6 tips for trying to conceive

While embarking on the journey of conception, remember that the habits you'd embrace during pregnancy's nine-month marathon are equally crucial in the pre-game warm-up. Here we drop four golden nuggets of wisdom to set the stage for your upcoming baby-making adventures.

1. Weight Wellness 

Getting ready for pregnancy is an exciting journey, and one important step is maintaining a balanced weight. Carrying extra weight or being overweight might bring some challenges for both mum and baby, but the good news is that women can often reduce these risks by losing a few kilos before getting pregnant. On the flip side, being underweight comes with its own set of concerns, but don't worry – proper nutrition and reaching a healthy weight can work wonders.

For many wonderful women out there with a higher BMI, making simple changes to your diet, adding a bit more activity to your day, and embracing healthy habits can truly boost your chances of conceiving. Believe it or not, studies have shown that even losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can make a big difference in how things turn out. So, here's to taking small steps that can lead to a big, beautiful impact on your pregnancy journey! 🌟

2. Reduce Stress 

Life can sometimes feel like a juggling act, especially when you're diving into fertility treatments. If stress is giving you a bear hug, it may be worth linking up with a support squad or giving calming stuff like yoga, tea, acupuncture, or meditation a go. 

We totally understand that for many of you, fertility treatments might be part of the journey to parenthood. While stress has not been shown to decrease your chances of conception (phew), it can increase people's likelihood to tap out of fertility treatments before becoming pregnant. That's where these extra therapies and self care principles can come to the rescue to help you lower the stress levels while you're on this ride. And remember, the better you feel, the smoother the ride can be. 

Introducing healthy herbs can be a great way to help reduce stress. Try relaxing fertility tea blends such as Relaxation Glo packed with antioxidants to help restore your body and mind to a balanced calm state. 

3. Bad Habits? Be Gone! 

We all know that smoking isn't great for our health, but here's a friendly heads-up about how it can play tricks on your fertility too. Studies have done some detective work and found that lovely ladies who smoke are about twice as likely to have a harder time getting pregnant compared to those who don't (American Society for Reproductive Medicine: Smoking and Infertility, 2014). Smoking even gets involved in miscarriages and might speed up menopause by 1-4 years – not the best party guest, right?

Now, here comes the good news: waving goodbye to smoking and other not-so-fun habits, like too much partying with drinks or illegal stuff, really makes a difference. Even limiting processed foods and minimising plastic exposure has been shown to increase the likelihood of a successful conception. Plastic exposure is especially nasty for men's swimmers. To find out more about optimising men's swimmers and fertility click here to read our article on "Male Fertility: A guide to boosting those swimmers".

Also, while we're on the topic, let's keep our coffee dates in check – try not to down more than 2 cups a day when you're on the baby-making journey. That's a tiny change that might just help keep the odds in your favour! Not sure what to drink? Opt for healthy fertility herbal teas like these fresh organic teas found here. 🚀

4. Check your Meds

Let's talk meds, mamas-to-be! It's all about keeping you and your future bundle of joy safe and sound. First up, book in a cozy chat time with your doctor about your current meds. They'll make sure the dosages are A-OK for pregnancy because some meds might need switching before you're expecting.

Getting on top of any other pre-existing medical issues like thyroid, diabetes, PCOS, prior cancer with chemotherapy exposure, ovary removal, irregular or painful periods, erectile dysfunction, testicular surgery, depression, anxiety etc with your health care professional is also good practice. Stay on track with important health screenings, such as your Pap Smear. It's important to start thinking about establishing a solid relationship with specialists you'd like involved in your baby-making journey. Whether that be an Obstetrician, a family Doctor, Psychologist, Naturopath, Acupuncturist etc.

Now let's talk supplements. Prenatal vitamins packed with folic acid (approx. 400 micrograms is recommended) and Vitamin D (approx. 2,000 IU per day) are a good idea to take at least 3 months before you plan on trying to conceive. You can also add a conception tea (like this one) to your daily ritual to help get your hormones, uterus, and body in check before the conception games begin! 🌈

5. Stop Contraception (kind-of)

Getting your body ready to make a baby involves stopping contraception such as the contraceptive pill or removing an IUD. If you use condoms, it may be wise to continue using those for a few months while you stock your body up with essential vitamins and lifestyle habits to put you in the best position to carry a baby. Experts recommend you establish a healthy diet and lifestyle for 3 months prior to trying to conceive to give eggs and sperm the chance to re-set, recover and be in the strongest position for a healthy conception. 

It may be wise to start tracking your period by noting the first day of your period each month. By building up some data about your cycle, you'll be in a good position if you run into any conception issues down the road because your specialist will ask for your period history. Best to start getting acquainted with Aunt Flo and her pattern early on ❤️. 

6. Manage / Treat Conditions