Here are four things you need to know about pregnancy preparation!

Author: Wang Xin, Chief Physician, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University

Reviewer: Zou Liying, Chief Physician, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University

Now more and more people realize the importance of preparing for pregnancy. I believe that many couples who want a baby will go through a period of preparation for pregnancy in order to give birth to a healthy baby.

Preparing for pregnancy is actually giving couples who want to have children some time to adjust their condition. After all, people are under great pressure in life and work nowadays. Irregular diet, staying up late, smoking and drinking have become the norm, and many people are in sub-health status.

So, how long does this period take? Now it is generally recommended to take 3 months as the benchmark. For men, the average number of days for sperm to mature is 75 days, which means that sperm can be guaranteed to have a mature period.

What should the couple do during these three months?

1. Pre-pregnancy check-up

Pre-pregnancy check-up can be treated as a normal physical examination.

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In addition to routine physical examinations, women can also do a gynecological ultrasound examination to check the condition of the uterus. Some people have congenital uterine malformations, such as double uterus, but they never know it until they are unable to get pregnant and then find out. Therefore, it is recommended that women who are preparing to get pregnant do a gynecological ultrasound examination.

Also, do a vaginal discharge test to see if there is any inflammation in the reproductive tract. If there is inflammation, treat it before getting pregnant. Do TCT and HPV tests to screen for cervical cancer.

In addition to routine physical examinations, men can have a semen test to check the sperm count, deformity rate, motility, etc.

2. Change your lifestyle

First of all, we should maintain a healthy lifestyle. Adjust your work and rest schedule, don't go to bed too late, and don't stay up late. Quit smoking and drinking, take vitamins appropriately, eat a balanced diet, don't overeat, don't overdrink carbonated drinks, and exercise appropriately. Pay attention to supplementing protein, fat, and carbohydrates every day. Some people don't eat staple foods and fats in order to control their weight, which is also wrong. One is that the calorie intake is insufficient. In addition, the food contains dietary fiber, which can ensure normal intestinal peristalsis and smooth bowel movements, which is also very critical to our health, so we should consume carbohydrates and fats in moderation.

Secondly, you should be mentally prepared and relax, and don't be anxious because you want to get pregnant but can't. Some young couples want to have a child this month, and they have to get pregnant this month. If they can't get pregnant, they will be anxious. From a clinical point of view, without contraception, the probability of getting pregnant within one year of cohabitation is only 80%. Excessive anxiety will affect sleep, eating, hormone secretion, and conception. Pregnancy is a natural process, and it must be treated with a calm attitude.

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In addition, weight also has a certain impact on pregnancy, especially for women. If the weight is too low and the fat content is too little, the estrogen level will be low, ovulation may be affected, and the later embryonic growth and development may also be affected. Being overweight and reaching the level of obesity is a pathological condition. Now there is a view that obesity can produce inflammatory factors in the body, affecting the normal development of the embryo, and may also induce preeclampsia and increase the risk of thrombosis. If you are too fat, the visceral fat content is high, including the fat on the fallopian tubes, which may affect the peristalsis of the fallopian tubes and affect the fertilized egg from the fallopian tube to the uterine cavity. Therefore, the weight should be controlled within a normal range, and the body mass index between 18-22.4 or 22.8 is more appropriate.

3. Supplement folic acid

Large-scale big data studies have found that folic acid supplementation can effectively reduce the incidence of neural tube defects, such as anencephaly and spina bifida. Folic acid is also related to blood pressure during pregnancy, and some people believe that it is also related to the occurrence of congenital heart disease in the fetus.

Therefore, people who are preparing for pregnancy are paying more and more attention to taking folic acid. They should start taking folic acid supplements 3 months in advance, 400 micrograms per day, and both men and women should take them. Studies have found that folic acid supplements for men can adjust endocrine, improve sperm quality, and reduce the occurrence of spontaneous abortion and fetal growth retardation.

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Folic acid supplementation is necessary before pregnancy. Do you need to supplement folic acid after pregnancy? Because the fetal nervous system is continuously developing, mothers should continue to supplement folic acid within 3 months of pregnancy. Current theories suggest that folic acid supplementation is necessary even during the entire pregnancy.

If you do all of the above, you can enter the stage of making a little man after 3 months. We say that the health of both parties, normal ovulation, and normal sex life are the basis for conception. In order to increase the chance of conception, we also have ways to take, such as monitoring ovulation.

4. Monitoring ovulation

If your menstruation is regular, under normal circumstances, you will have your period 14 days after ovulation, and counting 14 days forward is the ovulation day.

How to monitor ovulation? A simple and cost-effective method is to measure body temperature every day. After waking up in the morning, measure body temperature under basal metabolism. Body temperature generally drops slightly before ovulation and rises by about 0.5℃ after ovulation. If you are pregnant, your body temperature will remain at a relatively high level, around 37-37.5℃. If you are not pregnant, your body temperature will return to normal when you have your period, around 36.5-37℃.

Many people may not be able to monitor body temperature, but you can use ovulation test strips to monitor ovulation, which can be bought at pharmacies. A positive ovulation test strip indicates that the next one or two days are the days of ovulation. The egg can survive for 24-48 hours after being released, and the sperm can survive for about 72 hours after being released. If you have sex during this period, the chance of conception will be greater.

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However, the frequency of sexual intercourse is not necessarily better, because there are only so many sperms, and they are gone after ejaculation. The remaining sperms are immature and cannot lead to conception.

Some people also use Chinese medicine to regulate their bodies to increase the chance of conception. Theoretically, this is feasible. Chinese medicine has a long history and can adjust the body to a more harmonious state. At the same time, we must also look at this matter objectively. Although Chinese medicine has great clinical efficacy, its ingredients are very complex. You must find a professional Chinese medicine doctor to regulate your body. Don't trust any folk prescriptions, which may be harmful to your body. If there is nothing wrong with your body, just maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is not recommended to take medicine for conditioning. After all, medicine is three-point poison.

Preparing for pregnancy may be a long process. Some people get pregnant after one or two months of preparation, while others cannot get pregnant after half a year or a year. If you have a normal sexual life and still haven't gotten pregnant after one year or more, you should go to the hospital for further examination.

The pre-pregnancy check-up is a routine check-up for most people. Many items may not be done. It is unrealistic and unnecessary to do all the items one by one. If there are no major problems in the routine pre-pregnancy check-up, try to prepare for pregnancy and get pregnant first. If you cannot get pregnant, do further examinations.