Preconception care:

Naturopathic medicine can help in various stages of fertility Journey from preconception to improving outcomes in Fertility treatments.Couples trying to conceive should allow at least 3-4 months for preconception planning as the egg and sperm take this long to mature.

Lifestyle changes in diet , stress, exercise can improve conception rates drastically and have healthy pregnancy, labour and a healthy baby.

Preconception care involves considerations in nutrition, toxic burden, Hormonal balance, body weight and composition, stress levels and emotional considerations.

Lifestyle habits such as alchol, caffeine and stress has shown to impact fertility

Alchol intake: Moderate Alchol intake of 6 drinks or more in luteal phase of the women’s menstrual cycle has shown to to produce negative outcomes. paternal alcohol consumption one month, one week, and during IVF attempts was associated with worse reproductive outcomes.(1). Drinking the month prior to IVF increases failure by 2 times ( 2)

Caffeine: High caffeine consumption (more than 500 mg/day) was associated with reduced fertility and increased miscarriage while moderate consumption (up to 200-300 mg/day) appears to have no significant adverse effects on fertility(3).

Stress: stress can adversely affect fertility by disrupting hormonal balance, impairing reproductive function, and reducing ability to get pregnant in the first cycle and . Managing stress through various interventions may help improve reproductive outcomes. (4) (5)

Diet:
Adherance to the Mediterranean diet is associated with improved fertility outcomes, including better sperm quality in men and higher pregnancy and live birth rates in women undergoing ART. These findings support the potential benefits of the Mediterranean diet in enhancing reproductive health.(6)

Blood test parametres: Before going on a preconception supplement regimen, getting a proper assessment and blood tests are crucial. The results can help plan your supplement regimen and modify lifestyle for better outcomes.

Having blood Markers such as homocysteine, MTHFR gene, Ferritin , vitamin D status etc in addition to your regular fertility related testing will help plan your preconception plan effectively.

MTHFR mutations, particularly C677T, are associated with increased risks of infertility in both men and women. Elevated homocysteine levels resulting from these mutations can impair sperm production egg quality, and early pregnancy outcomes. (7,8,9)

Supplements: A General pre-conception supplement plan could include Omega 3, Iron , Vitamin D and Folic acid.
Folic acid may not be utilised well by certain population who have the genetic mutation in which case folate supplements may be necessary. A customised plan based on your individual requirements looking at the entire picture and your genetic makeup has shown to bring effective outcomes whether you are considering fertility treatments or not.

Having a qualified naturopathic doctor can help you navigate through this phase and provide further insights into cycle charting, required lab work, navigating diets and proper customised supplementation and also advise on when to seek medical intervention.

I regularly work closely with fertility TCM experts who can add further value to the protocol.

We will discuss ovulatory cycle disturbances and other conditions that impact fertility and how naturopathic medicine can help in my next post.

Give the clinic a call and get your preconception plan sorted.

Reference studies: