What a fertility specialist wants you to do before trying to conceive

If you’re planning on trying for a baby in the next few months or coming year, fertility nutritionist Natasha Evans explains how a little preconception preparation can make a world of difference.

In cultures across the globe, fertility preparation was once an essential ritual. Yet today, with so much emphasis on wedding prep and fitness goals, the importance of preconception care has faded into the background.

Natasha’s expertise brings it back into focus with her top seven tips for those ready to embark on this exciting journey.

1) Take 3 months to optimise your diet & lifestyle before you start trying to conceive (TTC).

It takes roughly 3 months for sperm to mature, so the quality of a man’s sperm today is very much a reflection of his nutrient levels and environment for the past 3 months. It’s slightly different for women because, as opposed to men who are constantly generating new sperm, women are born with all the eggs they’re ever going to have. So the quality of our eggs is actually influenced by an entire lifetime of activity. But eggs are most sensitive to nutrient levels and your environment in the roughly 3 months prior to ovulation / egg collection. So, if you spend 3 months really optimising your lifestyle prior to TTC, the likelihood is you’ll be in a much better place to start trying after that

2) Start tracking your cycle. 

For too long, we’ve turned a blind eye to our fifth vital sign - our menstrual cycles. Tuning into your body’s rhythms in advance of TTC can help you identify your most fertile days when the time comes. Period tracking apps are a great place to start. Start tracking cycle length, regularity and changes in cervical mucus - a key indicator as to whether you’re fertile or not (remember, a woman is only fertile for 5-6 days in the cycle!). If you’re on any hormonal contraception at the moment but hope to start trying to conceive within the next year, it might be worth discussing a plan with your doctor about coming off your contraception to give your body some time to get back to baseline before TTC

3) Consider boosting your diet.

Now is the time to significantly reduce all ultra-processed foods. Base your diet around nutrient-dense wholefoods, including vegetables, fruits, good quality meat, wild fish, shellfish, eggs, herbs, spices, nuts & seeds, organic dairy, pulses, legumes and wholegrains.

4) Prioritise self-care. 

The body is always looking for a safe time to make a baby. Start saying no to things, prioritising sleep, put better boundaries in place and schedule in time for rest and self-care. Use this time to cultivate a feeling of safety in the body. Working on your fertility mindset can be really helpful too, as the body is always listening to the mind.

5) Reduce toxic exposure.

We’re living in a toxic world, where thousands of new chemicals are created every single year. We now have hundreds of studies showing the impact of plastics and BPA on our fertility - and it doesn’t look good. If you haven’t started already, start cutting down your exposure to plastics and endocrine disrupting chemicals by making swaps around the home. Indoor air quality can often be worse than outdoor air quality, even in urban areas so use air filtering plants, invest in an air filter and keep the windows open to allow for ventilation. Opt for non-toxic period care products to avoid any disruptions to the vaginal microbiome.

6) Start taking a prenatal supplement.

Starting on good quality supplementation 3 months prior to TTC can help to improve egg and sperm quality. Whilst the NHS recommends folic acid, research suggests that taking a prenatal multivitamin may be more beneficial than taking folic acid on its own. A good quality prenatal should contain methylfolate rather than folic acid, which may be harder for some people to utilise.

On top of a good quality prenatal, there is good research on omega-3 supplementation for fertility and, depending on age, mitochondrial support such as CoQ10, ubiquinol or NAD may be beneficial. Please discuss personalised supplementation with a registered practitioner.

7) Do some testing. If possible, test to understand your current state of health, fertility and any potential areas for optimisation to work on prior to TTC. At the very least, I recommend doing some comprehensive bloods (including looking at ferritin, the thyroid, vitamin D and hormones), a semen analysis for a man and a full STI check for both partners upfront.

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If you’re already on your fertility journey and didn’t manage to do any prep upfront, don’t worry. The next best time to start is today!