Does My Race Impact My Preconception Experience?
Beyond lifestyle changes, are there specific things I should be thinking about during the preconception period as a person of color?
While most of the interventions to decrease racial inequities are structural in nature, there are opportunities to be proactive and support your own health and wellbeing.
1. Create a community of care and a holistic health practice for yourself, building up your care team as you consider your preconception journey.
2. Know your individual and family medical history and any potential risk factors. For example, current medical surveys and literature indicates that Black women are more likely than white women to experience uterine fibroids, and Asian women are more likely than white women to experience endometriosis.
3. Seek out support networks and resources, such as Fertility for Colored Girls, the Cade Foundation, or the Seleni Institute.
4. Using the 3 Pillars of Fertility Health as your guide for where to start, strengthen your individual mental and physical health, be as proactive about your mental health care as you can, and turn to culturally relevant nutrition or complementary fertility practices.
5. Ask family members and friends about their preconception experiences. Cultural narratives around fertility, infertility, and preconception can be strong and can affect a person’s sense of self, worth, and gender identity. Share your story as you feel comfortable; you are not alone.
6. Don’t be afraid to be your own advocate through this process as well! Feel free to express your concerns or questions throughout your fertility journey.
7. Seek out racially congruent care providers, and ask how they support their patients of color. You can always change providers if their style doesn’t work for you.