I believe that it's really important for GPS to refer to a dietitian as soon as a couple flags that they're interested in conceiving. The reason why is that as we know nutrition is so important for the epigenetics of our babies and as a dietitian I want to be able to work on a couple's diet and help them to optimize their weight, whether it's increasing their weight or losing weight, before they even try and conceive.
When I'm able to work with a couple before they conceive not only does that impact the epigenetics of their baby and the baby's whole future health but it also creates this double whammy impact. If we can optimize their diet before pregnancy they're going to have a much healthier diet right throughout pregnancy and that means that they're going to significantly reduce pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes. As well we don't just look at doling out the dietary guidelines which is important as well, but we deal with all sorts of dietary related conditions.
So for example if somebody has polycystic ovarian syndrome or endometriosis or celiac disease all of these types of conditions can then go on to impact the risk of their baby developing these types of conditions. So by optimizing a woman's weight, her gut microbiome through a diet rich in prebiotics and the right nutrients can significantly impact her babies epigenetics and the baby's future health.
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