Many men and women understand that there are a lot of things that are recommended to do (and not to do) during a pregnancy. After all, a woman’s actions during pregnancy have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of her child.
What is not often talked about is everything that can and should be done before becoming pregnant… both by the future mother and future father of the baby.
Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. Which means you were an egg that was formed inside of your mother… when she was growing inside of your grandmother! Sort of wild to think about, right? It also shows the importance of focusing on your health even prior to getting pregnant, because your health will not only impact your future child’s health, but their future child’s health as well!
If you’re the analytical type, you might be saying, “wait, but it will only affect their future child’s health if I have a girl!” Indeed, much of what we’ve been told about pregnancy (or at the very least, of what has been assumed) is that it’s the health of the mother that most impacts the health of the baby. However, it’s the paternal genes that dominate the interior of the placenta – the side in which baby grows and develops. Sperm also carry and contribute plentiful epigenetic factors that influence the development and long-term health of baby.
So, with both parents’ health having a great influence on their future offspring, what can they do to give their baby the best start possible? (Men, you can jump to here!)
Future Moms
Although you were born with all the eggs you will ever have, the health of those eggs is still influenced by lifestyle, diet, etc. Your best move to ensure the health of your future baby is to take good care of yourself now!
Diet
There is not anything groundbreaking to share about a great pre-conception diet. You’ll want to focus on getting plenty of vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, and protein and minimizing sugar and processed foods. Focus on organic whenever possible.
You should also focus on eating plenty of fiber to help make sure you’re having healthy bowel movements (proper detoxification is important for hormones!)
Lifestyle
Exercise benefits your body on many different levels. Exercise improves cardiovascular health, bone and muscle health, mental health, and metabolic health, when used correctly. Each of these improvements will help you to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery down the road. It is recommended for women to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week along with at least two days of muscle building activity. In certain circumstances, some women’s bodies do better with lower intensity exercise. Make sure to discuss with your practitioner to know what is best for your body and hormones.
Stress can have a negative impact on fertility, affecting hormone balance and ovulation. If you experience high stress, it would be beneficial to seek out stress-reducing activities, techniques, etc, including breathing techniques, massage, time in nature, etc.
A More Detailed Look
One of the best ways to get an understanding of your health is to have comprehensive blood labs drawn (Dr. Kassie recommends these five panels for every woman). These labs can help you to understand if there are any specific areas of your health that need to be addressed for you to reach your optimal health.
Supplements
Most women will benefit from a high-quality multivitamin, regardless of age. However, as you get closer to conceiving a baby, it is also important to start focusing on a multivitamin that contains ingredients that are essential to a developing baby’s health.
Many doctors will recommend starting a prenatal vitamin at least three months prior to conception to help build nutrient stores in the body. One of our favorites is Optimal Prenatal by Seeking Health.
A high-quality fish oil such as Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA can also set your baby up for success!
An added bonus to starting these supplements prior to conception is that, should you experience significant nausea/morning sickness during pregnancy and are unable to keep anything down, you will at least feel better knowing that you ‘built up’ a decent nutrient store to nourish your growing baby.
Above and Beyond
There is, of course, much more information that would be beneficial to learn prior to conceiving – more than we can fit into one blog! The following books are great resources for any woman wishing to become a mother in the future:
- It Starts with the Egg
- Functional Maternity
- Real Food for Pregnancy
If you have struggled with issues surrounding your period (such as PCOS, endometriosis, irregular periods, etc.) these are also great resources:
- The Fifth Vital Sign
- The Period Repair Manual
- Taking Charge of Your Fertility
Future Dads
Diet
Just like diet for women, there is not anything groundbreaking to share about a great pre-conception diet for men. You’ll also want to focus on getting plenty of vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, and protein and minimizing sugar and processed foods. Focus on organic whenever possible. As men generally drink more/more often than women, it is also important to note to limit alcohol consumption.
Here is a great article about diet and sperm health.
Lifestyle
It is recommended for men to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week along with at least two days of muscle building activity. Men should also refrain from positioning a laptop on their lap or keeping their cell phone in their pocket, in order to optimize sperm health.
Stress can also have a negative impact on men’s fertility. Chronic stress can impact both sperm production and quality. If you experience high levels of stress, we encourage you to seek out support and stress management techniques, including (but not limited to!) breathing techniques, mindful movement, massage, etc.
A More Detailed Look
One of the best ways to get an understanding of your health is to have comprehensive blood labs drawn. A comprehensive panel will take a look at many different areas of health, including hormones and metabolic health which are very important to fertility. These labs can help you to understand if there are any specific areas of your health that need to be addressed for you to reach your optimal health.
Supplements
There are several nutrients that have been studied and shown effectiveness as having a positive effect on sperm. Some of the top performers are L-Carnitine, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, CoQ10, and Zinc. Optimal Man from Seeking Health is one of our favorite choices of supplements for men as it contains all of these nutrients, along with others that support men’s health.
If you are interested in optimizing your health, please call our office at 952-949-0676 to schedule your appointment with one of our practitioners.
