We all know that oral health is extremely important for everyone. As we have blogged about before, oral health
problems are related to higher incidences of heart attack and can affect
incidences of cancer as well as diabetes. But new research has shown
that there is a new danger in not maintaining proper oral health for
women- pregnancy.
The study conducted by Professor Roger Hart from
the University of Western Australia suggests that women with gum
disease can need up to an extra two months to conceive than those women
without gum disease. Professor Hart is quoted as saying that Until now,
there have been no published studies that investigate whether gum
disease can affect a woman’s chance of conceiving, so this is the first
report to suggest that gum disease might be one of several factors that
could be modified to improve the chances of a pregnancy. As Hart
suggests, this fact has long been suspected, but this new study has been
able to show a distinct correlation between gum disease and the time it
takes to conceive. In the past, gum disease in pregnant women has been
successfully linked to incidences of miscarriage and premature birth.
Many
women who are trying to conceive already know about the major factors
that keep women from getting pregnant such as diabetes and weight
issues. Now we will be able to inform pregnant women of the need for
proper oral care when trying to get pregnant, so that women can get
their new little bundle of joy that much faster, and with less
complications. The reason that the prevalence of gum disease may play an
important role in womens ability to conceive is that our bodies are
genetically predisposed not to be at their most fertile until our bodies
seem to be in well enough health. Our bodies are trying to wait for
women to be at their optimum health before women are able to conceive so
that gestation, which is an already overwhelming process to the mother,
will be as complication-free as possible.
Women who are planning
to get pregnant generally know that a visit to their general
practitioner is very important to ensure their whole body health
before they try to conceive. But now it seems that it may be just as
important to plan a visit to the dentist. If you are planning to start a
family and believe that you may be at risk or already have gum disease,
make sure to talk to your regular dentist today. The treatment
for gum disease has been shown to have no negative effects on the baby
during pregnancy
, so there is no reason to put off your treatment any
longer.