{"id":214,"date":"2021-03-30T10:04:16","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T14:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.oviahealth.com\/guide\/214\/prepare-body-for-pregnancy\/"},"modified":"2025-04-16T10:17:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T14:17:49","slug":"prepare-body-for-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/214\/prepare-body-for-pregnancy\/","title":{"rendered":"Lights, camera, conception! A pre-pregnancy checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting your body and your life ready for pregnancy before you start trying can help you feel prepared mentally, emotionally, and physically – all of which will help you and baby once you do have a little one on the way.<\/p>\n

Even pre-pregnancy, check in and checkup<\/h2>\n

Talking to your healthcare provider<\/a> before you start trying to conceive is a great way to get a head start on a healthy pregnancy. They\u2019ll be able to make sure you\u2019re up to date on vaccines like chicken pox and rubella that you really don\u2019t want to come down with during pregnancy, and let you know if any medications you\u2019re on could have negative effects on your future child. They will also let you know if you need to stop taking a medication, and whether you might need to wait a bit to conceive. It\u2019s also a good idea to get tested for STIs<\/a>, and to check in about getting off of any birth control you might be on.<\/p>\n

Genetic screening<\/h3>\n

If it\u2019s possible that you might have a family history of genetic disease, it can be a good idea to go through genetic testing and counseling, so that you’re prepared if there\u2019s a chance that health concerns could be passed down. The clinical standard is now for all individuals or couples to get screened for cystic fibrosis before attempting to conceive.<\/p>\n

Smile!<\/h3>\n

Going to the dentist may be the last thing on your mind, but pregnancy hormones can cause gum swelling and bleeding, so preemptive dental work can help you avoid infections. Besides that, non-pregnancy-related dental work, like fillings, can be done through the second trimester, but should probably be avoided during the third, so if there\u2019s anything you\u2019ve been putting off having done, now may be the time.<\/p>\n

You are what you eat<\/h3>\n

And who doesn\u2019t want to be a nice broccoli tree? It\u2019s great to step up your vitamin intake<\/a> with lots of fruits and vegetables before you start conceiving, so as to add some folate to your diet for your prospective baby\u2019s health, and to decrease the risk of birth defects and complications. It\u2019s also a time to seriously cut down on mercury-heavy fish, like swordfish and tuna. Mercury and other heavy metals can live in your body for a while, so stopping before you start trying to conceive gives your body a better chance to flush them all out before baby comes along.<\/p>\n

New Year\u2019s resolutions,\u00a0anytime<\/h3>\n

Now is the time to put all of those New Year\u2019s resolutions into action. Smoking can hamper fertility and is dangerous for your baby\u2019s health if you do conceive this cycle. If you typically have a lot of caffeine, cutting down may also help fertility and prepare you for a reduced intake during pregnancy. And as for alcohol, the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome warns that alcohol in your system has the potential to affect your baby at any time after conception, even if you don\u2019t know you\u2019re pregnant. In addition, several studies, including a 2009 study at Harvard, suggest that even moderate drinking can reduce your fertility. This doesn’t necessarily mean that moderate drinking is a deal-breaker, but once you’re actively TTC – and, as a result, fingers crossed, could get pregnant at any time – it’s recommended that you stop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pregnancy doesn’t always happen the moment you start trying, but there’s definitely good reason to prepare for it before you do conceive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":157003,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ovia_author_name":"","ovia_author_prefix":"","ovia_author_image":"","ovia_content_type_id":"176","ovia_product_mode":"2","ovia_days_from_signup":"64","ovia_days_from_lmp":"","ovia_days_from_baby_birth":"","ovia_days_from_enroll":"","ovia_health_module_days_from":"","ovia_article_for_email_days_from":"","ovia_health_module":"","ovia_legacy_id2":"214","ovia_ttc":"1","ovia_article_subtype":"","ovia_health_symptom":"","ovia_partner_id":"","ovia_partner_custom_group":"","ovia_legacy_category":"112","ovia_legacy_category2":"","ovia_content_url_id":"37100","ovia_include_share_buttons":"","ovia_fertility_goal":"2","ovia_secondary_module":"","ovia_trimester":"","ovia_child_age":"","ovia_share_image":"","ovia_more_menu_image":"","ovia_button1_url":"","ovia_days_from_postpartum":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"fert-category":[37,33,35,34,19,16,17,36,18],"preg-category":[],"parent-category":[],"fert-tag":[239,237,190,191,201,189,188],"preg-tag":[],"parent-tag":[],"class_list":["post-214","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","fert-category-general-health","fert-category-health-and-wellness","fert-category-mental-health","fert-category-nutrition","fert-category-preconception-planning","fert-category-reproductive-healthcare","fert-category-reproductive-issues-and-conditions","fert-category-sleep","fert-category-trying-to-conceive","fert-tag-fertility-boost-vitamins","fert-tag-fertility-nutrition","fert-tag-ob-gyn","fert-tag-patient-self-advocacy","fert-tag-preconception-vitamins","fert-tag-reproductive-health-care-providers","fert-tag-wellness-exams"],"yoast_head":"\nLights, camera, conception! 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