The best way to prepare for a future pregnancy for most people, likely will not involve an extensive or elaborate plan.  Rather, optimizing your current health status, and assessing for possible concerns that would require additional special care.  If you are wondering what ‘optimal’ health means, here are five questions to ask yourself:

1. Are you tired all the time? If you are exhausted with brain fog or difficulties focusing, use this as a sign to assess iron status and dive deeper into your dietary habits.  Optimally speaking, you should feel like you have sustained energy throughout the day, not relying on caffeine to power your day.
2. How is your stress? Trying to conceive can be stressful endeavor, without question.  Spend time reflecting on aspects of your life that may be contributing to increased stress levels.  If we do not adequately support the stress response, we are more likely to see stress manifest physically, with implications on hormonal health and troubles with conception.
3. When you reflect on your diet, can you say you eat fairly balanced and in moderation? We want to avoid any eating pattern that is overly restrictive, both in the type and amount of food.  Trying to conceive is not the time to significantly restrict calories, as this in itself can suppress our reproductive efforts.
4. Do you experience any irregular cycles, or significant PMS? Concerns related to menstruation can tell us more about hormonal status, and other fertility concerns that would require special attention.  This brings us to our last point.
5. Do you have a health concern that requires additional fertility support? Concerns such as PCOS, Hashimoto’s, endometriosis, premature ovarian insufficiency or an autoimmune concern, require special care when trying to conceive.  With any concerns you may have, bring them up with your healthcare provider.

Here are some fundamental aspects we know to be of benefit, when trying to conceive:  

1. Supplementing with a prenatal. Taking a prenatal vitamin is associated with a reduction in risk of low birth weight¹, as well as a slight reduction in preterm births². Folic acid is an ingredient within prenatal vitamins, that has shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects³and congenital heart defects⁴. 

SmartPrenatal is a complete prenatal multivitamin and mineral supplement. SmartPrenatal contains foundational nutrients that offer support for proper growth and development from pre-conception to breastfeeding.

2. Assessing for Vitamin D status. For those trying to conceive, we need adequate vitamin D levels for numerous fertility reasons.  One in particular, is the impact that vitamin D has on egg count as it improves AMH levels and even prolongs levels as we age⁶.
3. Assessing for iron by testing ferritin. We need optimal levels for both fertility and pregnancy, with a minimum level of ferritin no less than 30 ug/L⁷, with optimal levels above 60 ug/L.
4. Supporting egg quality. Antioxidant support may come to mind when we think of supporting egg quality.  Aside from supplementation, we must also ensure blood sugar has been adequately controlled, as part of our metabolic health.  When our metabolic health is poor, we see an increase in oxidative species, which has the opposite effect of an antioxidant⁸.  In other words, we do not want our efforts of consuming an antioxidant-rich diet, to be hindered by suboptimal metabolic health. 
5. Alcohol should be avoided when trying to conceive. One study showed that women who binge drink (4+ drinks in one occasion) more than twice weekly, showed a 26% lower AMH reading, compared to those who did not binge drink⁹.
6. The Mediterranean diet showing benefit when trying to conceive. A40% increased pregnancy rate was seen in those who had a high rate of adherence to the Mediterranean diet¹⁰undergoing IVF/ICSI.  

To reiterate, we want to only be adding in dietary and supplemental support that we know will be both safe and effective during the prenatal phase.  If you are not sure if a particular intervention is either safe or effective, it’s always best to err on the side of caution, and seek support from your healthcare provider.

If you are not yet tracking your cycle using a phone app, starting to is a convenient way to assess for patterns over time.  Keeping in mind, your phone app will not be able to tell you when ovulation is happening, unless it is also asking you for this additional information¹¹:

1. Tracking your cervical mucus. We want to be seeing fluctuations in your cervical mucus, throughout your cycle.  This can give us insight into your estrogen status, as cervical mucus is heavily influenced by estrogen.  Leading up to ovulation, we ideally want to see more of an egg white cervical mucus, that may feel slippery or watery.  This type of mucus is necessary to keep the sperm viable and for a quick transportation towards the egg.
2. A surge in your LH hormone tells us ovulation is near. LH ovulation predictor kits can be extremely useful for many, trying to pinpoint when ovulation will likely happen, to time intercourse appropriately.  In most cases, ovulation occurs 24-28 hours after an LH surge.  An important consideration for those with PCOS and a high LH to FSH ratio, is to not rely solely on these LH ovulation strips, if you see multiple LH peaks throughout your cycle.
3. Basal body temperature (BBT) tracking. After ovulation, we will see a slight increase in basal body temperature for the second half of the cycle, until menstruation occurs where we see a drop again until the next ovulation occurs. Pairing BBT tracking with cervical mucus and LH ovulation predictor kits is how we can better pinpoint ovulation.

It’s important that we address irregular cycles and other menstrual irregularities before we start trying to conceive.  Of particular note, we want to ensure that we have enough progesterone in the second half of the cycle, and that the endometrial lining is able to respond adequately to the progesterone that is being produced.  Under-eating is oftentimes associated with this luteal phase defect¹², where we see a direct correlation with not eating enough or having a low body weight, to alterations in the menstrual cycle. 

When it comes to period pains, there are a few nutrients that have shown to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of menstrual pain:

• Calcium supplementation for at least two menstrual cycles, showed a significant decrease in intensity of period pain, along with less psychological and mood related PMS symptoms¹³.
• Vitamin D has many benefits to fertility and hormonal support, including the reduction in average period pain score once vitamin D deficiencies had been corrected for¹⁴.
• Zinc supplementation for 12 weeks showed an improvement in both the physical and psychological aspects of PMS¹⁵.
• Curcumin has anti-inflammatory benefits, likely responsible for the decrease in period pains¹⁶.
• Vitex,also known as Chaste Tree,is a common herbal supplement used for correcting irregular cycles and reducing period pains, showing a 2.5 times greater rate of PMS remission, compared to those not supplementing with vitex¹⁷. It’s important to note that since vitex is an herb with significant potential to alter the menstrual cycle, special caution should be put in place for those trying to conceive, as it should be used under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
• To get your cycles back on track, try Cyclesmart. It contains Chaste Tree which has been used in herbal medicine as a hormone normalizer, to stabilize menstrual cycle irregularities. Cyclesmart can not be taken during pregnancy.
• Inositolis considered by many to be the most beneficial supplement for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), with numerous benefits including improving insulin sensitivity¹⁸. Two out of the three criteria must be met, for a diagnosis of PCOS¹⁹, (1) irregular cycles, cycles longer than 32 days in length or less than 10 periods per year, (2) elevated testosterone on lab work, or the presence of testosterone symptoms such as facial hair growth, hair loss on the top of the head, or cystic acne, and (3) the presence of cysts on ultrasound. Glucosmartby Smart Solutions offers D-chiro-inositol and helps manage PCOS symptoms by reducing serum testosterone and promoting normal ovulation.

Here are some nutrients we want to support during pregnancy:

• Ensuring sufficient calcium intake through diet, to prevent maternal bone resorption and a lower bone density for the offspring²⁰.
• Addressing magnesium deficiency symptoms common during pregnancy, such as constipation and muscle cramping. Magnesium supplementation during pregnancy, has also been shown to potentially help reduce preterm birth²¹.
• To ensure we get the full health benefits of vitamin D, testing should continue during pregnancy. Initial investigation into vitamin D status should begin during the preconception phase²².
• Ginger in supplement form, has been shown to significantly lessen nausea symptoms. Ginger is included in SmartPrenatal to aid in nausea relief.
• Heartburn is a common occurrence for many during pregnancy, which can be alleviated by consuming more frequent and smaller meals, and less peppermint, chocolate, and caffeine.²³

Most importantly, continue to see your healthcare provider for routine blood work and physical exams, to ensure we are not missing anything crucial, and your pregnancy remains as healthy as can be.

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