Getting Ready to Start a Family
The decision to start a family isn’t easy. For some it’s something they’ve always wanted – one of the ultimate aims of their life. For others it’s something they grow into as they mature and get closer to their partner.
There are all sorts of factors to consider when you’re getting ready to start a family, but today we’re going to tighten our focus on the ones around actually getting pregnant.
General Health
You’re going to want to make sure both partners are in good health when you’re trying to conceive. Being notably under- or overweight can make getting pregnant and carrying the foetus to term more complicated than you’d like. This doesn’t mean you should hit the gym too hard – exercise that’s too exhaustive, and puts too much strain on your body can also be counterproductive.
The best solution is to speak with your doctor, and come up with a level of fitness that’s optimal for you, and will give you the best chance to conceive.
Supplements and Dietary Changes
Another part of getting your body ready for pregnancy involves looking into the supplements you might want to stock on, or changes to make to your diet to ensure you’re giving yourself the best chance of a successful conception.
This is something both women and men need to think about – men need to ensure they’re getting all the nutrients they need for healthy sperm, to boost motility, lifespan and the eventual chance of fertilising an egg successfully. Women need to ensure they’re supporting the health of their eggs, but also a regular and spontaneous menstrual cycle – that is, one that’s predictable and doesn’t need ovulation stimulated by fertility drugs.
Preconception Check Ups
It’s a good idea to make a booking for a pre-conception appointment with your doctor, or better yet, a referred fertility specialist. They can test for any issues that might impact your fertility, advise on diet, and make sure you know which supplements could help you conceive, and which are a waste of your time. There’s really no substitute for the advice of an expert.
Ovulation Tracking
If you want to give yourself the best chance at conceiving, you need to make sure you’re tracking you when ovulate. If you know your ovulation window – the days when you’re likely to ovulate – you know the best time to try to conceive. The NHS recommends trying (through unprotected intercourse) every other day in the week running up to when you ovulate, to ensure sperm can encounter egg in the crucial 24 hours after it’s ovulated. This gives you the best chance of conceiving successfully as soon as possible, and moving you on to the next step of your journey towards parenthood.