All Posts tagged How to get pregnant

Bringing On Baby: How Best to Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy

By 03 Apr, 2015 Reproductive health , , , ,

Baby standing in cot

You’ve read the baby books, you’ve talked to your friends, and you’ve started picking out names. The only thing that you need to do now is to conceive. Preparing for pregnancy is an emotional, mental, and physical responsibility. Follow these 8 tips to best position your body to bring a healthy and happy baby into the world:

  1. Begin taking folic acid supplements. Taking 400 micrograms of folic acid a day for at least one month prior to conception and during your first trimester can decrease the chances of your baby being born with a neural-tube defect by 50 to 70 percent.
  2. Eliminate alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. Smoking and drug use can increase the risk of having a miscarriage, a premature birth, or a baby with low birth weight. Tobacco use can also affect your fertility, and may impact your ability to conceive. Read these tips to help quit smoking.
  3. Increase your consumption of healthy foods. Even before you conceive, make sure that your body has the nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy. Increase your daily intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as foods that are high in calcium. Be sure to eat a variety of sources of protein, such as beans, nuts, poultry and meats. In addition to increasing your consumption of healthy foods, eliminate foods that may increase your risk of acquiring a food-borne illness. Reduce your intake of unpasteurized soft cheese, unpasteurized juices, cold deli meats, and raw and undercooked fish and poultry. These foods can have high rates of bacteria that can cause illness, and in the most serious cases lead to a miscarriage or stillbirth.
  4. Maintain a healthy weight. Women with a health body mass index (BMI) may be more readily able to conceive. A pregnant woman whose body weight is too high may experience delivery complications, while a woman whose weight is too low may give birth to an underweight infant.
  5. Begin, or stick to, an exercise routine. A healthy exercise program includes 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least three times per week. If you are not currently exercising on a regular basis, slowly increase the length and intensity of your workout routines. Once you become pregnant, continue your fitness routine, unless you experience complications or are advised to stop by your doctor. A consistent exercise routine can help you to maintain a healthy weight, improve your cardiovascular and pulmonary health, and can increase your flexibility, all of which will benefit you during your pregnancy.
  6. Reduce your caffeine intake. Women who are pregnant or are trying to conceive should not consume a large amount of caffeine. An overconsumption of caffeine has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage.
  7. Be aware of your mental health. Women who suffer from depression are twice as likely to have problems with fertility. Women who are looking to get pregnant should obtain a mental health screening, especially if they have a family history of depression.
  8. Make an appointment with your OB-GYN. Last but certainly not least, you should make an appointment to see your doctor. He/she can assess your overall health and make sure everything is normal in order to give you and your baby the best start.

Preparing your body to carry a baby is an important aspect of pregnancy that should not be overlooked. A healthy body will be best able to carry a baby to full-term, enabling you to deliver a healthy baby without complications. Chouchani, Sayegh and Bagnarello MD is accepting new patients. Give us a call today.

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Top ways to boost your body’s ability to conceive

By 23 Jul, 2014 Reproductive health, Women's Health , , , ,

ID-10040506You think getting pregnant will be easy. You have sex, you get pregnant, right? But in reality, life doesn’t always work that way. If you’re trying to conceive, these simple health changes can help boost your chances of conception.

If you’re a woman trying to get pregnant, consider:

Managing Your Weight

Being underweight or overweight can delay your ability to conceive. Talk to your doctor about what is a healthy weight for you and how best to achieve it. Use these summertime healthy habits to get started.

Watching What You Drink

Drinking too much coffee (or other caffeinated beverages) or too much alcohol can impair your fertility. If you drink coffee or soda, monitor your intake to make sure you stay under 200 to 250 milligrams of caffeine a day.

Studies on alcohol intake and women’s fertility have produced mixed findings. But Swedish researchers have found that women who drank two alcoholic beverages a day decreased their fertility by nearly 60%. Once again, moderation is key.

Eating Better

To make sure your body has enough of the vitamins and minerals it needs in order to conceive, eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables, eat more nuts, seeds and oily fish, and eat less meat.

If you and your partner are working together to increase your chances of getting pregnant, here are some tips just for him, and a few for both of you!

Protect Those Sperm

Okay, the idea that switching to boxers instead of briefs will boost fertility by keeping genital temperatures down is basically an old wives’ tale. But men should still avoid hot tubs or taking regular hot baths. And a man who wants to be a father probably shouldn’t keep his laptop on his lap for extended periods of time.

Stop Smoking

Smoking cigarettes can impair both men’s and women’s fertility. Smoking can reduce sperm production and damage DNA, and it affects how receptive the uterus is to the egg. And in men, smoking can reduce sperm production and damage DNA.  (Follow these ideas to quit smoking.)

Experts also strongly suggest…

Timing Intercourse Wisely

Take advantage of what doctors call the “fertile window,” the six days that end on the day of ovulation. Pregnancy is most likely to occur with intercourse within the three days before ovulation.

Avoiding Pesticides and Other Harmful Chemicals

Exposures to pesticide, especially agricultural pesticides, may harm both men and women’s fertility. So will exposure to some solvents and toxins, such as those used in printing businesses and dry cleaning establishments.

Any more questions? If you’d like to talk to a doctor about your ability to conceive or how you can increase your chances of conception, make an appointment Chouchani, Sayegh and Bagnarello today.

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

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