For Health Professionals
Healthy weight
Key things to know
Body weight is an important consideration for both men and women before conception.
- Underweight: Being below a healthy weight can reduce fertility and increase the risk of preterm delivery.
- Overweight or obesity: Living with overweight or obesity can reduce fertility and increase pregnancy-related risks, including gestational diabetes, hypertension, macrosomia, caesarean delivery, and postpartum haemorrhage.
Promoting healthy behaviours – such as balanced nutrition and regular physical activity – will improve preconception health, even if weight loss or gain is not achieved. Ensuring key nutrients are consumed in adequate amounts throughout the day supports fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
It is important to recognise that body weight is influenced by multiple factors beyond diet and exercise, including food security, built environment, cultural context, work demands, and stress. Approaches to supporting healthy weight should be non-stigmatising and tailored to the individual’s circumstances.
Encourage patients to set achievable nutrition and physical activity goals to support overall health before pregnancy.
Recognise that weight loss or gain can be challenging and may take time. Emphasise the multiple health benefits of healthy eating and regular physical activity that often occur before weight changes, including:
- Improved sleep quality
- Increased energy levels
- Hormone regulation
- Stabilised blood sugar
- Better blood pressure
Making goals based on non-weight outcomes, such as those above, helps shift the focus from weight alone to overall health and wellbeing, making health behaviour improvements more sustainable and motivating.
Encouraging physical activity before conception
The importance of nutrition in preconception care
Resources
Access these resources to support conversations:
- My Health for Life – free, personalised health coaching through group sessions, phone, or online options. It empowers participants to set achievable goals and take control of their health before problems develop.
- How to stay motivated with physical activity video
- Starting or returning to physical activity video
- Use this activity planner to support your consumers to make achievable movement goals for preconception health
- Share Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s consumer-focussed exercises and workouts videos. These are activities that can be completed at home or in a small space.
- Utilise free and available support services to help your consumers get moving.
- 10,000 Steps – This supports people to increase their awareness and participation in physical activity by tracking steps, setting goals and finding ways to be active as part of their everyday lives. Delivered by web and mobile app, with email and phone support.
- Parkrun – This can be a walk or a run for 5km along local places, in a positive, welcoming and inclusive environment with no time limits and no one finishing last. There are over 500 parkrun’s across Australia.
- Nutrition resources
- Use the Australian Dietary Guidelines to help support your patient to identify how they can improve their nutrition
- To Print – What to eat preconception
- Video – Simple steps to healthier eating
- Video – Supporting behaviour change;
- Simple swaps for you and your family blog article