When trying to for a baby it’s important to understand the facts about fertility and how best to prepare your body. We understand that there is a huge amount of information out there on the subject. We spoke to Proceive for their top 5 fertility tips to help you on your conception journey.
- GET TO KNOW YOUR BODY
A woman who wishes to become pregnant should get to know her body, specifically her menstrual cycle. Tracking her period cycle means that a woman can better predict when she might be ovulating. Ovulation is the process in which a woman’s body products an egg. The rhythm of the female cycle is incredibly delicate and can be affected by so many environmental factors such as lack of sleep and stress that can upset the balance and both stop ovulation and menstruation or prolong a period. There are many apps that can help to track a woman’s cycle. You can try using the Proceive ovulation calculator to check your fertile window.
- ENJOY A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE
- Eat well. A well-balanced diet full of fresh fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, lean meats and fish will give your body the nutrition it needs.
- Exercise. Exercising is so important for overall health but work within the limits of your own body – don’t take up marathon training if you have never run before, go at your own pace! However, some form of exercise is important. Exercise will help cardiovascular health, reduce stress levels, and help you to maintain a healthy weight. Do something that you enjoy so that it doesn’t feel like a chore. Just be mindful that over exercising can affect your fertility.
- Stop or reduce your alcohol intake
- Stop smoking. It is a well-known fact that smoking can have a significant effect on the fertility of both men and women. Chemicals in cigarette smoke such as nicotine, cyanide and carbon monoxide speed up the loss rate of eggs. Smoking damages the genetic material in both eggs and sperm. Male smokers can suffer decreased sperm quality, counts and motility. Non-smoking males have much healthier sperm than smoking males. Healthy sperm means a greater chance of fertilising an egg and making a healthy baby.
- MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT
A woman’s menstrual cycle is dependent on finely tuned hormonal balances. Overweight and obese women have higher levels of the hormone, leptin, which is produced in the fatty tissue. Leptin can disrupt a woman’s hormone balance. Being underweight can also disrupt hormone levels. It is therefore important to maintain a healthy weight for your build and height.
- TAKE A CONCEPTION SUPPLEMENT
Reproduction is an incredibly energy intensive process, so as well as a healthy diet, good sleep and regular exercise, fertility supplements can be a great way boost all the nutritional needs of your reproductive system. Improving nutrition and lifestyle for as little as three months before trying to conceive can make a noticeable difference to both genders as both the male and female reproductive systems need adequate nutritional support to contribute to sperm and egg quality.
Nutrients are best obtained from a balanced organic diet; however many of us find it hard to eat this way all of the time. Due to the importance of some nutrients and the difficulty obtaining them; we recommend a comprehensive vitamin and mineral supplement, like Proceive, to make sure that mums and dads-to-be are getting all they need for a healthy conception and pregnancy.
All Proceive products contains the recommended 400ug of folic acid in the L-Methyfolate form for increased absorption.
- VISIT YOUR DOCTOR
We recommend visiting your GP before trying to conceive to discuss any health matters that may be worrying you. This is particularly important if you are on prescription medications. Your doctor may need to switch you from one medication to another and it is best to do this in advance of becoming pregnant. It is also important that you do not just decide yourself to come off any prescribed medicines without discussing this with your care giver. You can also check you smear test and rubella status with your doctor at this appointment.
Proceive Conception is a specially formulated range of fertility & preconception nutritional supplements for men and women. Proceive Pregnancy is a range of tailored nutritional supplements for women who want to ensure they are giving themselves and their baby the best nutritional support throughout pregnancy. The range is uniquely formulated to support the nutritional needs of both mum and baby during each trimester.
Enjoy 20% off the Proceive range at McCauley in-store and online. Explore more Mother & Baby products today.
