Suddenly I started to quit smoking, drinking coffee, eating and exercising, replenishing folic acid, and even sending my pets away. Most of them were ready to be mothers. What changed when that person was preparing to be a dad? It could be … I can’t see it.
The period of time before and after pregnancy is a critical period that lays the foundation for a child’s physical and mental health throughout life [1] . But preparing for pregnancy is not a matter of preparing the mother alone, and male responsibility is equally important.
Men also need to be pregnant 丨 tenor
On the one hand, the physiological state of the male during conception directly determines sperm quality, which affects the child’s health. On the other hand, the ultimate goal of pregnancy is not only the children, but the health and well-being of the entire family. During pregnancy, preparing for dad has a great impact on women’s health and family atmosphere. [2] .
Many people inadvertently expose their families to danger because they do not understand or despise these effects. [2-4] .
It’s too late to start preparing after pregnancy
“When can I hug my grandson?” Many people’s preparation for the role of father began with the elder’s urging. In fact, as long as the partner is determined, they should jointly decide whether to have children in the future according to the two people’s ideas, goals and various conditions. If you want a child, plan your pregnancy time. If you don’t plan to have a baby, take a serious contraception [2, 5] .
Plan early, not only for childrenThe child’s health is more important to adapt the male to his father’s role. Entering the role early will help prepare the dad to establish a parent exemplary image, healthy living habits, and effective communication between family members, and make the whole family healthy and warm. [2] . If you wait until you are pregnant or even when your child is born, then you will realize that you are a father.
Enter the father role early as possible 丨 Picture creative
You have to look through the family tree before pregnancy
After deciding to be a father, in order to ensure a smooth pregnancy and mother and child health, you must first understand your health, especially hereditary diseases, infectious diseases and chronic diseases that affect fertility. When these conditions are known or suspected, seek the guidance of a doctor to keep your family safe [5, 6] .
Personal health is easy to find out, and family information needs to be clarified. Many people do not know that they or their parents had a premature sibling, or a cousin or cousin with a congenital disease that is invisible to their appearance. Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint which disease, but trying to understand the details can help determine whether the disease is inherited. For some hereditary diseases, taking early medical measures can prevent future generations from suffering the same distress [5].
A detailed understanding of the disease history can avoid the inheritance of some diseases 丨 Picture creative
Live a healthy life with a prepared mother
Genetic genes cannot be controlled by themselves, but gene expression can be changed by lifestyle. Just like burying apple seeds, only apples can be produced, but the fruit size and sweet and sour may be very different. Pre-pregnancy men’s physical and psychological information is written into the sperm, and then transmitted to the egg cells, affecting the health of the child.
In addition, before and after pregnancy is also a key window for men to improve their own health. Perennial bad habits may be used to change the [7, 8] . In addition, preparing a dad can play an important supporting role for the partner, promote a healthy life for the preparing mother, and maintain a good mood. [2, 9] .
1Preparing a dad also requires a healthy diet and exercise
In addition to assisting the mother in controlling weight, it is best for men to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Overweight and obesity not only reduce sperm count, concentration and vitality, increase deformity, reduce overall quality, but also reduce androgen levels. [1, 10] . It may cause difficulties in pregnancy and affect the development of the embryo. Diet and exercise not only help to lose weight, but can also reverse these adverse effects [1] .
Eat less high-energy, high-sugar, high-fat (especially saturated fats and trans fats) foods and processed meats, you can Helps improve sperm quality [1, 10-12] , and prevent obesity, blood pressure, blood glucose and dyslipidemia in offspring [1, 13] . Avoid during pregnancyWhile avoiding the above unhealthy foods, you must also ensure that the nutrition is comprehensive. Intake appropriate amounts of iodine, folic acid and other vitamins to ensure the health of the child. [1, 14, 15] .
In addition to controlling weight, regular exercise can also improve sperm quality, which may reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases and tumors in children. But at this time, exercise should also be appropriate. Ultra-high intensity exercise may actually reduce sperm quality and fertility. [15] .
Preparing parents to exercise together 丨 worm creative
2 “Second puberty” for men
Not only does lifestyle change, but preparing dad also faces major psychological changes. Except for puberty, the transition of the role of the father is the most sensitive period of psychological development and maturity in a male’s life.
At this stage, the focus of men has shifted from themselves to the family, the role of the father is gradually established, and the relationship between the entire family has also changed. [8, 16] < / span>. Faced with such a dramatic change, preparing the father occasionally worrying about anxiety is normal, but it is necessary to seek help if it is serious enough to affect normal life. Because of the psychological trauma and mental stress experienced by the father, it may change the brain and hormone levels of offspring, leading to an increased risk of mental and psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. [2, 17] < / span>.
Father is also an important spiritual pillar of mother.Maintaining a happy mood can help women maintain mental health during pregnancy and delivery [6, 13].
Happy maturity period 丨 Picture creative
Keep away from harmful substances such as tobacco and alcohol early
Men’s physical and mental health can be improved through lifestyle. They can also be harmed by harmful substances in the environment such as tobacco and alcohol. Prepare your father to quit smoking and drinking immediately after having a pregnancy plan. [18] , and avoid contact with [19] .
1 smoking reduces sperm quality
Not only ca n’t you smoke in front of your mother, you ca n’t do it alone. Even if you smoke, keep away from [13] . Because the harmful components in tobacco can not only affect the fetus through the pregnant woman, but also enter the male blood circulation, and have a toxic effect on the reproductive system. When men smoke more than 30 cigarettes a day, the proportion of abnormal sperm exceeds one fifth, and genetic material is also affected. And the longer you smoke, the greater the impact.
If there is a problem with sperm, the child’s health is also threatened. Father smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day, the risk of congenital malformations of children increased by 2.1% [15] . For congenital heart defects, children whose fathers smoke are even more at risk than mothers who smoke. 2Half-month drinking before pregnancy
Although similar to tobacco, alcohol may also reduce sperm quality, leading to abortion and fetal malformations, etc. [5, 13] . For congenital heart disease, the more the father drinks alcohol in the first 3 months of pregnancy, the higher the child’s risk of developing the disease [19].
Although the odds of a fetal malformation are not high, and some of them can be found by birth inspection, it is safer for men to quit smoking and alcohol for more than six months when planning pregnancy.
Quit smoking and drinking for at least six months before pregnancy 丨 Picture creative
3 Toxic and harmful substances and drugs
In addition to tobacco and alcohol, common toxic substances that affect male fertility include lead, mercury vapor, high temperature, radiation, and some pesticides. These harmful substances can cause changes in sperm count, morphology, and hormone levels. , Boy genital malformations, some childhood tumors (such as leukemia) Risk [2] . Before preparing your father to take the medicine, you should consult your doctor about the effects of the medicine on fertility and how to adjust the diagnosis and treatment plan. [6] .
Parents are healthy and happy, and children will be better 丨 Picture creative
It’s not only the pregnancy in October that affects your child, but also the crucial period to improve the health of your offspring before pregnancy. The impact of parents on their children can even be traced back to when the parents were born, and continue to accumulate until the child’s birth. [7] . What men think about their father’s role is not only about the child’s body, but also affects the healthy environment and harmony of the entire family.
Although the role of parents is great, the mother is not a container for children, and the role of men is not only healthy sperm. Careful preparation is a happy process, and the surprise that comes suddenly is also an unexpected gift. Children are the hope of the future, but the parents’ own health and happiness are the foundation of a perfect family.
References
[1] Fleming TP, Watkins AJ, Velazquez MA, et al. Origins of lifetime health around the time of conception: causes and consequences. ancet. 2018; 391 (10132): 1842-1852.
[2] Kotelchuck M, Lu M. Father’s Role in Preconception Health. Matern Child Health J. 2017; 21 (11): 2025-2039.
[3] van der Zee B, de Wert G, Steegers EA, et al. Ethical aspects of paternal preconception lifestyle modification. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013; 209 (1) : 11-16.
[4] Jill Shawe, Dilisha Patel, Mark Joy, et al. Preparation for fatherhood: A survey of men’s preconception health knowledge and behaviour in England. PLoS One. 2019; 14 (3): e0213897.
[5] https://www.cdc.gov/preconception/men.html
[6] Obstetrics Section, Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch, Chinese Medical Association. Pre- and Pregnancy Care Guide (2018). Chinese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2018; 53 (1): 7 -13.
[7] Hemsing N, Greaves L, Poole N. Preconception health care interventions: A scoping review. Sex Reprod Healthc. 2017; 14: 24-32.
[8] Pollak KI, Denman S, Gordon KC, et al. Is pregnancy a teachable moment for smoking cessation among US Latino expectant fathers? A pilot study. Ethn Health. 2010 ; 15 (1): 47-59.
[9] O’Brien AP, Hurley J, Linsley P, et al. Men’s Preconception Health: A Primary Health-Care Viewpoint. Am J Mens Health. 2018; 12 ( 5): 1575-1581.
[10] Houfflyn S, Matthys C, Soubry A. Male Obesity: Epigenetic Origin and Effects in Sperm and Offspring. Curr Mol Biol Rep. 2017; 3 (4): 288 -296.
[11] Sinclair KD, Watkins AJ. Parental diet, pregnancy outcomes and offspring health: metabolic determinants in developing oocytes and embryos. Reprod Fertil Dev. 2013; 26 (1): 99-114.
[12] Nätt D, Kugelberg U, Casas E, et al. Human sperm displays rapid responses to diet. PLoS Biol.2019; 17 (12): e3000559.
[13] Chinese Nutrition Society, Expert Committee on Revision of Dietary Guidelines Expert Working Group on Revision of Dietary Guidelines for Women and Children ): 561-564.
[14] Barker M, Dombrowski SU, Colbourn T, et al. Intervention strategies to improve nutrition and health behaviours before conception. Lancet. 2018; 391 (10132): 1853- 1864.
[15] Soubry A. POHaD: why we should study future fathers. Environ Epigenet. 2018; 4 (2): dvy007.
[16] O’Brien AP, Hurley J, Linsley P, et al. Men’s Preconception Health: A Primary Health-Care Viewpoint. Am J Mens Health. 2018; 12 ( 5): 1575-1581.
[17] Braun JM, Messerlian C, Hauser R. Fathers Matter: Why It’s Time to Consider the Impact of Paternal Environmental Exposures on Children’s Health. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2017; 4 (1): 46-55.
[18] Shawe J, Delbaere I, Ekstrand M, et al. Preconception care policy, guidelines, recommendations and services across six European countries: Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 2015; 20 (2): 77-87.
[19] Zhang S, Wang L, Yang T, et al. Parental alcohol consumption and the risk of congenital heart diseases in offspring: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2019: 2047487319874530.
[20] Zhao L, Chen L, Yang T, et al. Parental smoking and the risk of congenital heart defects in offspring: An updated meta-analysis of observational studies. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2019: 2047487319831367.
This article is from the public number: Nutshell (ID: Guokr42) author: on behalf of Tian Yi