Pre-Pregnancy Tips

Pre-Pregnancy tips

Here are some simple tips to help you and your partner maximise your chances of conceiving:

Regular intercourse

It is recommended to have regular intercourse 2–3 times per week during the fertile time of the month.

Folic Acid 500 ug

Begin taking folic acid 3 months pre-conception and continue to take it until the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. Folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects. Products such as Blackmores Pregnancy are beneficial – in addition to folic acid it also contains iodine.

Healthy diet

A healthy diet and Body Mass Index (BMI) benefits your overall health and can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Regular exercise

Moderate exercise includes activities such as walking or social tennis.

Weight

We recommend you use the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a guide to maintaining an appropriate body weight. Evidence suggests that fertility improves significantly if a woman with a high BMI can achieve a 5% reduction in weight.

Multi-vitamins

Taking a multi-vitamin may benefit your overall health.

GP check-up

You should discuss your current medications with your GP and their implications for pregnancy.

Blood tests

Your GP can also check for rubella and chicken pox status, blood group, Rh factor, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

Your menstrual cycle

The most fertile time for a woman is between days 8 to 13 of a 28 day cycle. However, as you ovulate 14 days before your next period rather than 14 days after your last one, your fertile period will be later if your cycle is longer.

The following lifestyle choices can potentially harm you and your future baby:

Smoking & recreational drugs

Active and passive smoking harms sexual and reproductive health in both men and women. It can compromise the ability to have children, with the risk increasing the more and longer you smoke. Also, research shows that a child born to a male smoker is four times more likely to develop cancer in childhood (BMJ 2004 'Smoking and Reproductive Life’).

Alcohol & caffeine

Alcohol intake of 1 to 2 drinks per day is safe and will not have adverse effects on your health, fertility or pregnancy. However, intake above this level (by either the male or female partner) may significantly reduce your fertility as well as have long-term effects on your health.

Having a small amount of caffeine (eg two cups of coffee per day) when you are pregnant is thought to be safe, however it is best avoided altogether where possible. Caffeine intake above this can impact the health of the baby.

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