Seven Important Tips to Keep in Mind While Trying to Conceive
Parenthood is one of the most beautiful experiences in life. It can be an amazing experience to bring a human being to this world and help them grow and bloom daily. However, it is not always easy to start your parenthood journey.
You can do many things to make conceiving a baby easier. Of course, your health before, during, and even after pregnancy is strongly linked with your fertility and child. Hence, it is important to start preparing for your parenthood journey long before your pregnancy test comes positive.
Here are some of the most important tips you must remember while trying to conceive.
1. Intake of Folic Acid Regularly
According to many types of research, many women trying to conceive are successful within the first month. Therefore, it is important to start preparing to conceive as soon as the thought of becoming a parent comes to your mind. The first thing you can do to ensure a healthy pregnancy is to use folic acid regularly.
Folic acid can be very beneficial for your baby. Early usage of folic acid can ensure maximum protection for your baby against neural tube defects. You can start taking folic acid 2-3 months before conceiving. It is usually a good idea to continue usage for 12 weeks. You can also consult your obstetrician for further guidance.
2. Improve Your Diet
Everything that you ingest is important not only once you conceive but also long before that. What you eat affects your fertility. Therefore, it is important to watch what is on your plate. A healthy diet can lead to an easier and healthier pregnancy.
It is best to go with a hormone-balancing diet. Women with irregular menstrual cycles and PCOS can also add a well-reviewed inositol supplement to their diet. You can also get in touch with a dietician to create a meal plan for you to increase your chances of pregnancy.
3. Limit Caffeine Intake
You are not alone if you like to start your day with caffeine. It has become an essential part of life for some people, and quitting caffeine intake can seem like the worst nightmare. However, it is a difficult endeavor you must undertake to ensure success in your conceiving.
According to research, increased caffeine intake can increase your chances of miscarriage. In addition, consuming caffeine while you are pregnant can also harm your baby. Hence, it is best to limit your coffee intake before getting pregnant and leave it altogether during pregnancy.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Your weight plays an important role in determining a successful pregnancy. Therefore, you need to determine if you must put on or shed some weight while trying to conceive. You can determine the need for change by calculating your BMI (Body Mass Index).
If your BMI is over 25, it means that you are overweight. Extra weight can cause complications in conceiving and during pregnancy. On the contrary, if your BMI is less than 19, you are underweight and may need to gain weight to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
5. Stop Consuming Alcohol
Whether you drink once every few weeks or party often, you need to say goodbye to alcohol intake completely as someone trying to conceive. According to research, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to infertility. In addition, alcohol consumption also increases the chances of complications during pregnancy.
Therefore, it is important to quit alcohol consumption altogether. This way, you protect your baby from any harm. After all, enough studies have been conducted to prove the effect alcohol consumption can have on a child’s development. It is one of the leading causes of diseases and conditions in fetuses.
6. Get a Cervical Screening
Cervical screening is an important part of the life of every woman between the ages of 25 to 50. Healthcare specialists recommend that every woman should get a cervical screening at least once every three years. It is one of the most important tests before pregnancy.
Cervical screening can help prevent cancer and diagnose HPV in earlier stages. This way, your healthcare providers can catch abnormal development in its tracks and take the needed action accordingly. It is important to remember that pregnancy can make the screening harder. Hence, it is better to get your screening before trying to conceive.
7. Avoid Stress
Whether you face a lot of stress at your home or workplace, it is important to cut down on it as soon as possible. You may think that pregnancy and stress are not correlated, but that is not true. High stress levels can make it harder for women to conceive.
After all, stress can cause hormonal changes in the body. These changes can lead to delay and failure in conception. Therefore, try to keep stress under control. You can try mindful meditation or so many other activities that can help you stay stress-free.