Australian health experts are urging people to think about their wellbeing before pregnancy, saying that better preconception care could help prevent complications and improve lifelong outcomes for parents and children.
That was the focus of a recent online panel during our webinar, Preconception Care: Optimising Health Outcomes Through Interventions Implemented Before Conception, hosted by the FASD Hub Australia in collaboration with the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE).
The discussion brought together leading clinician and researcher Professor Elizabeth Elliott, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Vijay Roach, Academic Gynaecologist Professor Kirsten Black, and Clinical Midwife Consultant Lauren Traianou, who highlighted how early lifestyle and health interventions can shape healthier futures.
Preconception care focuses on optimising physical, mental, and social health before pregnancy begins. It includes managing chronic conditions, improving nutrition, exercising, avoiding alcohol and smoking, and ensuring vaccinations are current. The aim is to reduce preventable risks before conception rather than reacting once pregnancy is confirmed.
“By the time a woman realises she’s pregnant, many of the baby’s vital organs are already developing,” said Professor Elliott. “That’s why we need to shift our focus to the time before conception — that’s where we can make the biggest difference.”
Nearly half of all pregnancies in Australia are unplanned, so experts argue that preconception health should be part of routine healthcare for all people of reproductive age, not only those planning a baby.
A key focus of the panel was the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), a lifelong, entirely preventable condition caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. The experts explained that alcohol can affect a baby’s development from the earliest stages of pregnancy, often before a person knows they are pregnant. This makes education and intervention before conception particularly important.
Dr Vijay Roach stressed that “no amount of alcohol is safe in pregnancy” and that stopping drinking before conception is the most effective way to prevent harm. “If we only talk about alcohol after pregnancy is confirmed, we’ve already missed that crucial window for prevention,” he said.
Professor Elliott added that FASD can have serious, lifelong effects on learning, behaviour, and overall wellbeing. She said reducing alcohol use before conception is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to prevent this disability.
The panel encouraged health professionals to discuss alcohol use and pregnancy planning during routine appointments, and called for public awareness campaigns to promote understanding of FASD and the importance of avoiding alcohol before and during pregnancy.
Other priorities discussed included taking folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, managing diabetes and hypertension, maintaining a healthy weight, supporting mental health, and screening for infections such as rubella.
Despite growing evidence, preconception care remains underused in Australia. Professor Kirsten Black said it needs to be normalised in primary care.
“It shouldn’t be something people only think about once they’re pregnant, it should be part of everyday healthcare,” she said.
Midwife Lauren Traianou said preconception care is about empowerment.
“It’s about giving people the knowledge and support to make healthy choices not just for pregnancy, but for life.”
The message was clear: healthy pregnancies start long before conception. “If we want healthier families and communities,” Professor Elliott said, “preconception care has to become part of our national health conversation.”
