woman’s natural secretions.
Smoking
Smoking has been singled out as a major, yet preventable, cause of low birth weight in newborns. Other problems associated with smoking include spontaneous abortions,ectopic pregnancies, infant death, infertility, menstrual disorders, and placental irregularities such as placenta praevia and placenta abruptio. Every attempt should be made to stop smoking completely, or cut down significantly. This may be difficult, but there should be no stronger motivator to stop smoking than to protect your unborn baby.
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