Reasons To Consider Preconception Care
You’ve likely heard the term “preconception care” before if trying for a baby soon is in the books! But what exactly does it mean, & is it really necessary?
The short answer at Homebody, is yes — preconception care is definitely something to consider before trying to conceive. Below we discuss the reasons why preconception care is important for both women & men.
what is preconception care?
Preconception care is a set of interventions used to identify & modify biomedical, behavioural, & social risks in women of reproductive age.
The goals of preconception care are to:
Improve overall pregnancy outcomes
Improve women’s health in general
Ensure the prevention of disease
Manage risk factors that affect pregnancy outcomes for mother & baby
A naturopathic approach to achieving these is by making any necessary lifestyle & nutritional changes to prepare the body for growing a whole new human. Nutritional requirements increase greatly during pregnancy & well into postpartum so getting those fundamentals ready can prepare you better. If fertility is an issue, we would also look into troubleshooting hormonal imbalances & correct potential underlying causes for trouble conceiving. Practitioner-grade supplements & even medicinal herbs can do wonders in all instances when it comes to preconception care — especially on a holistic & personalised level to suit different bodies & needs.
In saying so, preconception care is not just intended for women, but most certainly men as well — it takes two to tango after all! Male reproductive health & sperm quality carry just as much importance when it comes to fertility & conceiving viable, healthy pregnancies & babies.
A Naturopathic Approach
Preconception care should ideally begin 3-4 months prior to trying. While this may seem excessive, there is a valid reason for this! It takes 90-100 days for an egg to mature in the ovary & a similar time for sperm cells to also form. This is the time that you would be wanting to be really honing in on your overall wellbeing to ensure that the quality of both egg & sperm are as optimal as possible.
During this time, it is important to reduce exposure to toxins including alcohol, smoking/vaping & also things like harsh chemicals such as in cleaning products & artificial fragrances & ingredients found in personal care products.
Making improvements to your lifestyle are also things to consider. Getting enough sleep, moving your body daily & stress management are all important things to be implementing during this time.
It has been said time & again, but you are what you eat! Reducing highly processed & inflammatory foods & replacing them with a whole food diet is key to getting better nutrients in the diet. Variety & colour are key, so eat the rainbow! We know that nutrient requirements shoot up in pregnancy & oftentimes it becomes difficult to rely purely on food to meet these requirements. High quality, practitioner-grade supplementation can be a fantastic option here so get in touch with a naturopath for tailored recommendations.
Some of the nutrients you may consider supplementing include:
Zinc: for embryo function, implantation, fertilisation & development. Low zinc levels have also been associated with increased risk of miscarriage.
Selenium: low levels are associated with, neural tube defects & first trimester miscarriage.
Vitamin D: a common deficiency in pregnant women that is needed for hormone synthesis, gene-regulation & expression, foetal brain & immune development as well as the reduction of allergies & autoimmune conditions.
Iron: very common deficiency in pregnancy! Low levels of iron prior to conception can affect ovulation & fertility.
Essential Fatty Acids: are required for brain & nervous system development. They can also help to reduce the incidence of postpartum depression.
Folate & B12: for reducing the incidence of neural tube defects, miscarriage risk while promoting healthy nervous system development & DNA repair.
If you have been trying for a while without much success & believe that something else may be happening that involves hormonal imbalances, naturopathy can also assist in ensuring that your menstrual cycles are healthy & that you are ovulating regularly. It can also provide troubleshooting for if there are any other potential underlying factors for why you may be struggling with conception & get to the root of the problem & save you so much time!
Need Some Help?
If seeking advice for preconception care sounds like good, or even if you are already pregnant & would like some extra support, we highly recommend considering seeing a naturopath for holistic, tailored consultations & better health outcomes for you & your family.
We invite you to chat with us for a free discovery call to see if Homebody is the right clinic for you.
