I see many patients who are hoping to or struggling to get pregnant and one of the first things I want everyone to understand is the importance of preconception care.  Many of you have noticed or even downloaded the 90 day guides/checklists/diet/etc that provide all of the things you should do before you conceive, but do you know the WHY behind these 90 day rules?

90 days

It takes about 90 days for both the sperm and the egg to develop and mature.  

This means that everything that you do positively from a diet, lifestyle and supplement standpoint starting TODAY will impact the quality of the sperm/egg that you will “use” 90 days from now.  On the flip side, everything that you negatively from a diet, lifestyle, etc standpoint starting today will also impact the quality of the sperm/egg that you will “use” 90 days from now.

The good news is that if you haven’t been “good” of the last few months, that’s ok because you have time to turn things around!

7 days

Once the sperm fertilises the egg, the placenta starts developing within 7 days after conception.  This is important to know because the placenta is VITAL to your future baby receiving the oxygen and nutrients that he/she needs to develop and grow.

Your diet and lifestyle can play a major role in how well your placenta functions.  In fact, having a medical condition that is heavily impacted by having a poor diet and lifestyle (such as type 2 diabetes) can negatively impact the function of the placenta, which means that it can impede what your baby receives.

Knowing this and the fact that improving your diet and lifestyle can play a major role in glucose regulation and potentially eliminate your diabetes should enforce the fact that working on you diet and lifestyle NOW will help your future baby.

17 to 30 days

Within 17-30 days after conception, the neural tube closes.  This means that by the time you’re 4-6 weeks pregnant, your baby’s neural tube would have closed.  This is important because the neural tube will eventually form your baby’s spine, spinal cord, brain and skull.  

And this is also the very reason why folic acid/folate is an incredibly nutrient to incorporate into your daily vitamin routine before you get pregnant.  Make sure that you speak to your healthcare practitioner to discuss the importance, quality and necessity of your supplements!

Take Home Message

If you’re thinking about becoming pregnant in the near future, it’s never too late to start improving your diet and lifestyle, and taking a couple of curated supplements just for you.  I always suggest speaking to your Naturopathic Doctor or healthcare practitioner about this in order to ensure that you’re taking the proper supplements that are of high quality and actually beneficial for you and your specific case.

If you live in Ontario, please feel free to schedule a FREE virtual 15 min meet & greet appointment with me via my online schedule HERE and we can chat all about your questions regarding Naturopathic Medicine and how it can benefit you and your situation/plans.