Understanding the Key Physiological Changes in Pregnancy

To understand why preconception care matters, it helps to have a grasp of the main physiological changes that occur when you’re newly pregnant. Among the most important are:

• Your hormones – From the moment you conceive, your body escalates progesterone and estrogen production to help your future baby embed in your uterus. These hormonal changes stop your monthly reproductive cycle and ensure your baby grows at a healthy rate.
• Your circulation – Blood volume increases exponentially in pregnant people. In fact, your body is already producing up to 20% more by the 8-week mark and reaches around 50% more by 34 weeks of gestation. In addition, your heart works harder to circulate blood, which causes changes in blood pressure.
• Your uterus – Your uterus starts changing shortly after conception. For instance, your cervix gets softer and begins secreting more mucus, which encases your future baby and helps protect them from potential infections.

Remember, these are just some of the changes that occur when you become pregnant. Nearly every system in your body undergoes some kind of shift to create the optimal environment for your growing baby. These includes your:

• Digestive system
• Immune system
• Musculoskeletal system
• Urinary system
• Respiratory system
• Skin

So, the healthier and more prepared your body is, the easier it’ll be to adapt to pregnancy changes. The Sneakpeek blog offers more information about the best positions to get pregnant, the connection between age and fertility, and practical tips to support your journey toward parenthood.

Preconception Care: The Basics

Preconception care refers to any medical care you’re given leading up to conception to help you prepare for pregnancy. Whether you want to conceive naturally or explore other routes of growing your family, the following three tips are key for planning ahead.

Investigate Your Family Health History

Everyone has their own unique health pedigree as determined by their genetic inheritance and family history. Many common health conditions are suspected to have a genetic component, whether inherited from a single gene or multi-factorially. A few include:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Sick cell anemia
• Huntington’s disease
• Arthritis
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Diabetes

If possible, consider talking this matter over with your relatives to get a clearer sense of what potential genetic conditions you’ll want to cover with your healthcare provider.

Create a Stress Reduction Routine

Planning for a baby can be immensely stressful, and stress is scientifically shown to adversely impact fertility. Creating a stress reduction routine—or, at the very least, monitoring your stress levels and stressors—may help improve your chances of getting pregnant.

Everyone has their own ways to decompress. It’s worth exploring the techniques that work for you. You might try:

• Engaging in regular exercise, like yoga, nature walks, or a group gym class
• Enhancing your sleep routine by sticking to a consistent bedtime, limiting screen time, and drinking calming herbal brews like chamomile tea
• Starting a meditation practice or incorporating visualization techniques
• Finding a creative hobby to let off steam, like ceramics, sketching, or sewing

Set Up a Preconception Checkup

It’s important to communicate with your health care provider to let them know you’re planning for a pregnancy. During your preconception health appointment, they may:

• Conduct a risk assessment, accounting for your personal and family health history
• Evaluate your lifestyle in relation to your pregnancy goals
• Screen for underlying health conditions
• Ensure you’re up-to-date with vaccinations
• Offer you referrals if you need fertility testing, treatment, or counseling

Your provider can also help you decide what preconception self-care steps to take according to your body and health history, offering more personalized guidance.

6 Ways to Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy

While everyone’s pregnancy plan will look a bit different, most everyone can benefit from the following changes when getting ready to conceive.

#1 Give Your Diet a Makeover

Fertility-forward diets are made up of whole, nutrient-rich foods that can enhance hormonal and reproductive health. The cornerstones are:

• Whole foods, including whole produce, grains, and lean proteins
• Antioxidant-rich foods, which can help prevent cellular damage
• Healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids, which can help promote regular reproductive cycles and ovulation

For bonus points, try loading up on leafy green vegetables. These are rich in iron and folate— key nutrients included in prenatal vitamins to help prevent fetuses from developing neural tube defects.

#2 Skip the Happy Hour

Research suggests that excessive alcohol consumption can damage both female and male fertility. For now (and for those 9 months you’re expecting) it’s best to avoid drinking too much alcohol.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends:

• For women – 1 drink or less daily
• For men – 2 drinks or less daily

Avoiding alcohol is especially important if you’re using assisted reproductive technology (ART)—like in vitro fertilization—to get pregnant. Consuming any alcohol during treatment may jeopardize your ability to have a healthy live birth.

#3 Start Taking a Prenatal Vitamin

Prenatal vitamins can be beneficial even before your pregnancy test screens positive. Prenatal vitamins supply your body with adequate levels of key fertility nutrients like:

• Folic acid
• Iron
• Calcium
• Vitamin D

In particular, taking folic acid before conception and throughout the beginning weeks of pregnancy is crucial for helping to prevent neural tube defects. It doesn’t provide the same prevention benefits if you only take it after you find out you’re pregnant.

Just make sure to touch base with a healthcare provider before adding any new supplement to your routine to ensure it’ll benefit your fertility journey. This could be a great thing to discuss during that preconception health appointment!

#4 Drop Unhealthy Habits

Sometimes, planning for a baby is just the thing to make us finally kick that last unhealthy habit. If you’re trying to conceive, you’re encouraged to quit any of the following:

• Smoking
• Using recreational drugs
• Consuming excessive amounts of caffeine
• Eating a lot of processed foods or added sugars
• Overeating
• Over-exercising
• Leading a sedentary lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle helps ensure your body is able to do the hard work of protecting, growing, and bearing a child. Maintaining a healthy body weight, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and adopting a moderate workout routine lets your body know you can take care of it—and, eventually, the little one inside you!

#5 Minimize Environmental Toxins

Ongoing research indicates certain environmental toxins, like those in household products, may interfere with human fertility. Many of these are endocrine disruptors—synthetic compounds that mimic the effects of hormones. Some common culprits include:

• Pesticides in non-organic produce
• Chemicals in home care and cleaning products
• Plastics and containers with BPA (bisphenol A)
• Air pollution

While it’s difficult to completely eliminate these from your environment, there are some steps you can take to minimize exposure:

• If it’s in your budget, aim to buy mostly organic produce
• Reduce the number of plastics in your household
• Choose plant-based cleaning products instead of chemical ones
• Invest in an air filter to purify the air in your home

#6 Avoid Infection-Causing Bacteria

Certain food items may be more likely to contain potentially noxious bacteria that can harm fertility (and, when you’re pregnant, lead to pregnancy complications). For now, avoid eating:

• Undercooked meat or poultry
• Unpasteurized dairy (e.g. brie cheese)
• Raw or undercooked eggs
• Raw seafood
• Unwashed fruits and veggies

Newly Pregnant? Here’s What to Do When It’s a YES

If you’ve made significant lifestyle adjustments to get pregnant, seeing a little pink “+” sign on your test can feel ultra tender: What can you do to ensure your little pea is protected from harm?

In addition to your doctor’s advice, the rest is simple: Take it easy and take care of yourself. In practice, this means:

• Booking your first prenatal appointment – Make sure to let your provider know you’re pregnant by scheduling a prenatal appointment. This will give them the opportunity to create a personalized care plan and perform any necessary tests.
• Continuing those prenatal vitamins – Don’t stop now! So long as your doctor has approved your preconception vitamin, you can keep taking it daily to ensure you meet the recommended levels of folic acid, calcium, and iron. Don’t give up on those healthy habits you established.
• Staying away from harmful substances – If you’ve already put the kibosh on cocktail hour, it’s time to maintain that habit. Do your best to retire other harmful habits too, like using tobacco, eating excessive amounts of processed foods, and consuming excessive amounts of caffeine.
• Allowing yourself to rest – Remember: Your body is hard at work growing your little one, so give yourself grace and take the time to rest when you need it.
• Genetic screening – Talk with your partner about getting non-invasive prenatal screening or carrier screening. Genetic screening can help determine if your baby or your pregnancy is at a higher risk for a genetic condition.

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