Have you ever wondered what you can do to help your chances for conceiving?

Obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Katie Smith, believes that there is a lot you can do even before getting pregnant that can positively impact your ttc journey!

1. To begin with, you can make sure you are eating and supplementing a healthy diet.

In terms of food, she suggests that although it is important to be getting plenty of protein, that you should shy away from animal protein and instead include plenty of legumes, nuts and seeds in your diet. Plenty of calcium is another must. In fact, calcium is actually directly linked to a healthy reproductive system! Making sure you have enough iron and omega-3 fatty acid as well. The omega-3 fatty acids are actually important in helping your body to ovulate with ease!

In terms of supplements, Smith suggests taking a prenatal vitamin before you become pregnant that contains at a bare minimum, .4 mg of folic acid.

2. Along the same lines, evaluate your weight.

Before you begin trying to conceive, you will want to make sure that you are at a healthy weight. Studies show that if you are under or overweight, it may impact your ability to get pregnant! In fact, it is believed that 10 percent of women who struggle with infertility, do so because of weight related issues.

3. Make sure you are not smoking.

Doing so will cause your eggs to act and feel as if they are 10 years older than they are! Smoking also lowers sperm count, keeps eggs from easily attaching and increases the odds of miscarriage. Yikes!

4. Age is a factor.

Unfortunately, the chances of conceiving naturally does decrease as you get older. For most women, they are most fertile in their 20’s. However, fertility continues to decline as you age……….. so much so that women who are 40, only have a 15% chance of becoming pregnant each cycle. So if you are 40 and it has been 6 months and you are still not pregnant, you will want to check in with your doctor!

5. Keep tabs on your overall health.

Before you try to conceive, Smith recommends getting a physical and having a gynecological exam. Then you can monitor and treat any conditions that may get in the way of conceiving.

Some of the conditions that may interfere with conception are: Diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, cysts or benign tumors and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Smith also encourages women to have a blood test that checks for hepatitis, chicken pox, Rh factor, hemoglobin and immunities to rubella. In addition, you will want to address any sexually transmitted diseases.

Finally, keep a record of all the medications you are taking, in addition to doing a bit of family history research. Find out if your mother or grandmother had any fertility related issues.

So, there is a lot you can do before trying to conceive that can help with a future healthy pregnancy!!!