Whilst there is an increase in accessibility and avenues for conception, the rates of infertility are slowly increasing in Australia, with an estimated one in six couples struggling to conceive. This can take a toll on people psychologically, and paradoxically, further exacerbating their inability to conceive.

As the research develops, the period of preparation for pregnancy is proving to be a key aspect of a healthy and sustainable pregnancy and for producing healthy children. The state of each parent’s health at the time of conception is a key piece of the fertility puzzle.

What is preconception care?

Preconception care is what you do leading up to the time of conception. It is the changes you implement to create an optimal environment for you and your baby. It will improve your health and the health of your baby and reduce potential risk factors that can affect pregnancy outcomes.

Your body is very intelligent, it will not allow you to carry a baby if the environment is not favourable. This includes both your internal environment which is where nutrition and dietary modifications come into play. It also includes your external environment, including environmental toxins.

When should you start preconception care?

The cells that eventually become your baby, are created long before conception takes place. It takes around 120 days for an egg to mature into a follicle ready for ovulation. Therefore preconception care is so important and is recommended for three to four months beforehand. Whilst this time frame is generally advised, starting your preconception care as early as you can is recommended. The more time we give ourselves to prepare, the better. It gives the body, hormones, and mind sufficient time to create an optimal environment to give your baby the best start to life.

What happens prior to conception plays an equally important role in the health of the baby and the mother. This is where a naturopath comes in, to assist you in creating the right conditions for conception.

Sperm takes around 74 days to fully mature, therefore preconception care is just as important for the male!

How do you prepare for conception?

To prepare for preconception and therefore prepare for conception, you want to start to remove anything that causes inflammation or damages the gut lining.  When the gut lining is intact, you can absorb nutrients more effectively which enhances your hormone production, immune system and overall health.

You also want to make sure that all your detoxification pathways are working efficiently, including the liver. The liver plays an important role in hormone metabolism amongst other key functions.

On the topic of detoxing, it might be beneficial for you and your partner to commit to some form of detox.

This may look like this:

• Removing alcohol
• Assessing current pharmaceutical drugs
• Removing sugar, processed foods, and refined foods
• Increasing foods that help detoxify the body
• Removing endocrine disruptors

Reduce toxic load

There are many products out there that contain endocrine disruptors, which can have a harmful effect on your health and impact your hormones. So, to prepare for conception, you want to be reducing your toxic load and swapping out synthetic products.

Some suggestions to start with are:

• A good quality water filter
• Reusable containers (glass or stainless steel)
• Eco-friendly cleaning and personal products

While it can be near impossible to avoid all toxins, it’s important to make the shifts now and ensure that your detox pathways are working effectively, because it will have a huge impact on your fertility, and your overall health, now and in the future.

Ensure you are ovulating

Anovulation is when an egg isn’t released from the ovaries during your menstrual cycle. Anovulation is one of the leading causes of infertility as you need the egg to create a pregnancy. There are various reasons a woman may not be ovulating.

The most common causes of anovulation are:

• Obesity
• Stress – including unprocessed emotional trauma
• Low body weight or excessive exercising
• Abnormalities of thyroid hormones
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Lack of nutrient cofactors for hormone production

It is vital to get to the bottom of what could be impacting your ability to ovulate. You really want to be aiming for regular cycles and hormonal balance.  Tracking your cycle is a good place to start. It helps you to tune into your body and create awareness around what each phase of your cycle feels like. Tracking the days on an app can be useful for knowing cycle length however, tracking your temperature is a more effective way to track ovulation. Your temperature should rise after you ovulate.

To enhance the chances of conception and to determine the most fertile time of your cycle, bringing awareness to your cervical fluid is a key factor. This fluid changes throughout your cycle, when you are approaching ovulation the discharge increases, and becomes stretchier and clearer. It could resemble raw egg white.

Stress management

We all know that stress impacts our health. But prolonged stressors, and a dysregulated nervous system can cause havoc on your reproductive system. When the body is in a state of heightened stress, it shuts down its reproductive function. If you think back to primal days, if you came face to face with a tiger, your body will use all of its energy to either fight the tiger or run away from the tiger meaning that all energy is diverted away from reproductive functioning. Whilst we don’t have to fight tigers anymore, our stress response is still activated in the same way, whether you’re running late for work or running from a tiger.

Whilst we can’t avoid all of life’s stressors, we can learn to adapt and respond from a regulated state, therefore enhancing fertility outcomes. The reproductive system is very smart. It knows that times of stress are not an ideal time for a baby to be bought into this world. This is a great time to start implementing some relaxation activities into your daily routine. This goes for both you and your partner.

Some ideas are:

• Meditation
• Yoga
• Walking in nature
• Floatation therapy
• Massages
• Doing things that bring you joy, both individually and as a couple

Nutrients that help with fertility

Selenium – is an important antioxidant, protecting the proper functioning of the immune system and aiding heavy metal detoxification as well as playing a significant role in the functioning of the reproductive system. You can get enough selenium from just having 2 Brazil nuts each day.

Vitamin E – Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. It can help the fertilised egg remain attached to the uterine wall, via increasing cervical mucous in women.

Omega 3 fatty acids – Omega 3 fatty acids play an important role in the development of the embryo’s eyes, brain growth, and early development. Omega 3 fatty acids may also play a role in preventing perinatal depression.

Lycopene – Which is found in cooked tomatoes, can increase male reproductive function.

Leafy greens – Contain high amounts of folate which is essential for preventing neural tube defects.

Iron – Is important for ovulation, placenta development, and vascularisation.

Zinc – Zinc plays an important role in promoting preimplantation embryo development. Zinc supports fertility by regulating hormone function, cell division and ovulation.

Supplement suggestions

NaturoBest Preconception Multi for Men

A high quality multivitamin for men contained key antioxidants such as zinc, selenium, vitamins A, C, E, lycopene, and CoQ10 which all support healthy sperm parameters. Supports testosterone formation and levels, sperm motility and production, energy levels, thyroid function, immune function, and skin health.

NaturoBest Preconception Multi for Women

A clinically formulated multivitamin, multimineral and antioxidant designed for women to enhance preconception and prepare the body for pregnancy. Containing a range of nutrients required for conception and to sustain a healthy pregnancy.

Free Spirit MegaOmega Algae Oil

This algae oil is free from chemicals, heavy metals, and other pollutants, making it a great source of omega 3’s for preconception care and throughout pregnancy. The benefits of omega 3’s are endless, assisting with the baby’s development and also playing a role in the prevention of postnatal depression. Many people are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids so it’s definitely a worthwhile supplement to be taking!

Synergy Organic Super Greens Powder

These super greens powders will assist in cleansing and detoxifying the body. Barley grass and wheat grass are highly alkalising and high in chlorophyll, fibre, and a range of other important nutrients that will help prepare your body for pregnancy!

Wanting further support?

Whilst everybody is different and there are various reasons that people could be struggling with conception, a naturopath can assist you on your fertility journey and help you create a healthy sustainable pregnancy and child. A naturopath can utilise adequate testing, cycle tracking, natural medicines, supplementation, nutrition, and dietary and lifestyle changes to support you in your fertility journey.