Pre-Conception Health Guide

Pre Conception Health Guide

Health and Nutrition Guidelines for a successful conception.
We are all aware that when a woman is pregnant she has to take extra care about what she eats and that she should achieve a good balance of vitamins and minerals after all, as the adage goes, a pregnant woman is eating for two right?... What she eats is what her unborn child is being fed too. Apart from taking good care of your health whilst you are pregnant it is also of paramount importance to become healthy before conception occurs. If you dont get enough nutrients then your periods may well be affected, they may become irregular or you might skip periods. This will make it much harder for you to predict your ovulation. You might even not ovulate in a cycle at all. Keeping your body in form will help increase your overall fertility and raise your chances of becoming pregnant, it will make sure that your body is in the best condition during the crucial first few days of pregnancy. Many women do not realize how important it is to be healthy during this period but in the first few weeks of pregnancy the unborn child is at its most delicate and most vulnerable. It really needs for the mothers body to be in the absolute best condition to be able to get the best start in life. It its common for most women not to realize that theyre pregnant until at the earliest 2 weeks and in many cases up to 4 or 8 weeks or more after conception has occurred. The first 2 to 4 weeks are the most important for the fetus however if the mother doesnt realize that she is pregnant she may easily and unknowingly harm the unborn through what are in normal circumstances usual behavior. For example, drinking and smoking, partying or even letting her natural defenses get low through late nights, irregular diet or even living high levels of stress. All of these things and more should be taken into consideration when you are trying to become pregnant so that right from the very first moment of pregnancy your body will be prepared and in the absolute best condition. In the rest of this guide you will be presented with some facts and information on some basic health and nutrition points that you should be taking into consideration before you become pregnant.

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Pre-Conception Health Guide

WHAT TO EAT
Improve your diet: On a very basic level, if you can maintain a generally balanced and healthy diet then the more likely it is that you will conceive and have a healthy baby. A balanced diet such as is laid down in the US dietary Guidelines should be a good starting point. This involves the daily eating of several servings of fruit, and eating the right amount of grains (for example whole wheat bread), vegetables, and calcium rich foods (yogurt, cheese and milk). To be more precise you daily intake should include; Five or so servings of grains and starches, (including at least three whole grains) 2 cups of fruits and 2 and a half cups of vegetables (be sure to include a variety, such as dark green and starchy vegetables, orange and vitamin C-rich fruits, as well as dried beans and legumes) 5 to 6 ounces of lean protein from a variety of sources such as fish, poultry, meat, pork, eggs, beans, and legumes. (Limit fish to 12 ounces per week.) Three servings of dairy or calcium-rich foods (milk, cheese, yogurt) 6 teaspoons of added vegetable fat from healthy vegetable sources like canola, olive, flaxseed, or nut oil, or products made with these oils. Avocados and olives are other sources of healthy fats.

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Pre-Conception Health Guide

WHAT TO AVOID

Alcohol: This is probably the most important and at the same time the most overlooked substance that you must cut out before and during pregnancy. As you baby develops rapidly during the first weeks of pregnancy, even before you are aware that you are pregnant you may be drinking alcohol. Apart from hindering conception and generally lowering your fertility, even a moderate level of alcohol can increase the chances of miscarriage. If you drink one or two units of alcohol a day, reports have shown that your baby will be undersized. If an alcoholic conceives then there will be a high risk of giving birth to a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome or a whole host of congenital defects such as mental deficiency, facial and heart malformations, an undersized head, and retarded growth. The best advice is that if you are trying to become pregnant then you should stop drinking alcohol altogether. If you really must have a drink or two then do it during the first two weeks of your cycle, i.e. before you ovulate. This way you will be sure to not drink during the early first few days of pregnancy should you do happen to fall pregnant that month.

Smoking: We are all well aware of the dangers of smoking whilst pregnant what you might not be so aware of is that if you do smoke then the period that the unborn child will receive most damage from the tobacco is. You guessed it, in the first few days after conception. There are few women who realize they are pregnant only 3 or 4 days after conception has occurred. Therefore, if you are a smoker and you want to become pregnant then it is crucial that you give up well before even attempting to conceive. You must have all of the anxiousness of wanting to smoke well out of your system before hand. Just to recap on what you should already be aware of If you smoke when you are pregnant, even just a little and especially if this occurs in the first few days after fertilization you stand a very good chance of any of the following occurring: You child will be on the whole extremely hyperactive. (this is caused by carbon monoxide building up in the baby's blood stream
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Pre-Conception Health Guide reducing the oxygen that reaches the baby and causes many problems in development) Children will be slower with reading, maths, speech and language abilities, intelligence levels will not be as physically developed as normal children. Children will probably have difficulty listening and following directions and may have a shorter than average attention span. Nicotine damages brain cells. The connections between brain cells are decreased, which makes it much more difficult for the brain to relay information to other parts of the body. There will be a significant high risk of pregnancy complications and birth complications including premature birth, low birth weight babies and stillbirths. The rate of infant mortality is also significantly higher amongst smokers. Children will be at risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, respiratory infections and poor lung development.

IF YOU PLAN ON BECOMING PREGNANT STOP SMOKING BEFOREHAND!

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Pre-Conception Health Guide Recreational Drugs: If you are taking any recreational drugs including the herbal kind then you and your partner should really stop before trying to conceive. Drugs can harm the newborn baby in the early stages of pregnancy and will also impede your attempts at becoming pregnant. TCH for example which is found in marijuana or hashish actually slows down the speed at which sperm can swim up to 50% thus making it all that harder for a successful fertilization to take place.

Caffeine: There are varying reports on the effects of caffeine on fertility. There are some that state a consumption of up to 300 mg of caffeine per day will not affect fertility and there are others that say this amount is unacceptable and that less will make it a lot harder to become pregnant. 300mg of caffeine is the equivalent of approximately 3 cups of coffee. To be on the safe side, it is probably best to eliminate your intake of caffeine altogether... it has no nutritional value and may even result in a decrease of calcium in the bones. This is an important nutrient for healthy pregnancy. If you take a lot of caffeine you might experience withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly top taking it. These symptoms will include headaches, fatigue and irritability. Cutting down you intake by 30 - 50% a day might be an easier way of doing this.

High Mercury Fish: There are some fish known as long-lived fish, such as king mackerel, tilefish, shark, swordfish, and fresh tuna. These fish have been known to contain elevated levels of mercury on occasions. It is best avoid eating these whilst trying to become pregnant and during the whole of the pregnancy itself. Raw & Smoked Meat: All forms of raw meat and smoked meats should be avoided.

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Pre-Conception Health Guide

VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS

All of your nutritional needs can be met by a good healthy balanced diet, however, at the moment of deciding to become pregnant and of course, during your pregnancy a little helping hand in the form of vitamin and mineral supplements would be very welcome and could bring your body into condition to boost your chances of conceiving. If you are a vegetarian you will probably also require Vitamin D and B12 supplements in addition to extra protein. You should bear in mind however that a vitamin supplement is a safeguard and not a substitute for a healthy diet. Too much of certain vitamins can be detrimental. Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K): These are stored in the body and can build up to a toxic level if too much is taken. Too much vitamin A can cause birth defects as well as headaches, diarrhea, liver damage and bone damage. Water-soluble vitamins (vitamins B and vitamin C): These aren't stored in the body and are washed away with liquids. However, large amounts of some of them can still cause problems. Be aware of mega doses of vitamins and minerals. These could be harmful to a developing baby and should be avoided. Certain multi vitamins that can be readily bought actually contain these mega doses and should be avoided. It is therefore advisable to only use a vitamin pill formulated specifically for pregnant women. Even if you aren't taking "mega doses" of vitamins, you still may be getting too much if you are having too many daily doses of fortified foods. Be aware that vitamins and minerals can be found in herbal supplements, fortified water, health drinks, and energy bars. Please read the ingredients of these to see how much vitamins you're consuming. The information here should really only be used as a guideline and you really need to talk with your physician about the right prenatal supplement for you.

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Pre-Conception Health Guide Folic Acid: Folic acid is extremely important during pregnancy and even more so before pregnancy. It is vital that your body has sufficient levels of this before conception occurs as according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, taking 400 micrograms of folic acid a day for at least one month before you start trying and during your first trimester, you can cut your chances of having a baby with neural-tube defects such as spina bifida by up to 70 percent Not only has this vitamin has been proven to reduce a baby's risk of neuraltube birth defects but it also can reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and diabetes. Most women should be getting around 400 micrograms 0.4 mg daily. If you are using a standard prenatal multi vitamin product then is will probably contain more than the minimum recommendation of folic acid, which is between 0.6 and 0.8mg and enough during pregnancy. You should also be eating folate-rich foods, i.e. dark green leafy vegetables (spinach), citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals. Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin and your body will flush out the excess if you consume too much. However, being water soluble means that the vitamin can also be lost in cooking water. To reduce the loss of folic acid in your vegetables they should be prepared by steaming them or by cooking in a small amount of water to preserve the folate. Also be aware that if you have a vitamin B12 deficiency then this can be hidden by high amounts of Folic acid. - As with all of the advice presented here, you should consult with your physician as to the best vitamin and mineral supplements to take.

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Pre-Conception Health Guide

FERTILITY FOODS
There are many stories about so called wonder foods having the power to increase fertility. Foods such as shark's fin, camel's hump, ginseng, pine nuts, prunes, or even chocolate have been talked about since way back. Most of these wonder foods are pure myth and there is no evidence if they actually affect fertility or not. There is one old wives tale that does ring true however... Due to their unusually high zinc content, the eating of oysters can actually increase the production of testerone production in men and facilitate ovulation in women too. Remember however that excessive amounts of zinc, or indeed of any nutrient, will not help with your fertility but might even reduce your chances of getting pregnant due to having your system out of balance.

OTHER FACTORS
Check your weight: Get as close to your ideal body weight as possible before you become pregnant or at least during the first few months. If you are overweight then it will be more likely that you will experience hypertension and diabetes along with delivery complications. If you are underweight then you will be more likely to have a low weight baby at birth. Being under or overweight will make it harder to become pregnant. If you are very overweight then do not try to loose too much too quickly. Aim to loose no more than 2 or 3 pounds a week. Crash dieting and extreme weight loss will result in depletion of some of your bodys natural nutritional stores and will make it not only difficult to become pregnant but it will deprive your unborn child of some of the necessary nutrients it will need in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Also be aware of strict diets that eliminate certain food groups (e.g. carbohydrates). These diets may work for some people but before pregnancy and during pregnancy the body needs a good balance of all food groups.

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Pre-Conception Health Guide Exercise: Keep fit - Nothing too excessive just general exercise. Stretching or yoga is also very beneficial. Exercise such as cycling, walking, swimming or dancing is ideal. The exercise can be carried on well into the pregnancy. Again, consult your doctor for individual requisites about this. Dentistry: This is actually more important than it might seem. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection affecting the gums and bones in the mouth, this can greatly increase the probability of having a premature birth and underweight babies. During pregnancy your hormones will change and your gums will naturally be open to infection and gum disease. The change in hormone levels will also make your gums and teeth react differently to the bacteria in plaque, and will make your gums swell and bleed becoming quite tender. If you take good care of your teeth before becoming pregnant then you will be greatly increasing your chances of not experiencing gum complications.

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Pre-Conception Health Guide DISCLAIMER The information (including without limitation advice and recommendations) in this document is intended solely as a general educational aid and is neither medical nor health care advice for any individual problem nor a substitute for medical or other professional advice and services from a qualified health care provider familiar with your unique facts. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and prior to starting any new treatment. Nothing contained in this book is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Whilst the information in the book is up to date and accurate at the time of writing, following the advice contained does not guarantee pregnancy.

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