Pre-Conception Health

The main aim of the Pre-Conception Health Special Interest Group (PCH-SIG) is to promote interest, evidence-based practice and collaborative research endeavours between clinicians and allied health professionals in the areas of infertility and lifestyle factors that are related to infertility including obesity and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It is anticipated that this PCH-SIG will facilitate evidence-based interventions and community and multidisciplinary partnerships.

Special Interest Groups

Quick Overview

Mission and Vision

The common goal of members should be that of assisting men and women to achieve optimal health prior to and following conception. At this stage and for the purpose of this Special Interest Group, pre-conception health is restricted to patients with infertility (sub-fertility) while we develop models of care relevant for all couples planning a pregnancy.

History of Pre-Conception Health Special Interest Group

The first business meeting of the Pre-Conception Health Special Interest Group (PCH-SIG) attended by 22 keen individuals was held at the Fertility Society of Australia (FSA) annual conference in Perth, Australia on 26th of October, 2009. We identified a number of aims for the group including:

Identification of models of care to address and assess lifestyle factors in fertility clinics across Australia: Development and synthesis of existing pre-conception guidelines for Australian populations – both general and specific to infertility
Facilitating collaborative research
Development of a national database of projects commensurate with the PCH-SIG mission.

Lifestyle Guidelines

The Preconception Health Special Interest Group (PCH-SIG) and the Fertility Coalition* are proud to launch the first eight in a planned series of fact sheets summarising current evidence relating to factors affecting fertility and ART outcomes. These fact sheets have been written for health professionals who care for couples trying to conceive and can be downloaded here.

Topics covered so far:

The fact sheets have been written by PCH-SIG Members Clare Boothroyd, Sheryl de Lacy, Mark Green, Karin Hammarberg, Gill Homan, Cailin Jordan, Louise Johnson, Lisa Moran, Rob Norman, and Caroline Smith.

We hope you find the fact sheets helpful and welcome your feedback and suggestions for other topics to be covered.

* A partnership between the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA), Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, Robinson Institute and Andrology Australia, yourfertility.org.au

Terms of Reference

Download your copy of the Pre Conceptional Health Special Interest Group’s Terms of Reference

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