Preparing for a pregnancy is not something only reserved for couples going through fertility treatments, it can be for everyone who is even thinking of getting pregnant in the future, it is never too early to start planning for a happy healthy pregnancy.
It takes 100 days for sperm to develop and eggs to mature, so by starting preparation early you ensure the baby that your trying to create and grow is the healthiest it possibly can be.
Why does the 100 days matter? Well if you think about it, it takes 100 days for what goes into your body to be reflected in your sperm or eggs.
Preparing for Pregnancy - The Important Steps
For women one of the most important things to do is to come off contraception as soon as possible. This is because the contraception controls your bodies hormones, and when you cease taking any form of contraception, your body goes back to creating and regulating its own hormones, and if this is not something its done for years and years it can take a minute to get use to completing this process. 394, 200 minutes to be exact, research shows that it takes on average 9 cycles, for your body to be adequately regulating your menstrual cycle, this can mean you have slightly longer cycles (so it wont just be nine months), or you don't ovulate every cycle, which completely wipes out your chance of getting pregnant that month.
So stopping your contraception is an important step for all women, even if you don't end up having an issue, having a good break from the synthetic hormones is important for overall reproductive health.
Diet, improving the food and liquids you put into your body is also important on a cellular level. By including a well balanced diet of fruit, vegetables and meat (if your choose), will ensure that your bodies cells have all the adequate nutrients to be able to function efficiently. Organic fruit and vegetables are ideal, as eliminating toxins can further assist your body, as it can focus all its energy on primary functions instead of eliminating toxins.
Alcohol is also a toxin, so reducing your intake (yes men as well), will allow the body to focus on its primary functions.
Caffeine! I know you didn't want to hear it, but eliminating caffeine (soft drinks, coffee, foods), is also important as it majorly contributes to stress within the body.
Stress, we couldn't not address this. Stress can cause the body to release chemicals that inhibit ovulation, it is understandable to have a degree of stress if your life, but by ensuring you have adequate rest and relaxation it will lead to increase chance of pregnancy.
Lifestyle Changes - Both Men and Women
A few simple changes can continue to improve your fertility health, these include:
Limiting: alcohol, fatty foods, caffeine, soy and smoking.
Increasing: Exercise (30 minutes of light exercise per day), sleep, acupuncture (to help regulate hormones, decrease stress, and increase blood circulation), eliminate toxins and improving diet.
Acupuncture can assist and get you on the right path for optimal fertility. If you have any questions or want to book in to start your fertility journey, head to the soul qi web page or call us on 07 5439 0094.
Written by Alice Whitehouse - Acupuncturist at Soul Qi.
Available for Appointments Tuesday and Wednesdays.