Preconception appointments are gaining popularity among doctors

NEW YORK Increasingly, experts are encouraging women to consult with their doctors and seek care before getting pregnant.

Preconception care involves interventions such as quitting smoking and drinking, nutrition counseling and tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines for improving preconception care, under the advice of the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The CDC recommends that men and women have reproductive plans, whether or not they plan to have children, in order to cut unintended pregnancies.