Get Your Body in Shape for Pregnancy
A family friend recently had her first baby after years of trying to conceive. She didn’t use fertility drugs or follow a strict get-pregnant diet. Rather, she and her partner finally decided to follow their doctor’s long-ordered advice: quit smoking. While this is sound advice for general health, many don’t know that something like stopping cigarette smoking can have such a quick and drastic effect on one’s ability to conceive.
Four Factors To Help With Pregnancy
Here are some other tips you may not have considered if you’ve been trying to get pregnant without success:
- Drop the caffeine: Going without your morning cup of coffee and that soda with lunch not only increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke but it also decreases your chances of becoming pregnant. This is equally important for dad, whose sperm can become infertile if he has too much caffeine in his system.
- Take the right vitamins: Overdosing on vitamins is not necessary if you’re trying to become pregnant, as the excess will simply come out in your urine . Rather, focusing specifically on the nutrients that can help you achieve and maintain a healthy pregnancy is a great way to improve your chances. For instance, getting an extra dose of folic acid, a vitamin B complex, has been shown to be incredibly beneficial both for women who are trying to get pregnant and for those who already are. Taking a pre-natal multi along with foods rich in folic acid, such as beans, leafy green vegetables, and orange juice, should do the trick.
- Don’t douche: Douching with a medicated solution is not only associated with vaginal infections, but also with a reduction in fertility. Most obstetricians recommend avoiding douches whether you’re trying to get pregnant or not.
- Limit or remove alcohol: While its common knowledge that drinking during pregnancy is a no-no, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says that drinking alcohol when you’re trying to conceive may also inhibit your chances. That includes your glass of heart-healthy red wine!
by Adrienne Rayski
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