Steps to take before you get pregnant

See Your Doctor

See your health care provider before you get pregnant. Even if you feel you are healthy and ready for a pregnancy, your doctor or midwife can do plenty ahead of time to help you prepare.

• Your doctor or midwife will discuss your current health, your health history, and your family’s health history. Some health problems in your family can be passed on to your children. Your doctor may refer you to a genetic counselor.
• You may need blood tests, or you may need to get caught up on vaccines before you are pregnant.
• Your doctor or midwife will talk with you about medicines, herbs, and supplements you may be taking. They can affect an unborn baby. Your health care provider may recommend medication changes before you get pregnant.
• Long-term health problems, such as asthma or diabetes, should be stable before you get pregnant.

Stop Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs. Limit Caffeine

If you smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs, you should stop before you get pregnant. They can:

• Make it harder for you to get pregnant
• Increase the chance that you will miscarry (lose the baby before it is born).

If you need help quitting smoking, alcohol, or drugs, talk to your doctor.

Alcohol can harm a growing fetus (unborn baby), even in small amounts. Drinking alcohol while you are pregnant can cause long-term problems for your baby, such as mental retardation, behavioral issues, learning disabilities, and facial and heart defects.

Smoking is bad for unborn babies and puts your child at greater risk of health problems later in life.

• Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have babies with lower birth weights.
• Smoking also makes it harder for you to recover from your pregnancy.

Drugs that are not prescribed by a doctor (including street drugs) can be dangerous for you to take at any point in your life.

You should also cut down on caffeine when you are trying to get pregnant. Women who consume more than 2 cups of coffee or 5 cans of soda a day may have a harder time getting pregnant and a greater chance of miscarriage.

Eat a Balanced Diet

A balanced diet is always good for you. You should follow a healthy diet before you get pregnant. A few simple guidelines are:

• Reduce empty calories, artificial sweeteners, and caffeine.
• Eat foods that are high in protein.
• Fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products will make you healthier before you get pregnant.

Also limit the amount of fish that you eat. Seafood contains mercury, which can cause birth defects if eaten in large amounts. Pregnant women should:

• Eat no more than 12 ounces of fish a week
• Avoid large ocean fish, such as shark and tilefish.
• Limit tuna intake to one can of white tuna or one tuna steak per week, or two cans of light tuna per week.

If you are underweight or overweight, it is best to try to reach your ideal weightbeforeyou get pregnant.

• Being overweight during pregnancy may increase your chances of problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, miscarriage, stillbirth, and birth defects.
• It is not a good idea to try to lose weight during pregnancy.

Take Vitamins and Folic Acid

Take a vitamin and mineral supplement that includes at least 0.4 milligrams (400 micrograms) of folic acid.

• Folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects, especially problems with the baby’s spine.
• Start taking a vitamin with folic acid before you want to get pregnant.
• Avoid high doses of any vitamin, especially vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vitamins can cause birth defects if you take more than the normal recommended daily amounts.

Don’t take herbal supplements. There are no good studies on the safety of herbs during pregnancy.

Exercise

Exercising before you get pregnant may help your body deal with all of the changes that you will go through during the pregnancy and labor. The amount of exercise you are able to do during pregnancy should be based on your overall health and how active you are before you get pregnant. Talk to your doctor about what kind of exercise, and how much, is good for you.

Stress, Rest, and Relaxation

While you are trying to get pregnant, try to relax and be as stress-free as possible. Ask your doctor or midwife about techniques to reduce stress. Get plenty of rest and relaxation. This may make it easier for you to become pregnant.

References

Update Date: 5/31/2012

Updated by: Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Bellevue, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc