Are you excited about the idea of starting or expanding your family? Do you want to prepare your body and mind before getting pregnant? What are the preconception preparation steps to maximize your chances of a healthy and happy pregnancy?
It's obvious: To increase your chances of getting pregnant, you need to mix your fertile eggs with your partner's sperm more often.
More than 80% of couples where the woman is under 35 years of age usually conceive a child within the year after they begin to have regular intimate relationships without using contraceptives.
More than 90% of couples become pregnant in the next 2 years.
When we talk about regular intimate relationships, we mean having sex every 2 to 3 days without using protection.
Keep in mind that it is crucial that the relationships you have with your partner have to be pleasant for both of you. Focus on this instead of conceiving it is useful to de-stress.
But ... what else can you do? Here are the 10 things that can help you get pregnant:
Schedule a preconception checkup with your OB / GYN
A medical check-up to ensure that you are in perfect health will help you understand what you need to do to get pregnant.
A preconception review is especially memorable if:
- It's your first pregnancy.
- You are over 35 years old and you are trying to have a child.
- You can't get pregnant after 12 months without using protection.
- You have endocrine or health problems that can interfere with your fertility.
Only a doctor can shed light on any health problem and will be your guide in everything related to ovulation and how to get pregnant, always in a healthy and safe way for your body.
Take prenatal supplements
Your body has to be in perfect condition before you get pregnant. This is achieved learning to maintain a healthy diet and taking prenatal supplements.
Generally, these supplements are made up of folic acid and other vitamins and necessary that facilitate a healthy conception. Your doctor can prescribe any supplements that are suitable to help ensure healthy development of the fetus and pregnancy.
Know your family's medical history
Researching your family medical history is one of the priorities before getting pregnant. You can talk to your closest relatives to consult possible genetic or chronic diseases that your ancestors have suffered.
You can ask the women in your family if they had any kind of complications when conceiving. Learn about their pregnancies and undergo the relevant medical tests to try to detect any genetic diseases and rule out that something is affecting your fertility.
Consider a review of your dental health
A visit is usually one of the first things women do when they think about having a child.
The reason is that when you get pregnant, your gums are at a higher risk for disease.
A dental check-up and professional cleaning is an almost mandatory step to avoid risks during pregnancy. Maintain good dental hygiene habits reduces the chances of complications during pregnancy.
Stop contraceptives
This is easy with some contraceptives, but certain forms of birth control, such as the IUD, are often used for long periods of time, so you will need to discuss this with your doctor.
Your health professional will give you precise instructions on how to end your contraceptive treatment. Your body may notice hormonal changes after you stop birth control, and in some cases fertility can return within weeks or months. However, take note: if you notice anything unusual, contact your doctor immediately.
Get vaccinated
Vaccines help prevent many of the diseases that can pose a huge risk to the fetus.
It is normal to talk with your doctor, family or perform a blood test will help you to know if your vaccines are up to date and therefore, your body is immunized against diseases such as measles, chickenpox or mumps. Proper vaccinations would also protect you from the flu and some strains of HPV.
Stay away from toxins
Staying away from toxins means quit cigarettes, stop drinking alcohol Y overcome any addiction the drugs. You already know that some toxins can be highly harmful to your baby, but there are others, such as vitamin A, that you may not have known about.
Pesticides and other chemicals also pose a potential risk. The same goes for unpasteurized dairy products.
You need to consult your doctor any concerns you have in this regard.
Set your budget
The first trimester of pregnancy is often the most exhausting for many women, but an advance budget will give you peace of mind and allow you to make adjustments that allow you to fully cover your family.
Normally, you will start to need to do some shopping between weeks 9 and 10 of pregnancy, so it is advisable that you start saving now to be able to respond to possible emergencies associated with conception and pregnancy.
Make sure you eat the right fish
When you decide to get pregnant you also need to know which types of shellfish are suitable to eat while pregnant and which are not.
Some fish, such as swordfish, mackerel, must be eliminated from your diet. Others, such as tuna and salmon, need to reduce their consumption.
Mercury can cause birth defects, so be careful to inadvertently consume it.
But beware! You don't have to eliminate fish entirely from your diet: the omega-3 fatty acids that fish provide are healthy as long as it is eaten as recommended.
Do Kegels exercises
If you haven't already, it's always a good time to start Kegels before you get pregnant.
Doing Kegels exercises regularly and well before delivery is easy and effective. In addition, you can do them anywhere.
You can set an alarm to remind yourself to do these exercises each day, and talk to your doctor about ways to make the walls of your vagina even stronger.
There is now a wealth of information available about pregnancy, so it's easy to stay on top of how to prepare. You will be facilitating the whole process if you take advantage of the preconception time to find out everything you have to do before getting pregnant.
