3 things you should do now if you’re trying to conceive naturally

Trying to conceive can be exciting yet frustrating. Here’s what you need to know about boosting your chances of getting pregnant and keeping yourself in the best health to carry a healthy baby to full term.

If you’re crossing your fingers to see those double lines on a pregnancy test, we’re with you. While it is exciting, a few failed attempts can cause anxiety and stress for many couples that are trying to conceive. Before you start feeling defeated, here are some things you need to know about why you aren’t getting pregnant and how you can ensure that your body is well prepared to conceive! 

 

 

  1. Say Goodbye to Stress

The first thing you need to do when trying to conceive is to get rid of unwanted stress. Here’s why. Several recent studies1 have found links between women’s level of day-to-day stress and lowered chances of pregnancy. For example, women whose saliva had high levels of alpha-amylase, an enzyme that marks stress, took 29% longer to get pregnant compared to those who had less1. Apparently, the body recognises that when you’re under stress it isn’t a good time to have a baby. How interesting is that? 

In addition, stress can also cause you to have an irregular menstrual cycle. While that doesn’t necessarily affect your fertility, it can definitely make things harder2 for you as you may not be able to track your ‘fertility window’.

So take a break if you must, do yoga, take a walk along the beach – whatever works for you. Just make sure that you keep the stress as minimal as possible for whether or not you are trying to conceive, stress is never a good thing! 

 

  1. Make Right Lifestyle Choices 

However much of a party animal you are, when trying to conceive, some things need to change. Stay clear of alcohol, tobacco and late nights are the in order to keep yourself hale and hearty in preparation for pregnancy. These will affect your fertility adversely.

It’s also imperative that you get sufficient sleep and keep yourself hydrated to boost your chances while trying to conceive. It’s important not to overlook the pH levels in your body for sperm prefers an alkaline environment, as opposed to an acidic environment. Sperm thrives in higher pH levels3. Moreover, did you know that drinking more fluids increases the quality and amount of cervical mucus needed to get sperms to reach the egg? This goes a long way in increasing your chances of getting pregnant! 

 

 

  1. Eat Right & Load Up on Vitamins!

Perhaps you would have heard that poor nutrition is one of the leading causes of infertility in both men and women4. Poor nutrition can lead to being over or underweight, both of which are a no go when trying to conceive. In addition, excessive exercise causes your body to lose its ability to utilise energy for functions such as sperm production and ovulation. Too much of anything is a bad thing after all! 

On that note, vitamins also play important roles in female health. Vitamins are important for no one really gets a nutritionally perfect diet every day. These vitamins are essential for many functions including regulating menstruation and ovulation, thyroid function, and having good egg quality and maturation5.  

More specifically, Vitamin D plays essential roles in both female and male reproductive functions, and helps to keep your bones and your baby’s strong. 

Folate supports the earliest, most important stages of fetal development. So, given that your baby’s brain and spine develop by the first month of pregnancy, you should already be consuming Folate when you see the positive result! Prenatal vitamins also contain DHA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid that helps you to produce good quality cervical mucus (we talked about this earlier) and keeps your baby healthy6! 

Iron is also of great importance as pregnant women need twice the amount of iron. The iron in prenatal vitamins helps to prevent iron-deficiency anemia, a condition particularly common in pre-pregnancy.

Supplementing yourself with the right vitamins also help in regulating your menstrual cycle and raising nutrient levels during early pregnancy. These are just a few of the numerous benefits from taking vitamins before trying to conceive and throughout your pregnancy. 

So if you’re trying to conceive, it’s time to get some vitamins. In fact, it’s a good thing to fortify yourself with vitamins even before trying to conceive in order to ensure that your body is in its best possible state. Your eggs develop 90 days before they are released, and healthy eggs are key to a healthy pregnancy.

What we’ve mentioned is just a few of the numerous benefits of taking vitamins before trying to conceive and throughout your pregnancy. Given that you’re reading this article, it’s probably time for you to get some vitamins, pronto!

Which may lead you to ask – what vitamins should I take? Where do I get them? 

 

Upspring Fertility / Prenatal Products 

If you’re searching for the right prenatal or pregnancy vitamin, it can feel like you’re going down a rabbit hole. That’s why we are here to introduce you to Upspring Fertility Supplements that help to support female fertility and reproductive health. Upspring’s products are Non-GMO and are made from natural, organic ingredients. 

Even before trying to conceive, you can regulate your menstrual cycle naturally with its vegetarian blend of maca root, shatavari and black cohosh. 

Every ingredient on the label is thoughtfully hand-selected for mums-to-be by a team of scientists and medical professionals – many of whom are mums themselves! When formulating a prenatal vitamin, Upspring’s goal is to give both mum and baby essential nutrients, at recommended levels, in forms that are friendliest for the body. Here are some of the ingredients that can be found in Upspring’s Prenatal Complete Multivitamin:

  • Omega 3 DHA + EPA (310mg)
  • Zinc (11mg)
  • Vitaminc C (120 mg)
  • Vitamin D3 (25mcg)
  • Active Folate (800 mcg)
  • Iron (27mg)

As we’ve mentioned earlier, many of these vitamins have important functions in ensuring that you are in the best health both when trying to conceive and upon pregnancy, to carry a healthy baby to term! 

Remember, if you’re trying to conceive, you should be doing three important things – getting rid of stress, making good lifestyle choices and eating nutritious food and vitamins. 

You can purchase Upspring’s products on Lazada and Shopee. Don’t wait to get yourself and your baby in the best possible health. It’s the best gift for your unborn baby! 

 

  1. https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/infertility-stress#1
  2. https://www.whattoexpect.com/getting-pregnant/fertility/irregular-periods/#:~:text=Irregular%20menstrual%20cycles%20don’t,for%20you%20to%20get%20pregnant.
  3. www.storkotc.com/blog/how-your-bodys-ph-levels-can-affect-fertility/
  4. https://www.paddyjimbaggot.com/2019/04/12/nutritional-deficiencies-and-fertility-problems/#:~:text=Poor%20nutrition%20is%20one%20of,cause%20organs%20to%20function%20improperly.
  5. https://www.healthline.com/health/fertility/fertility-vitamins#acetyl-l-carnitine
  6. https://www.premamawellness.com/blogs/blog/8-reasons-you-need-a-prenatal-before-trying-to-conceive

Written by

Nasreen Majid