Ten things to do before you get pregnant

So, you’re ready to take the plunge into the crazy ride of motherhood? Here are a few things you and Dad need to get sorted first to make sure you’re on fertile ground

1 GET WEIGHT TESTED

Being over- or underweight can both be issues when you’re trying to conceive, as it affects your output of hormones. This means that your diet could dramatically increase your chances of conception. Consider your weight and height, and work toward achieving a stable, optimum fertility weight. Get yourself checked out at the doctor to calculate what’s an ideal weight.

2 STOP SMOKING AND DRINKING

By now you should know enough about these vices to know that they’re off-limits during pregnancy. In fact, quitting before you conceive is even better. Quitting now will ensure that your body is at its peak for conception and pregnancy.

3 CHECK YOUR MEDICATIONS

All drugs have side effects – even your prescribed medication. Understand what you’re putting into your body and how it can actually affect your fertility. This also goes beyond conception because a newly formed foetus is particularly vulnerable to the toxins and drugs that are crossing over from your system. Be careful about what you’re taking.

4 GET A PHYSICAL

Before you plan to get physical, get a physical. Check your blood pressure and your urine for infections and glucose levels. Get a cervical smear to ensure that you have a healthy cervix, blood-group test to see if you are Rhesus negative, or have an onset of long-term health conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis or HIV, genito-urinary infections such as thrush as well as any adverse effect from any meds you’re on.

5 TAKE YOUR FOLIC ACID

A daily is essential in preventing spine abnormalities of the foetus. Unfortunately these happen in the early weeks of pregnancy, when most of us are unaware of a pregnancy. Planning to fall pregnant means you can start taking a good multivitamin now, as well as a folic acid supplement to know you are laying a good solid foundation for a pregnancy.

6 CHANGE YOUR DIETS

You may be battling to conceive, and a simple change in diet could make all the difference. Upping your intake of fresh fruit and veg, cutting down on too much red meat, drinking lots of water and minimising sugar will all go a long way in ensuring a healthy environment for conception to take place. If your body is too acidic or too alkaline, fertility could be affected too, so turfing out the junk food and rethinking your diet (both yours and his) could be the best thing you ever do.

7 READ THE FINE PRINT OF YOUR MEDICAL AID

Read up on what your medical aid offers, but not only in terms of maternity benefits. Remember, you will have to wait out a window period on most medical aids before pregnancy is covered. But if you find yourself faced with invasive, expensive fertility tests and treatments, you could exhaust your medical aid in no time. Is fertility covered? Know what is and what isn’t.

8 FIND YOUR PERFECT DOCTOR

So, you’ve been seeing your gynae since your wild 20s, but is he or she the right person to help you on your quest to motherhood? Check if your doctor does any assisted reproduction like artificial insemination or if he/she has any links with fertility specialists if it comes to that. You need to know that your doctor can refer you if necessary.

9 CUT YOUR EXERCISE OR INCREASE IT

Too much of anything can be a bad thing, and this is also true for exercise. Being avid gym bunnies could be preventing conception. And on the flipside, if you’re completely sedentary, starting an exercise programme could help too.

10 GET HELP

If you’ve used no protection for six months and are still not pregnant, seek help from your nearest fertility clinic.