Planning for pregnancy?

Year end is known as the “wedding season” in Malaysia as many couples decide to tie the knot between September and December. Some newlyweds choose to enjoy marriage life first while others plan for pregnancy right away. For those couples that wish to start parenthood soon after marriage, it is preferable to be financially secure, emotionally ready, and physically fit to prepare your body for healthy pregnancy.

Factors affecting a woman’s fertility:

Planning a pregnancy is an exciting moment in your life, but it can also be overwhelming. The chances of conception is affected by a variety of factors. Here sharing 5 significant factors affecting your chance of conception:

Age - Fertility rate starts to decline by age of 30 and declined rapidly in mid-30s, it’s unlikely to get pregnant naturally for most women by the age of 45. This may be due to the numbers of eggs decreases as women aged.^[1]

Weight - Being overweight or underweight can cause hormonal imbalances and impact a woman’s fertility.

Smoking - Cigarettes contain harmful chemical such as nicotine, cyanide, and carbon monoxide which damages the quality of eggs and reduce the volume of eggs. It also increases the chances of miscarriage and birth defects.^[2]

Alcohol - Alcohol affects female fertility. Women who drink large amount of alcohol are more likely to have heavy or irregular period which leads to ovulation and fertility problems.^[3]

Stress - Most of the people cope with stress by unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, binge drinking, too much caffeine, skip exercise and unhealthy diet. All of these are habits that can affect women’s ability to conceive.

It is important to start making lifestyle changes before you get pregnant. You can prepare yourself and your body for a healthy pregnancy by following these tips:

Consume key nutrients for fertility. It is important to consume minimum 400 micrograms of folic acid/ vitamin B9 for at least 3 months before conception as it helps to reduce the risk of problems in the baby’s development, such as spinal bifida, a type of neural tube defects (NTDs).^[4] You may get folic acid from foods such as spinach, broccoli, beans and peanuts and citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes. However, the amount of folic acid from foods alone may not be sufficient for most women. It is recommended to take folic acid supplements to reach the daily recommended dosage.

Besides, calcium is also necessary for conception. Taking enough calcium before pregnancy may reduce the risk of women experiencing pre-eclampsia or pregnancy loss.^[5] Foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese and sardines are known as calcium-rich pregnancy foods you should consume when planning for pregnancy. Pumping up your iron levels help to boost fertility and prevent the risk of anemia during pregnancy. You may get iron from foods such as meat, poultry and fish. Alternatively, you may get folic acid, calcium and iron from dietary supplements which recommended by a doctor to ensure a safe pregnancy.

Exercises. If you are planning to lose weight, do it before you get pregnant. Weight loss during pregnancy is usually not recommended as it can potentially endanger the baby’s development. Being overweight or obese during pregnancy may lead to complications such as gestational and pre-eclampsia.^[6] Therefore, starting a workout routine and being active not only helps you to maintain a healthy weight but also boost your chances of conceiving safely. Women are encouraged to participate in strength training, swimming, walking, running and indoor cycling. However, you might need to tone down the frequency of your workouts if you feel excessively fatigue or muscle and joint pain to reduce the risk of injury.

De-stress yourself. Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation and breathing exercises help to relieve tension, improve circulation, increase flexibility and make you feel less anxious. All these are benefits to boost fertility, give you a more comfortable pregnancy and healthy delivery.

Give up alcohol. Alcohol has a significant impact on fertility and conception. Since there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy, it is advisable to not drinking at all to increase the likelihood to conceive successfully and healthily.

Quit smoking. It is ideal to completely stop smoking for at least 4 months before getting pregnant to ensure the quality of the eggs are healthy. For those who have smoking habits, you may try these few quit-smoking tips such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), gradually cutting back each day until it dwindles to zero, and go cold turkey. Electronic cigarettes are not recommended as they are also contain nicotine.

Schedule a pre-conception checkup. To ensure the greatest possible start for your baby, it’s always a good idea to figure out your own health before trying to conceive. A pre-conception checkup may include a complete medical history, physical exam and blood screening which are essential to help you determine what steps you may still need to take for your body to be ready for conception.

Trying to conceive can be a long, hopeful journey. If you are trying to get pregnant soon, don’t leave it to luck. It is important that you begin to make healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices today to maximize fertility. Remember to always stay positive and keep calm, don’t let stress and worry to tear you down.

^[1] https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/having-a-baby-after-age-35-how-aging-affects-fertility-and-pregnancy

^[2] https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-booklets/smoking-and-infertility/

^[3] https://www.yourfertility.org.au/everyone/drugs-chemicals/alcohol

^[4] https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/preg-folic-acid.html

^[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4785477/

^[6] https://www.whattoexpect.com/getting-pregnant/health-and-wellness/safeguard-your-health/exercise-before-pregnancy.aspx