Preconception care in France

Abstract

Objective: Preconception care is advocated throughout the world as a tool for improving perinatal outcomes. However, the proportion of women in France who attend a dedicated medical preconception visit is unknown.

Methods: We undertook a retrospective study among 401 women who delivered at a maternity clinic or hospital in France to determine how many of them had attended a preconception visit. We also collected information on various preconception care behaviors such as folate supplementation and alcohol or tobacco cessation.

Results: In total, 21.6% of the women took a folate prescription, and 91.3% and 68.6% of women stopped alcohol and tobacco consumption, respectively. Of the 80.2% of women who visited a doctor within the 6 months before conception, only 13.8% discussed their planned pregnancy at this visit.

Conclusion: Although the rate of vitamin supplementation remains low, there has been an increase in adequate preconception care behavior. This indicates that improvement is possible and should be implemented.

Keywords: Care; Folate; Preconception.