Whether you are trying to have a baby or just thinking about it, informing yourself is a good first step. Here are three tips to get you started:

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about how women can protect themselves from HPV and cervical cancer.

The small amount of evidence available about medications and pregnancy makes it tough for women to make informed decisions. Fortunately, researchers are learning more all the time.

When expecting, it can be nerve-wracking to consider all the changes going on in your life and how to be ready to take care of this new, tiny, amazing creature.

It's hard enough to adequately weigh the risks and benefits of taking certain medications while pregnant. But the bigger problem is when women and doctors simply don't know the risks. A review article that considered much of the research available and published in April says just that: too little is known about the ways prescription drugs taken by a pregnant mother may affect the developing baby. This is true even for the drugs used to treat chronic conditions, such as asthma, high blood pressure and mental health disorders. Avoid any unnecessary medication during pregnancy. ...

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective preventive measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant. It lowers medical costs, provides invaluable immunities, and helps protect against childhood obesity and many other illnesses including diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory and ear infections.

To ring in Cervical Health Awareness Month, let's start with a rather startling statistic: Did you know cervical cancer ranks as the third most common cancer in women worldwide?