When you and your partner take the step of deciding to try for a child, it can be one of the most exciting times of your life. It can also be one of the most challenging if you have a family history of fertility issues or have previously miscarried. Let us learn from the best naturopaths in Ballarat on how to effectively manage pre-conception care to prepare both of you as couple before having your little one inside of you.
Give yourself the best possible chance for success by doing some preconception care. Doing the work over 4-6 months gives you time to prepare, getting yourself mentally and physically ready for a successful pregnancy. Get the advice you need to ensure that you give yourself, and your partner, the best possible chance.
Emotional Support
The excitement of trying to conceive a child can easily turn into stress or anxiety. Trying for natural conception can start to feel clinical and not very romantic. You might start to feel like it’s a chore, or that you’re not doing something right if conception doesn’t happen.
This extra pressure can have a negative impact, making intimacy feel like it’s being forced. Take the pressure off both you and your partner by spending time together where conception is the last thing on your mind – outside of the fertile window.
Remember to be kind to yourself, especially if you have friends or family that have successfully conceived. The emotional stress this can bring can be overwhelming – but it will also have a strong negative impact on you. Be true to yourself, you might be struggling now and that’s okay. Reach out to a counsellor if you need some extra support.
Preconception Care: Diet & Lifestyle
There is a lot of work that you can do with a Naturopath to help with preconception health and preparing your body for pregnancy. Some of the things that might be suggested to you include:
- Eating a wide variety of colourful vegetables to help increase your intake of antioxidants.
- Avoiding alcohol and caffeine for at least three months prior to trying to conceive.
- Drinking 2-3L of water every day.
- Support your sleep; try doing a mindfulness or meditation session every day before going to sleep.
- Reduce inflammation by avoiding sugar and gluten; this will also support implantation of the ovum.
- Go for regular walks and focus on stretches rather than intensive exercise.
Challenges
Not knowing what is going on – why you haven’t conceived – can be one of the biggest challenges surrounding this time. Here are some things that might be impacting your conception journey:
- Missing the fertile window; you’ll have your best chance at conceiving when you ovulate. If you aren’t sure when this is, or how to track it, you can ask your naturopath for further advice.
- Stress causes your body to have high levels of cortisol, a hormone that negatively impacts your fertility.
- Nutrient deficiencies and low body weight can both have a negative impact on your fertility.
- Underlying reproductive conditions, such as endometriosis and PCOS, need to be worked on to support your fertility.
- Low ovarian reserve: some women may be trying to conceive but not have many eggs.
Have a chat with our naturopaths in Ballarat and Bendigo for a more personalised approach for your menstrual health and preconception care. You may also want to discover more insights from these articles about pregnancy, menstruation, and women’s health issues.
