Preparing for Motherhood: Why it is Important for Women to Optimise their Emotional Wellbeing before Falling Pregnant.

The impact of perinatal distress can be significant, affecting the woman’s physical and emotional health during the pregnancy and consequently the development of her unborn child; her experience of child-birth; her ability to bond with and care for her baby; her day-to-day functioning as a new mother; and her relationship with her partner.

 For all of these reasons, I believe it is critical for any woman who is planning to become pregnant to optimise her emotional wellbeing before she conceives.

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Menopause: A Time of Change, A Time for Change.

Menopause marks the end of a woman’s ability to naturally have children as menstruation has completely finished at least 12 months prior. According to various resources, the typical age range in reaching this time can be anywhere from 48 to 55 years of age.  A conversation I had with a GP I used to visit suggested the age is a lot younger, certainly for peri-menopausal symptoms. He claimed he had been treating someone in their late twenties. The overall peri-menopause to menopause transition appears to be anywhere from seven to 14 years (1).

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