Preconception Nutrition: A Missed Opportunity for Maternal and Child Health

Preconception nutrition is a critical yet often overlooked foundation for improving maternal and child health outcomes. New insights from South Asia expose a persistent gap while policies for maternal nutrition exist, effective implementation of preconception-specific services remains limited. Most countries in the region do not have universal systems for screening, micronutrient supplementation, counselling, or targeted support for at-risk women. Without routine data and coordinated mechanisms, decision-making falters and so do women’s health outcomes.

Yet, preconception nutrition holds immense promise. Evidence shows that combinations of micronutrient and food supplements with or without screening, psychosocial support, or WASH interventions, can significantly reduce low birthweight and small-for-gestational-age births. Our recent research highlights the complex burden of preconception malnutrition among married women in South Asia:

Overweight is now more common than underweight
Anaemia and vitamin D deficiency are widespread
Sharp inequities exist across countries, states, and population subgroups

Why is preconception nutrition under-addressed?

Limited data on multiple forms of malnutrition before pregnancy occurs
Low coverage of proven interventions
Gaps in integration within health systems
Weak evidence pathways linking preconception care to long-term outcomes

What’s needed to move forward?

Our study, grounded in research and stakeholder perspectives, calls for:

Context-specific, life-stage-targeted strategies
Stronger engagement from governments and private sector actors
Integrated delivery models combining nutrition, WASH, and psychosocial support
Expanded implementation and formative research

Contributions from our scientists in THE LANCET Regional Health Southeast Asia discovers the way to transform preconception nutrition in South Asia.

It’s time to act early — because nourishing women before pregnancy builds healthier futures.

Downloadable Resources

Preconception malnutrition among women and girls in south Asia: prevalence, determinants, and association with pregnancy and birth outcomes Effects of preconception nutrition interventions on pregnancy and birth outcomes in South Asia: a systematic review Policies and programmes to improve preconception nutrition in South Asia Bridging the gaps: advancing preconception nutrition in South Asia through evidence, policy, and action Advancing Preconception Nutrition in South Asia_ Technical Brief