Transforming preconceptional, prenatal, and interconceptional care into a comprehensive commitment to women's health

Abstract

Preconception and interconception care respond to the growing body of evidence that many of the most important determinants of birth outcomes may exist before pregnancy occurs. In this sense, the strategy of extending prenatal care into the preconception and interconception periods marks a useful step in reforming the public health approach to improving birth outcomes. However, although helpful in underscoring the continuity of risk that can ultimately find expression in adverse birth outcomes, the concern is that without greater critical attention these relatively new care constructs have the potential to undermine rather than strengthen a comprehensive system of women's health care.