Improvements in perinatal outcomes and intergenerational health can be achieved by optimising the maternal environment before conception, during pregnancy and in the first two years of a child’s life.

Interconception care is becoming increasingly important, with rising rates of overweight, obesity, diabetes and hypertension among people of reproductive age.

Medical abortion is a more accessible and less invasive option than surgical termination and can be provided in primary care settings.

Preconception care addresses the biomedical, behavioural and social health of women and their partners prior to pregnancy, and has far-reaching benefits for mothers and children.

Despite being aware of the risks of diabetes in pregnancy, less than half of women with diabetes had sought preconception care, and many had poor knowledge of the most reliable contraceptive methods.

Adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes can be ameliorated through antenatal and postnatal care that attends to the special needs of this group.