5 Steps to Take Before Trying to Conceive
Deciding that you’re ready to start trying for a baby is such an exciting and nerve-wracking time. While you may have been told to just toss your birth control pack and get busy, there are real benefits to taking some time to establish a few healthy habits first.
Your health before you become pregnant is incredibly important for ensuring a healthy start for your baby. The first few weeks of pregnancy, often before you even know you’re pregnant, are crucial for your baby’s development. By being the healthiest you can be, you not only increase your chances of getting pregnant in the first place, but you protect your future baby’s health and can even reduce your own risk of experiencing problems during pregnancy.
1. Come off hormonal birth control months before you start trying
It can take your body a few menstrual cycles to clear the hormones from the pill and return to a normal-for-you cycle – for some women it can even take years and lots of work to troubleshoot hormonal issues (especially if you went on the pill initially for irregular cycles or other hormonal challenges). Knowing that this shift can be rocky, give yourself time to transition off before trying. Ideally I would recommend giving yourself a full year to get into tip-top hormonal shape, but 6 months is generally plenty of time to work on supporting your hormones before trying for a baby.
Extra credit: birth control robs your body of some key nutrients, so talk with your health care provider about supplementing with nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. These nutrients are also found in abundance in some foods!
2. Start tracking your cycle
Getting pregnant requires having sex (or going through fertility treatments) at the right time in your cycle – when you’re actually ovulating! Getting to know the patterns of your cycle can greatly improve your chances of conceiving.
If you want to take a deep-dive and understand the nitty-gritty of your own cycle, I highly recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility and learning about the Fertility Awareness Method. If you’re not quite there yet, there are a few apps that make it simple to start learning about your cycle – my favorites are Clue and Flo. By tracking your cycle you can start to get a sense of the typical length of your cycle and when you may be ovulating – spoiler alert, hardly anyone has a “typical” 28 day cycle!
3. Start nourishing your body like you’re already pregnant
One of the best things you can do for yourself and your future baby is to start deeply nourishing yourself with whole, nutrient dense food. This means eating plenty of colorful (organic if possible) veggies and fruits, high quality sources of protein and healthy fats, fish and seafood, nuts, and seeds. It doesn’t have to be too complicated, just focus on real foods – foods coming from as close to their original source as possible, making sure you get plenty of healthy fat. It’s also best to minimize things like trans fats and refined sugars.
In addition to nourishing yourself through a real food diet, it’s not a bad idea to start taking a high quality prenatal vitamin months before you actually get pregnant. For more information, check out my free prenatal vitamin selection guide linked below!
4. Minimize your exposure to toxins
There are a few obvious things to avoid, like cigarettes, excessive alcohol use, and any illicit drugs. But there are also certain household products that contain toxins worth avoiding as well. These often lurk in our personal care products (hair products, makeup, lotions, perfumes, etc), our cleaning products at home, and the plastics we use around our house (get that plastic Tupperware out of here!!)
Some of the most important ingredients to avoid are parabens, sulfates, sulfties, plastics and phthalates as these can actually disrupt our hormones. If you’re curious about certain items in your home, head over to the Environmental Working Group to learn more about their potential toxicity. When in doubt, pick products with ingredients you recognize as something found in nature, bonus points if you would even eat those ingredients!
5. Find a stress management technique (or two) that works for you
In addition to all the other stressors in your daily life, the act of trying to get pregnant can be stressful as well. Before you start this journey, find a stress management technique or 2 that work well for you. Not only will this help you keep a level head through the trying-to-conceive journey, but stress can impact fertility, so learning how to cope will only improve your chances of getting pregnant
Mediation is one of my favorite tools. There are lots of great apps out there like Headspace and Calm that can help teach you how to mediate and incorporate mindfulness into your lifestyle. You can also try things like walking, talking with a counselor, reading, getting creative and/or trying new hobbies, hanging out with friends etc. Find those things that bring you a sense of calm and incorporate them into your daily routine!
