The limits of preconception care for global health

Global health programmes aimed at reducing maternal and childhood mortality and morbidity are increasingly employing the concept of "preconception care" - an approach that the World Health Organization defines as interventions that occur before women (or couples) conceive and that address factors that could lead to poor birth outcomes. While the goal of improving maternal and child health outcomes is a vital one that is most assuredly shared by all in the global health community, the concept of preconception care is not without its limits and has significant drawbacks. From a gender rights and equity perspective, the preconception care framework has the potential to introduce harms and risks to women and people capable of getting pregnant. In this article, we summarise the key concerns about preconception care for global health in the twenty-first century. We recommend alternative frameworks that do not revolve around conception and have the potential to benefit all, including women, men, people who can get pregnant, people who do not want to get pregnant, pregnant individuals, and children.