Preconception Planning - Part 3 - Prepare for Pregnancy with your Lifestyle
Preconception Planning
Part 3 of a 3-part series
Prepare for Pregnancy with your Lifestyle
This is a monumental time in your life, you are ready to start a family! Studies suggest that stress impacts fertility, and that struggles with infertility can dramatically increase stress levels. Developing sustainable stress relieving solutions, and coping mechanisms is a key part of a lifestyle fit of fertility. It is valuable to develop sustainable healthy lifestyle habits during the preconception period that will serve you throughout pregnancy and beyond.
I typically recommend spending 3 months preparing for pregnancy in order to lay the foundations for optimum health before to trying to conceive. Some couples will benefit from 6 months of preconception care, particularly if the mother-to-be has irregular menstrual cycles, or either partner has underlying health conditions. Regardless, I make sure to help you establish key lifestyle habits that will augment your health, resilience to stress, and overall capacity. I discuss these healthy habits with my patients through 4 lenses: body, mind, environment, and community.
LIFESTYLE
Body
Movement - move your body for at least one hour every day. This can be walking, running, jogging, yoga, or anything you like! Of the one hour a day, at least 30 minutes should be moderate intensity activity causing you to sweat. Exercise is important for moving blood (oxygen, nutrients, and hormones) around the body, maintaining good body composition (muscle to fat ratio), and a healthy weight. Women who are too thin or are too heavy are less likely to conceive due to changes in ovulation.
Digestion - digestion and absorption of nutrients is essential to foundational health. Proper digestion is also a requirement for optimal hormonal health. An imbalance in gut bacteria can lead to hormone imbalances, menstrual cycle irregularities, and can negatively impact fertility. Constipation can lead to the inability to detoxify the body and eliminate excess hormones; while loose stools can cause dehydration and deplete the body from valuable vitamins and minerals.
Hydration - Women should drink about 2.5 L of water a day and men should drink about 3.5 L of water a day. Water is a an important component of healthy cervical mucus and semen. The importance of adequate hydration cannot be overlooked.
Sleep - sleep is essential for rest and recovery. Disrupted sleep can contribute to disrupted hormones which impact ovulatory cycles and fertility. Sleep hygiene techniques are a valuable way to optimize the quality of your sleep. Avoid “blue light” from TV screens, your phone, laptops and tablets for one hour before bed. Dim the lights in the evening to signal to your body it is time to rest. Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. Go to bed and wake up and roughly the same time everyday, even on the weekends. Get 8-9 hours of sleep each night.
Nutrition - nutrient dense food is probably the most important way to support your overall health. To learn more read Prepare for Pregnancy with your Diet.
Mind
Stress & coping - High stress is associated with lower rates of fertility. Reflect on your stress triggers (work, finances, relationships), and the level of stress in your life. Think about the activities that help relieve your stress (exercise, open communication, journaling, time outdoors), and ensure that you are incorporating those activities into your daily life to help lower your stress levels. Coping mechanisms can be used to manage stress in the moment, while self care activities should be done as a stress prevention strategy. I consider deep breathing one of the best coping mechanisms; it is simple, free and can be done anywhere. Breathe in for 4 seconds, and out for 6 seconds; breathing deeply into your belly, allowing your ribs to expand and relax. Repeat for 10 breaths.
Self care - taking time to do things that calm your nervous system, decrease stress, and bring balance back into your life is self care. The most important thing to know about self care is that it is not a reward once you cross the finish line, but instead simple moments you incorporate into your daily life that will help you cross the finish line! Examples include having a bath, reading a book, using aromatherapy, getting a massage, doing an at-home facial.
Mindfulness - mindfulness is awareness to your thought patterns and your behaviours. Acknowledging the present patterns, and deciding if you want to continue this way, or setting and intention for a new direction fo thinking and acting. Simple ways to bring mindfulness into your life could include journaling in the morning, expressing 3 words of gratitude before bed, going on a walk and noticing your senses. What sounds do you hear, what do you smell, what colours do you see, how does it make you feel? Living more in the present will help you appreciate this time in your life, and prevent you from wanting to rush into the future. Both mindfulness and meditation are ways that you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS must be active in order to properly use the areas of our brain responsible for critical thinking….
Environment
Nature - spending time in nature is also known as forest bathing. It has been shown lower depression, lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels, elevate mood, and increase activity of natural killer cells to help fight infection, and eliminate abnormal cells with cancerous potential. These days we live in a very stimulating world. Nature is grounding and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing your body to shift into recovery state.
Pesticides, heavy metals, alcohol, caffeine - these are harmful chemicals that are found in the food chain and should be avoided or limited to the best of your ability. Read more here.
Nicotine and cannabis - smoking cigarettes or vaping both cause damage to the lungs and produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS cause significant oxidative damage and DNA damage to sperm and eggs, thus impacting fertility. Nicotine also contributes to higher rates of miscarriage. It is important to stop smoking before getting pregnant. Additionally, cannabis has an impact on fertility and pregnancy rates. Cannabis use impacts semen health significantly and can be a contributing factor to infertility. Stop using cannabis during the preconception period.
Plastics and BPA - BPA is found in plastic bottles, plastic bags, food containers, paper receipts, and the inner lining of canned foods. Increased BPA exposure is associated with decreased probability of embryo implantation, pregnancy and live birth. Avoid plastics in your home! Switch to glass, porcelain, or stainless steel food containers. Use glass or stainless steel straws and choose reusable cloth or silicone bags.
Phthalates and parabens - these arecommonly found in many personal care products such as skin care, makeup, lotions, perfumes, and colognes. Women with higher phthalates found in their urine have been found to have poor egg quality, lower pregnancy rates and increased miscarriage rates. Men with phthalate exposure have decreased semen quality. Get rid of harmful personal care products that contain these chemicals. For more information, read my blog post.
Chlorine, ammonia, methyl esters - conventional cleaning solutions and home care products contain toxic compounds that have harmful effects on health. Some are endocrine disruptors which impact hormone health. Other chemicals damage DNA and thus impact the quality of eggs and sperm. Switch your cleaning products to natural, non-toxic products. For more guidance on how to do this, read my blog post.
Community
Social support - social connection is a necessity for human health and wellbeing. It is important to stay connected to your friends, family, and community during this life transition. Hugs, laughter, tears, anything goes as long as you are connecting with those you love the most! Engage with your community in person and online for additional support.
Fun, joy, and pleasure - trying to conceive can have its challenges. It is important to keep things fun, joyful, and pleasurable in your relationship and in your life as a whole. Do at least one thing each day that brings you joy. Buy some fresh cut flowers or treat yourself to a latte. Set aside time with your partner for bonding and intimacy.
Shifting your lifestyle habits to include regular exercise, quality sleep, mindfulness, and social connection will improve your health and quality of life. Your individual health is required as a baseline to optimizing fertility. Lay the foundations for your own health and you will naturally improve the health of your future babies. Use these prenatal lifestyle guidelines and book a preconception care appointment in order to prepare for your pregnancy.
Take care,
Dr. Laura Nicholas, ND
This content is not intended to be substituted or interpreted as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health concern. Please book a consultation with me or a qualified healthcare professional before acting on any information presented here.
References
Chavarro, J.E. and Willett, W.C. The Fertility Diet. New Findings from the Nurses’ Health Study. New York, NY, McGraw Hill, 2008.
Foster, W.G. and Agarwal, S.K. Environmental Contaminants and Dietary Factors in Endometriosis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Mar; 955:213-29; discussion 230-2, 396-406.
Health Canada. Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy. Nutrition Guidelines for the Childbearing Years. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1999.
Tori Hudson. (2008). Women’s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.
Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. SOGC Guidelines. Retrieved from https://sogc.org/en/content/guidelines-jogc/guidelines-and-jogc.aspx?hkey=aa09f753-7812-462a-9d80-3e6b609f6ec6.