Would you believe that women spend more time choosing their wedding dress than planning for the lifetime health of their baby?
Taking care of yourself during pregnancy is a no-brainer. But the real work actually begins LONG before you conceive. About 120 days, in fact!
New research shows that events during early development can have a profound impact on your baby’s future health. This has been termed FOAD (fetal origins of adult disease).
Factors such as low birth weight, stress of the mother and baby, poor fetal growth, and low nutrition have been linked to a higher risk of developing diseases later in life. Unfortunately, women usually only begin prenatal care when it’s already too late to make these critical lifestyle changes that greatly impact her baby’s lifetime health.
Preconception care is a crucial factor in falling pregnant, staying pregnant, and having a healthy baby. I’ll explain why.
The importance of planning ahead
Your baby’s lifetime health doesn’t just begin in the womb. Sperm takes 70-90 days to reach maturity, while eggs take 120 days to become ready for ovulation. This means that the health of each partner will have a major impact on the health of the sperm and eggs.
During the first trimester, the foetus has massive growth needs as it increases in size by an incredible 2.5 million times. From 12 weeks to full-term, the size will increase by another 230 times.
As you can see this magical process needs a good store of vitamins and minerals for optimal success, but many women only discover that they’re pregnant halfway through their first trimester, which is when they decide to make changes to their diet and lifestyle. But by this time, the embryo has already undergone the most critical period for cell differentiation and organ development including their spinal cord and brain. Any anomalies that have occurred prior to this crucial phase will continue to affect the growing foetus and any major morphological issues may lead to a pregnancy loss.
Your fertility and your lifestyle
Age is often touted as the biggest detriment to falling pregnant and sadly you can’t do much about that one. But there are many more factors that you do have control over that can impair both natural and assisted fertility.
Smoking
Smoking during pregnancy is highly dangerous to a growing foetus. It’s been linked to premature birth, low birth weight, and birth defects of the mouth and lip. Smoking during pregnancy also increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smoking can also accelerate the onset of natural menopause, advancing it by 1-4 years. This is devastating news for women trying to conceive at a later age. So is Vaping OK? I hear you say, the research on vaping and fertility is still coming out. It is not as safe as it was one thought to be. Vaping can affect sperm and a recent study concluded that vaping delays the time it takes for a fertilised embryo to implant into the uterus thereby delaying and affecting fertility. It also showed that vaping when pregnant affects the long-term health of female offspring. Is it really worth it?
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol before conception is associated with spontaneous abortion (miscarriage), poor growth (during and after birth), and birth defects. Alcohol is also one of the leading causes of neurodevelopmental deficits due to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
Weight
Women who become pregnant while overweight are at increased risk of gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, depression, c-section and larger babies. Being overweight also can affect your ovulation and if you have PCOS, losing as little as 5% of your weight can restore ovulation.
Caffeine
Studies show that an increased dose of daily caffeine intake during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. One study found that women who drank fewer than four coffees per day prior to conception had an increased risk of miscarriage, particularly at weeks 8-19.
StressExposure to environmental toxins, stress, and other external elements can also negatively impact your fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
Why preconception care matters
Preconception care is critical for ensuring that both mum (dad) and baby are as healthy as possible. And the best way to begin preparing is at least four months before you want to fall pregnant and eight months is even better!
Optimising your wellness during this crucial period can go a long way in improving your chances of a successful pregnancy. More importantly, it can help to reduce the risk of a baby born with abnormalities or other conditions.
If you’re planning to start a family, I’m here to help. I specialise in preparing my patients for pregnancy success. I use advanced lab testing to discover if you need a fertility detox or if you need to focus on mineral replenishment like zinc or selenium both of massive importance for fertility and pregnancy. When you decide to work with me, I’ll guide you through the entire preconception care process to ensure that you and your future children are on the road to a healthy life.
Let’s make time to chat!