Four out of 10 Belgian women 'unprepared' for pregnancy

A study by consumer research agency iVOX shows that 40% of women in Belgium are unaware of the importance of planning for a pregnancy long before conception occurs, writes Het Laatste Nieuws.

While it is common knowledge in medical circles that the period before conception is a crucial stage for the health of a baby, only two in five Belgian women are aware that they should be taking any measures at all pre-conception to positively influence their baby's health. That is one of the results of the iVOX survey of 1,000 women in Belgium.

Despite recommendations from the Belgian agency Child and Family, among others, only half of the women surveyed (55.8%) took folic acid during the planning stage of their pregnancy. One in three women (36.1%) does not know what folic acid is, and three out of five women (60.4%) are unaware that folic acid taken in the months prior to conception greatly reduces the risk of spina bifida and neural tube defects in babies.

While it is also generally recommended that women see their gynaecologist for a pre-pregnancy checkup, three in ten (31.7%) skipped this crucial step, according to the study. Only one in four women (24.7%) researched information about pregnancy online before conceiving and one in six (16%) of the women surveyed took no preparations at all in the pre-conception stage.