Why Preconception Care Matters
Think about this! At 5 weeks gestation, a female embryo is already forming her eggs…these are the eggs that will become the mom’s future grandchildren!!
When we conceive, we are genetically programming future generations. We have the ability to set up our children and future grandchildren with the best health possible by taking time for preconception care. Infertility is on the rise and the research is clear that it’s not just because women are having babies later. Egg & sperm QUALITY (not just the number of eggs you have left) have a huge impact on the ability to conceive and carry a baby to term.
Research shows that when couples with a history of infertility (37%) or miscarriage (38%) implement preconception care, miscarriage drastically decreases & full term, healthy babies significantly increase to 81%. Preconception care has also been shown to double IVF success rates from 37% to 74% !!
Basic preconception planning, like adding more veggies, exercising & taking a quality prenatal vitamin can improve the chance of pregnancy for many couples. But, comprehensive preconception planning that provides a personalized plan targeting the couples unique needs blows any other intervention out of the water (37% to 90% success rate). You might be wondering how this is possible!? It is due to the focus on egg and sperm quality before conception.
Many eggs don’t make it to fertilization or implantation due to poor quality of the egg or sperm. Poor quality generally means there are chromosomal abnormalities (or genetic errors) that prevent the embryo from growing into a baby. The vast majority of genetic errors happen just before ovulation. If the egg is fertilized, it will grow into an embryo where it is reprogrammed again, with risk of more genetic errors occurring.
Luckily, the rate at which chromosomal abnormalities occur can be modified naturally. Nutrition & lifestyle during the 3-4 months before conception significantly decreases errors in genetic programming by protecting the egg & sperm from damage. This targeted approach also sets up your future children & grandchildren for life-long health.
No matter what your genetic code is, we CAN change how it is expressed. Nutrition and lifestyle are major influencers on our genetic expression, which can be the difference between health or disease in ourselves and our children....and how hard our children have to work to stay healthy. This is true no matter how conception occurs- naturally, with fertility medications, IUI or IVF.
Genetic programming of a tiny human starts a minimum of 3-4 months BEFORE conception and continues through pregnancy. But depending on your health, up to a year of preconception care can make a world of difference for your tiny human AND for your ability to have a healthy pregnancy.
4 Tips for Preconception Care:
Focus on real food first! Prenatal vitamins are important, take them, but don’t rely on them for giving you everything you need.
Don’t fear fat! Including fat at each meal and snack is important for healthy hormones, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins in those veggies you’re filling your plate with and vital for egg quality.
Eat enough! Even if your goal is to lose a few pounds before pregnancy, make sure you are getting enough nutrients and not over-restricting energy. Egg quality depends on nutrition and postpartum recovery will be much more difficult if you go in with depleted nutrient stores.
Focus on sleep quality! Our body needs this time to rest and repair, supporting overall health and protecting egg quality. Aim for 7-9 hours each night.