Healthy Conception
Many women look into bettering their overall health when they plan a pregnancy, but good habits should start with a healthy conception. In addition to regular doctor’s exams and other medical advice, diet and exercise can help with conception and help support a healthy pregnancy.
Exercise
Although heavy or extreme exercise should be avoided during pregnancy, there is nothing to prevent you from preparing your body for a healthy pregnancy. Implementing regular exercise into your schedule will not only help you increase your stamina for labor and delivery, but it can also improve your fertility (especially if have polycystic ovarian syndrome that can lead to trouble conceiving). There is no need to wait until you are pregnant to start exercising, as making it a habit is guaranteed to also help you lose the baby weight faster!
A variety of physical exercises can be done to spice up your routine but remember that during a pregnancy you need your back and abdominal muscles to be stronger in order to help you with the increasing weight in your tummy area, as well as the swelling of your breasts. As such, you may want to focus on exercises that strengthen your core and will eliminate the pain most women experience during pregnancy. It is also suggested that you do cardio to keep your heart rate up and stay in good physical and mental health before, during, and after your pregnancy.
Diet
Diet and exercise go hand in hand, so here are some tips on what foods you can add to your diet to help you support your fertility:
- Eat foods rich in antioxidants, as those have been proven to improve fertility in both men and women. These foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.
- Choose a bigger breakfast, which can help both balance your diet and improve the hormonal effects of polycystic ovarian syndrome—a major cause of infertility.
- Add fiber to your diet though fruits and veggies, whole grains, and beans. Fiber generally helps remove excess estrogen, though studies on its exact advantages are not yet conclusive.
- Get your protein from vegetables! Swapping meat protein with veggies has been known to protect against infertility.
In addition to adding those foods, you should avoid the following:
- Minimize trans fats that can be found in processed and fast foods.
- Cut down on caffeine, especially if you drink more than 500 ml in a day. Low to moderate caffeine consumption should not interfere with fertility.
- Reduce refined carbs: sugary foods and drinks, as well as processed grains increase your blood sugar and insulin levels and have been associated with the risk of ovulatory infertility.
- Avoid alcohol, especially during the pregnancy! When you are still trying to get pregnant, moderate amounts of alcohol should not harm your fertility, but excess is to be avoided.