Dr. Stephen Pound shares advice for getting into physical and mental shape for conceiving.
This blog post first ran in early 2020 and has been updated to include information about COVID-19.
Nutrition and wellness have always played a large part in fertility. They involve a shared focus on the foods we consume, the chemicals we limit or avoid, and the activities that affect our bodies – including sleep, stress, and exercise. Sounds pretty basic, right?
Under normal circumstances, making a conscious effort to improve diet and nutrition, exercise regularly, and minimize stress can do wonders to improve your chances of getting pregnant; but there’s a bit more to it during a pandemic. Let’s discuss some tips for how to get your mind and body in shape if you’re hoping for a fertile 2022.
1. Don’t leave the pandemic out of family planning.
A lot goes into the decision of when to start your family, from age, health risks, and job security, to personal, professional, and financial goals. The coronavirus pandemic may have turned those factors on their heads and added a few more to weigh, like risk of exposure to mom and baby and where we are with the vaccine.
Some of these factors are out of your control and depend on your family’s current situation regarding the pandemic and its economic impact. That makes family planning during the COVID-19 highly individualized. Here are some things to concider as you decide on the right time to bring a little one into the world. Keep in mind your body doesn’t always work on the timeline you choose.
COVID-19 Risks to the Mother
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), pregnant women are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant women, although the overall increased risk is small. As of November 23, 2020, total cases among pregnant women recorded in the US reached 40,306, and total deaths among pregnant women with COVID-19 were 54 (0.13%).
I recommend getting in front of any health issues and taking precautions if you’re trying to become pregnant during the pandemic.
- Get any chronic conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes or asthma under control. These underlying conditions could increase your risk for a severe illness if you were to contract COVID-19. Your primary care physician can help you get them under control before you start trying to conceive. (It’s also a good idea to do this even if you’re not trying to become pregnant this year.)
- Be vigilant about COVID-19 precautions (masking, hand hygiene, and social distancing). Pregnancy suppresses the immune system, making pregnant women more vulnerable to infection than the general public. That means it’s even more important to limit your contact with people and take the recommended precautions if you’re trying to become pregnant.
COVID-19 Risks to the Baby:
According to the CDC, there’s no documentation of increased risk of miscarriage or fetal malformations in pregnant women who are infected with COVID-19. And while there have been some reports that COVID-19 may have passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or delivery, this seems to be a rare phenomenon.
Practicing good infection control habits (masking, hand hygiene, and social distancing) is even more important once the baby is born – as is ensuring the household and any potential visitors are practicing good habits as well. After birth, the risk of a mother passing COVID-19 to her newborn is low, especially when the mother takes these precautions. Current evidence suggests breastfeeding is not likely to spread the virus to babies.
What to know about the COVID-19 vaccines when trying to conceive
The current vaccine trials by Pfizer and Moderna did not include pregnant women, so guidance is lacking at this time. However, some participants did become pregnant during the trials. Here is some information to help you make an informed decision. Once the vaccine is distributed, I expect our national organizations to release guidelines for pregnant women. For now, the importance of the vaccine will outweigh any theoretical implications on a pregnancy.
*Update as of March 25, 2021: The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are just as effective in pregnant and lactating women as women who are not pregnant, according to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Vaccine-induced antibody levels were “strikingly higher” than those resulting from coronavirus infection during pregnancy. The study also showed that women passed protective antibodies to their newborns via the placenta and breastmilk.
2. Eat like you’re pregnant.
Once you’ve decided to try to conceive, the first step is eating right. If you tell almost any parent in your life – a sibling, friend at work, your dental hygienist – that you are even thinking about having a child, you will hear a wealth of suggestions about how to prepare, including what to eat. I often recommend to my patients that the best way to prepare for pregnancy is to behave as though you are already pregnant. This means eating a diet rich in omega fats and vegetables rich in vitamins, limiting or avoiding sugar, supplementing with a prenatal vitamin, and abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs.
Studies support the following nutritional advice.
What to eat:
- A diet full of antioxidants: dark chocolate, pecans, berries
- Healthy omegas to support ovulation and fetal brain development: salmon, nuts, seeds, flax, chia, and grass-fed beef
- Folic acid (upwards of 400 micrograms daily): plenty of leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, and nuts
- Iron (27 milligrams daily): eggs, poultry, and green vegetables
- Zinc: oysters, beef, baked beans
How to supplement:
- Whether you are eating these things or not, it’s a good idea to take a daily prenatal vitamin supplement with folic acid. That will ensure you are getting the extra amounts of vitamins and minerals needed during pregnancy – even when you have an off-day diet-wise.
What to avoid:
- Caffeine: no more than 200 milligrams daily (one or two cups of coffee a day at the most)
- Tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs
3. Condition your body to prepare for pregnancy.
Additionally, being active is important for becoming pregnant. Get into a good exercise routine before trying to conceive to strengthen and condition your body for pregnancy.
I’m not necessarily saying to start training for a marathon tomorrow, but three days of moderate exercise weekly for thirty to forty-five minutes at a time will do wonders for your cardiovascular health (and stress levels). Examples include swimming or brisk walking at a pace where you can talk, but not sing.
4. Minimize stress to improve hormone balance.
Finally, if you’re trying to conceive during a pandemic or otherwise, understand that stress management is important for fertility. Stress – whether it is physical or emotional – can wreak havoc on your hormones, mood, and overall fertility for you and your partner. High levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, have been linked to lower libido, erectile dysfunction, and suppressed ovulation.
It’s easy to fall into a self-perpetuating cycle of stress, especially when you are having difficulty getting pregnant. For example, staying up late worrying can lead to late-night eating, which can result in poor sleep. Lack of sleep might lead to an increase in caffeine consumption the next day, making it difficult to fall asleep again.
The best way to break the stress cycle is to establish a healthy sleep pattern. This will boost your immune system and regulate hormone balance.
- Avoid eating two hours before bed.
- Aim for six to eight hours of restful sleep.
- Avoid stimulants such as alcohol or caffeine.
We know that the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic can do a number on your stress level. Check out Dr. Colton’s tips for managing the anxiety and grief of COVID-19.
How can women feel best prepared to begin their pregnancy journey in 2022?
One of the universal truths of being a parent is to expect the unexpected and realize that as much as you want to control things, so many things are out of your control. In fact, I can’t think of anything that could prepare you for parenthood better than a global pandemic!
The key is not to focus on the outcome, but to focus on the things you can control – like your daily habits. The best way to achieve your goal of becoming pregnant is to support your health with nutrition, exercise, and stress management. And don’t forget lots of sanitizer, masks, and a joyful heart.
Hopefully, these tips will get you started on your journey to a fertile 2022! You can also set up a preconception visit with your OB/GYN to evaluate your medical history, discuss any potential fertility roadblocks, and come up with a personalized plan to make sure you’re on the right track. We offer weight management consultations as well. Best of luck!
To schedule a preconception visit with a VPFW provider, you can call us at 804-897-2100 or set an appointment online.
Sources
https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/coronavirus-covid-19-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/pregnancy-breastfeeding.html
https://foamcast.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Vaccine-Info-for-Pregnant-Women-Updated-12-22.pdf
