The prevalence of preconception care, its relation with recipients’ individuality, fertility, and the causes of lack of checkup in women who gave birth in Isfahan hospitals in 2016

Preconception care is a set of interventions that aim to identify and repair the factors that can affect the outcome of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of receiving preconception care, its relation with recipients’ individuality, fertility, and determining the reason for lack of checkup.

This was a descriptive cross‑sectional study that was conducted based on simple stratified random quota sampling on 702 women who gave birth in hospitals of Isfahan (Iran) from April to June in 2016. The tool of collecting data was researcher‑made questionnaire. The data were analyzed by the SPSS software version 18 using the mean, standard deviation, relativity, and independent Chi‑square tests.

The results showed that 47.7% of participants had received preconception care. There was a significant relationship between educational levels, income, wanted pregnancy, number of pregnancies, and previous individual delivery with preconception care (P < 0/05). The main reason for the lack of preconception care was unplanned pregnancy.

Results of this study indicated that the quantity of preconception care is not desirable. Therefore, notifying and sensitizing women of childbearing age is essential to refer to service centers and receiving preconception care and planning to present it to all eligible women before pregnancy care. The main causes of the lack of preconception care can be adjusted through health programs.