Your San Diego fertility center: Reproductive Sciences Center & Genetics Institute

Trying to Conceive Advice from Your Fertility Experts

Download this information on a 1-page PDF file.

Preconception Health

Preparing for pregnancy and maintaining good health will not only increase your chance of achieving a pregnancy, but will benefit you and your baby during pregnancy. Because a pregnancy actually begins two weeks before a pregnancy test becomes positive, it is important to follow the guidelines below anytime you may become pregnant.

A Preconception Visit

If you are planning to become pregnant, it is essential that you schedule an appointment with your doctor for a preconception exam. Your doctor will try to identify things that may pose risks to you or your baby. You will be asked questions about your diet and lifestyle, medical history, use of birth control, past pregnancies, medications, and any genetic diseases in your family.

• Avoiding trans-fats, the artery-clogging fats found in many commercial products and fast foods
• Eating more vegetable protein, like beans and nuts, and less animal protein
• Drinking a glass of whole milk or having a small dish of ice cream or full-fat yogurt every day;
  temporarily trading in skim milk and low or no-fat dairy products for their full-fat versions

What to Do When Trying To Conceive

Take the right vitamins and supplements
Take a high-quality prenatal vitamin (PNV) with folic acid and iron. Get at least 400 micrograms of folic acid every day from your PNV and include green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, fish oils and citrus fruits in your diet. It is important to supplement your diet with folic acid for three months before getting pregnant to enhance fertility and reduce birth defects like spina bifida.

Eat foods rich in mercury
Some fish, such as swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel and shark, contain high levels of methylmercury, which can harm an unborn child’s developing nervous system. Methylmercury can stay in your body for months affecting a fetus long after ingestion.
Have consistent health
Have any medical conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, obesity and high blood pressure treated and kept under control before becoming pregnant. Tell your doctor about all medications you are taking, including any over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements.

Achieve a healthy body weight
Try to get within 15 pounds of your ideal weight through diet and exercise. Excess weight can increase the risk of high blood pressure or diabetes and puts a strain on the heart. This strain becomes even greater during pregnancy, when your heart has to work harder to supply blood to you and your baby.

Exercise regularly
If you follow a fitness routine before you conceive, you can improve your chances of having a comfortable and active pregnancy. The sports and exercise you can do during pregnancy depend on your health and how active you were before you became pregnant.

Update your immunizations
Make sure you have been properly vaccinated for any diseases that could harm a developing fetus such as rubella (German measles) or chicken pox.

Make this choice at the right time
Determine if the time is right to take on the responsibility of parenthood. Evaluate your lifestyle, finances, stress level and relationship with your partner.

De-Stress!
Get plenty of rest, think positive and make sure you take time to relax. Stress is one of the most common reasons that women don’t ovulate (release an egg) – the cause of 20% of all infertility.

What to Avoid When Trying to Conceive

Use recreational drugs
Marijuana has detrimental effects similar to those of tobacco smoking. Be sure to limit alcohol consumption also. These substances can make it more difficult to become pregnant and may harm an early fetus.

Ingest excessive caffeine
More than moderate amounts of caffeine, the equivalent of three cups of coffee a day, or about 300 milligrams (mg), lowers the likelihood of conceiving by as much as 27%. In addition to beverages like coffee, tea and soda, caffeine is a common ingredient in food (e.g., chocolate), so 300 mg adds up more quickly than you might think.

Smoke
Cigarette smoking can lower a baby’s birth weight and is associated with infertility, miscarriages, tubal pregnancies, stillbirths, infant mortality and may cause long-term learning disabilities. Be careful of second-hand smoke too.

Expose yourself to toxic substances
Toxic substances like insecticides, paint fumes and animal feces, especially from cats, guinea pigs and hamsters, can make it harder for you to become pregnant and can harm your unborn child.

Expose yourself to toxoplasma
This food-borne illness is caused by the parasite, T. gondii, and is found in raw and undercooked meat, unwashed fruits, dirty cat-litter boxes and outdoor places where cat feces can be found. The parasite can pass through the placenta to your unborn child causing developmental problems.

Eat unhealthy types of fatty foods
Avoid foods with saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids are commercially altered fats and oils, commonly found in “junk foods”. Avoid “partially or fully hydrogenated” soybean, safflower, sunflower or corn oil. These types of fats can markedly reduce your chance of becoming pregnant.