Preparing Your Body for a Healthy Baby

A healthy body is key to healthy fertility and a successful pregnancy and baby. Therefore, we believe that “moderation is key to a healthy lifestyle.”

Here are some of the things you can focus on to get your body ready for a healthy baby.

Quit Smoking

For the most part, moderation is the key. However, there are a few areas where quitting is your only option, and smoking is one of these. That goes for you and your partner. To highlight this point, we’ll share a few poignant facts from ASRM’s Smoking & Infertility Fact Sheet:

• Infertility rates of smokers are twice as high as infertility rates in non-smokers.
• Smoking causes faster egg die off and women who smoke go through menopause an average of one to four years faster than women who don’t.
• Men who smoke have lower sperm count and poorer sperm morphology (more of their sperm are shaped abnormally, and lower sperm motility (their sperm can’t swim like they should).

Recreational Drugs

We’ll skip the bulk of recreational drugs altogether, (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.) because everyone knows those make for poor pregnancies, unhealthy babies and a lack of high-quality parenting. However, you and your partner should also abstain from drugs that are considered more innocuous, like marijuana (cannabis), if you’re trying to get pregnant. Men who smoke marijuana have all the same problems that men who smoke cigarettes do: low sperm count, poor sperm morphology and compromised sperm motility.

Drink in moderation or quit for a while

While low alcohol intake (2 – 4 drinks per week) doesn’t seem to have any effect on fertility, moderate to high alcohol intake (4 or more drinks per week) has adverse effects on BOTH women and men. When trying to conceive, limit alcohol intake to 4 or less drinks per week to be on the safe side of the research.

Limit Caffeine to One Beverage Per Day

So far, there isn’t any data that confirms caffeine affects fertility. However, it DOES negatively affect pregnancies. Women who drink an average of four or more servings of caffeine per day (that’s two caffeinated Starbucks drinks or a few of your favorite caffeinated sodas) are more likely to experience a miscarriage.

Watch What You Eat

All fertility experts agree that junk food and processed foods are off the list when trying to get pregnant. They contribute to diabetes, insulin resistance, inflammation, weight problems and other medical issues that negatively impact fertility. Organic labels are great, but what your body really needs are whole foods that are grown or raised without any pesticides or hormones – both of which negatively affect fertility in women and men.

Here’s the good news: While shaping up and modifying your lifestyle may not feel so great in the beginning, the healthy lifestyle habits you cultivate will make you more fertile (hooray!), but you will also be healthier all the way around. Getting your body healthy for a baby will benefit you for the rest of your life.

The team at the Reproductive Resource Center believes in a whole-body approach to fertility health. That includes making healthy lifestyle choices and giving up any substances that could negatively impact conception and having a healthy baby. Contact us to schedule a consultation with fertility specialists who prioritize your overall health and wellbeing.