Preconception Care: Planning for the Future

• Routine preconception care can have a positive impact on maternal-fetal outcomes.
• Nurse practitioners can play a pivotal role in providing preconception care at every visit.
• Any visit should include preconception evaluation, intervention, and counseling.

In the United States, rates of maternal mortality, unplanned pregnancies, low birthweight infants, and preterm infants continue to rise, making the need for preconception care a priority in the delivery of care. Traditionally, women have viewed preconception care as a single visit made before attempting pregnancy; however, the maximum benefits are obtained when the woman and her partner receive care throughout the reproductive years, whether pregnancy is immediately planned or not. The primary care nurse practitioner has a pivotal role in the identification of risk factors and encouragement of healthy behaviors that have the potential to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes.