Just the other day I was having a conversation about family planning with a friend. She mentioned that like many other women, myself included, she never experienced a 'scare' since losing her virginity. To women my age and older this truth can be a bit scary. Some tend to think why haven't I ever slipped up and gotten pregnant? This is especially unnerving for women who repeatedly have unprotected sex and still have never turned up preggos. I used to wonder this myself but now I just see it as a blessing in disguise, truth be told I wouldn't have wanted that situation with anyone other than my hubby to be. Some women are very fertile and get pregnant at the drop of a hat yet others have to try or experience infertility problems. I sure hope this isn't the case with me. Let's think positive thoughts though so moving on.....
Family planning doesn't have to start when you find your mate. It can start right now with YOU, afterall you will be responsible for carrying this baby to term right? Here are some steps you can take to increase your fertility in the interim and when you find that someone special and are ready to start your family you hopefully won't experience any delay.
1. Maintain a healthy weight and lose weight if you are overweight.
2. Avoid trans fat. Trans fat is typically found in stick margarine, fried foods and hydrogenated oil. Act like you are eating for two now. I would hope when you are with child that you would choose the utmost healthy foods to consume so why not do that for yourself.
3. Stop eating excessive sugar and refined carbohydrates.
4. Consume more protein from vegetables rather than from animals. Good sources of vegetable protein include beans (all types) and lentils.
5. Eat fiber-rich foods. Best sources of fiber include vegetables, fruit and whole grains.
6. Consider taking a standard multivitamin. Overdosing on certain vitamins and minerals can actually harm a person’s health, so stick to the recommended dosage.
7. Exercise every day for at least 30 minutes. This way it is not a mountain to climb when you are pregnant and want to maintain your shape.
8. Consume one daily serving of full-fat dairy (i.e., 1 cup whole milk, full-fat yogurt, or 1-2 ounces cheese). That’s because a recent report showed full-fat dairy may help increase fertility in women more so than low-fat/nonfat dairy. That said, full-fat dairy is loaded with calories and saturated fat, thus I recommend you make only ONE of your daily servings full fat.
A few other tips found on the www.thebabycenter.com are:
Drink alcohol sparingly
Curb caffeine
Eat low mercury fish such as canned light tuna, salmon, catfish and shrimp.
Pump up on Flaxseeds and Iron
Eat greens, reds and yellows
What about his diet?
When it comes to fertility and diet, men don't get off scott-free. Lisa Mazzullo, an ob-gyn and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, recommends that fathers-to-be take a daily multivitamin that contains zinc and selenium for at least three months before conception. Studies suggest these minerals aid in healthy sperm development. Why the three-month lag time? It takes that long to develop healthy sperm.The sperm your partner ejaculates today was actually created 90 days ago, says Amy Ogle, a registered dietician in San Diego, California, and co-author of Before Your Pregnancy: A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception. "Genetic preparation is going on during sperm development, so that's pretty heavy stuff."
