Pre-conception Care Resources

eLearning

Below find an eLearning resource on the topic of pre-conception care. This course addresses how to conduct a pre-conception consultation, including lifestyle factors, risks, fertility implications and complications of existing medical conditions that could impact on pregnancy. Access requires an eLfH account. The e-SRH programme has been developed by the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH) in partnership with Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE eLfH). 

Resources marked FREE are free to all NHS clinicians.

CoSRH / eLfH Resource:

• e-SRH Module 6: planning pregnancy ^{FREE to healthcare professionals (requires an eLfh account).} 

Guidelines

Below find guidance from the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH) / Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU), and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) service on the topic of pre-conception care.

Also below find guidelines from the Medicines and Heathcare products Regulatory Agency (MHpRA) on the use of valproate in children, young people and adults.

CoSRH Statements:

• Statement: Paternal Exposure to Valproate and the Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children (Sep 24)^FREE
• CEU Statement on Pre-conception Care (Aug 2016)^FREE

MHpRA Guidance:

• National Patient Safety Alert: Valproate: Organisations to prepare for new regulatory measures for oversight of prescribing to new patients and existing female patients (Nov 23)

NICE / CKS Guidance:

• Pre-conception: Advice and management (updated June 2025)^FREE

Reviews

Below find a review from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), a research article from the RCGP's British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) journal and a review article from the RCGP InnovAiT journal on the topic of pre-conception care. 

Articles from The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG) below, which are not marked FREE or which are not open access, may require a subscription or institutional access to read the full content. Check with your university or hospital library regarding institutional access to articles from this journal. 

RCOG Review:

• Preconception Health in the Well Woman  (The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist 2022; 24: 58–66)

RCGP BJGP Research:

• GPs’ Awareness of Pregnancy: Trends and association with hazardous medication use (BJGP 2023; 73 (732): e493—e501)^FREE

RCGP InnovAiT Review:

• Pre-conception Counselling (InnovAiT 2024; 17(6): 278–284)^{FREE to RCGP Members} 

General Resources for Patients and Health Professionals

Below find pregnancy information from the organisation, Tommy's, for health professionals and their patients. 

Tommy's Website Resources:

• Tommy's 'Planning for Pregnancy' tool (tool for women who are planning a pregnancy offering individual advice on how to have a healthier pregnancy)^FREE
• Delivering Preconception Care to Women of Childbearing Age with Serious Mental Illness^FREE