What Australian and international guidelines support women's interconception health?

This project seeks to explore what Australian and international guidelines support women's interconception care. Reducing adverse outcomes on mother and child are key priority areas. However, antenatal engagement with women about lifestyle risk reduction can be too late to prevent some outcomes such as low birth weight associated with smoking, and, fetal alcohol syndrome associated with alcohol intake. Additionally, increases in chronic conditions associated with lifestyle risk can increase adverse maternal and infant outcomes. These risks increase with subsequent pregnancies at a time when there can be challenges for women juggling work and family commitments. This project will involve a literature review and interviews with clinicians about what guidelines they use to support women in their interconception health. This project sits within SPHERE, an NHMRC funded Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care. SPHERE is led by Professor Danielle Mazza and supported by multidisciplinary students and researchers in the Department of General Practice. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to be part of this team with support from supervisors.