How to get your body ready for a baby--What can I expect at a pre-pregnancy check-up?

Your check-up is an opportunity to talk through any health concerns or worries you may have.

Your doctor or nurse will probably ask you about:

• 
  Your health and lifestyle.
• Your eating habits.
• Any problems with your periods.
• How much exercise you do.
• Whether your job involves working with hazardous substances.
• Your wellbeing, for example, whether you are suffering from depression, or have done so in the past.

If you're overweight, with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, your doctor will recommend that you try to lose weight. Losing weight may increase your chances of conceiving (NICE 2010) and will mean that you'll have a healthy start to your pregnancy.

If you're underweight, talk to your doctor about healthy ways to increase your BMI. You're more likely to have an irregular menstrual cycle if you have a low body weight. If you're missing periods, you won't release an egg (ovulate) during each cycle. A healthy BMI is between about 19 and 25.

Your doctor will also want to know about any existing health conditions you may have, such as:

• diabetes
• asthmahigh
• blood pressure (CKS 2007)

It will be helpful if your doctor also knows about:

• Any genetic conditions in your family. Tell your GP if you have a family history of Down's syndrome, sickle cell disease, thalassaemia or cystic fibrosis, so she can arrange further support and advice (NHS 2010).
• Your contraception. Most contraceptive methods, once you stop using them, shouldn't affect how long it takes to conceive. But if you've been using the contraceptive injection, it may take up to one year after your last injection for your usual fertility to return (CKS 2007, NHS 2010, NICE 2005: 22).

Your doctor may also ask about any terminations, miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies you've experienced. You may find it hard to go over painful memories. Try to bear in mind that knowing about what's happened in the past will help your doctor to ensure you get the best care.