How to Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy: A Doctor’s Guide

 

 

The three months before conception are a useful window to review your health, understand your cycle and make changes that may also benefit early pregnancy. Here are some of the things I’d actually think about.

1. Work out when you actually ovulate

Forget the idea that everyone ovulates on cycle day 14.

Ovulation generally happens around 12–16 days before your next period, so someone with a 35-day cycle may ovulate considerably later than someone with a 26-day cycle.

If you want to identify your fertile window, you can use:

• Cervical mucus: it often becomes clearer, wetter and more slippery approaching ovulation.
• LH tests: a positive ovulation test usually suggests ovulation is approaching, although it doesn’t prove an egg was released.
• Basal body temperature: your temperature typically rises after ovulation, making BBT more useful for confirming a pattern retrospectively than predicting ovulation that month.

You don’t need to pinpoint the exact minute you ovulate. Sperm can survive for several days in the reproductive tract, so having sex every 2–3 days throughout the cycle usually covers the fertile window.

2. Check your medications before you start trying

This is one of the easiest preconception steps to overlook.

Prescription medicines, over-the-counter treatments, herbal remedies and supplements are all worth reviewing. Some medicines require adjustment before pregnancy, whereas stopping others can be more harmful than continuing them.

If you take regular medication or have a long-term medical condition, ask your GP or specialist for a preconception medication review rather than waiting until you’re already pregnant.

And don’t stop prescribed medication without medical advice.

3. Check your cervical screening and vaccinations

It’s worth checking whether you’re due cervical screening before trying to conceive rather than discovering you’re overdue once pregnant.

Your vaccination history can also matter. In particular, if there’s uncertainty about immunity to infections such as rubella, this can be discussed before conception because some live vaccines aren’t given during pregnancy and require a period of avoiding pregnancy afterwards.

4. Start folic acid/folate before the positive test

The neural tube begins developing extremely early — often before someone even realises they’re pregnant.

That’s why UK guidance recommends 400 micrograms of folic acid every day from before conception until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Some people require a prescribed 5 mg dose because of particular medical conditions, medications or pregnancy histories.

If you’ve been prescribed high-dose folic acid, don’t replace it with an over-the-counter fertility supplement without discussing it with your healthcare professional.

5. Know whether you’re at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency

The NHS advises adults to consider 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D daily during autumn and winter, and some people are advised to take it throughout the year.

Your risk of low vitamin D is higher if you have little sun exposure or have darker skin.

And if you’re already taking several supplements, check the labels. It’s surprisingly easy to take the same nutrient from multiple products without realising it.

6. Don’t automatically order a huge “fertility blood panel”

More testing isn’t always better.

If your periods are regular and you have no symptoms or relevant medical history, you don’t necessarily need an enormous private hormone panel before you’ve even started trying.

But irregular or absent periods are different. They can indicate that ovulation isn’t occurring regularly and may warrant assessment.

Likewise, known thyroid disease, diabetes and other long-term conditions are worth optimising before pregnancy rather than waiting for a positive test.

7. Your partner has a three-month preconception window too

Preconception preparation shouldn’t focus entirely on eggs.

Sperm production takes roughly three months, meaning today’s lifestyle can influence the sperm being produced for the months ahead.

Smoking, recreational drugs, excessive alcohol and anabolic steroids can all adversely affect male reproductive health.

And one particularly important point: testosterone isn’t a male fertility supplement. Taking external testosterone or anabolic steroids can suppress sperm production, sometimes dramatically.

8. You don’t need to “detox” before pregnancy

You don’t need a fertility cleanse, juice detox or restrictive diet.

Aim for a varied diet containing vegetables and fruit, wholegrains, protein sources and healthy fats.

If you smoke, stopping is one of the most meaningful changes you can make. When it comes to alcohol, NHS guidance advises avoiding alcohol if you’re pregnant or trying to become pregnant.

For caffeine, you don’t necessarily need to give up coffee completely. Once pregnant, UK guidance recommends keeping caffeine below 200 mg per day, so preconception is a useful time to work out how much you’re actually consuming.

9. Know when not to wait 12 months

You’ve probably heard that you should try for a year before seeing a doctor. That’s not the whole story.

In the UK, fertility assessment is generally considered after 12 months of regular unprotected sex without conception.

But you should consider seeking advice earlier if you’re 36 or over, have irregular or absent periods, have a previous cancer treatment or known condition that may affect fertility, or have another specific reason to be concerned.

You don’t need to spend a year trying if there’s already a reason fertility could be affected.

10. Finally, look properly at your supplements

The fertility supplement aisle can make it feel as though you need ten different products.

You don’t.

When comparing supplements, look beyond the marketing on the front of the bottle and check three things:

What is actually in it? What form is being used? And what is the daily dose?

CoQ10 is a good example. It has been investigated extensively in reproductive medicine, including studies involving IVF, ovarian ageing and markers associated with egg quality. Yet the amount included in different fertility supplements can vary enormously.

The same principle applies to folate and vitamin D.

Why I created CORE3- a targeted advanced preconception supplement 

After experiencing six pregnancy losses, I spent a huge amount of time reading fertility research and building my own supplement routine.

What frustrated me was how complicated it became. I didn’t want another enormous multivitamin with a long ingredient list — I wanted to focus on the nutrients I was most interested in from the fertility research, at meaningful doses, without taking a handful of capsules every day.

That eventually became CORE3: our doctor-formulated, one-capsule-a-day preconception supplement.

450 mg CoQ10
4,000 IU Vitamin D3
1,000 µg Methylfolate

Three targeted nutrients. Just one capsule a day.

[Shop CORE3 →]

CORE3 is a food supplement and is not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet or medical care. If you’ve been prescribed folic acid, vitamin D or any other medication, don’t stop or replace it without speaking to your healthcare professional.