Congratulations! You are trying to conceive. As you plan on getting pregnant, it is also a good idea to take a look at your overall health and the lifestyle that you lead. There may be some medical issues that you will need to take care of, such as ensuring that you are up-to-date with your vaccinations. Secondly, you want to take a look at the types of food that you are used to eating. Healthy nutrition is not only essential to a healthy baby, but it is also just as important when trying to conceive.

Additionally, you may need to supplement your healthy diet with vitamins and other nutrient supplements. The USDA recommends that from the time a woman starts to try to conceive and throughout the first 12 weeks of her pregnancy, she should be taking folic acid supplements each day like Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Vitamin. Folic acid not only helps with conception but also will help in the healthy development of your infant’s spinal cord.

Things to Avoid When Trying to Conceive

We’ve all heard that women shouldn’t smoke, drink caffeine or alcohol, or take illegal drugs while pregnant. Avoiding these things even prior to conception are just as important. Both cigarette smoke and marijuana can have a negative effect and decrease your chances of getting pregnant. For men, the quality and number of sperm are affected. Women consuming alcohol when trying to conceive are at risk for miscarrying, having a spontaneous abortion, and causing impaired fetal growth. Alcohol consumption by men who are trying to conceive should be lessened as well, as alcohol can have an effect on sperm development. While experts today have now agreed that low to moderate caffeine consumption shouldn’t have an effect on fertility or even pregnancy, it is still a good idea to cut down since the research is not conclusive.

Additionally, men should avoid wearing tight underwear, as doing so can also have a negative effect on their sperm count. Wearing tight clothing tends to hold the organs closer to the body, thereby causing an increase in temperature to the area and potentially decreasing sperm production. Other things that men should avoid when trying to conceive are hot tubs and saunas. As with wearing tight underwear, sitting in a hot tub or in a sauna can have an effect on sperm production. The testicles are especially sensitive to heat and generally are able to produce healthy sperm in cooler environments. Lastly, one of the not-so-obvious things that women should avoid when trying to conceive is a cat’s litter box. Not only can being around a cat’s litter box decrease the chances of getting pregnant, but it can also cause toxoplasmosis.

While trying to conceive seems to be easy for some, for others, it is not. The important thing is that you need to ensure that you are in optimal health and that you take care of supplementing your diet with the right vitamins and nutrients your body needs during this time.