The journey to parenthood often starts long before conception. If you’re thinking about trying for a baby, now is the ideal time to begin preparing your body. The three months before conception are a powerful window to focus on your health and fertility—and small, consistent changes can make a big impact.
Here’s your roadmap to get started:
Nourish for Fertility
Nutrition is a cornerstone of preconception health. A fertility-supportive diet is built on whole, nutrient-dense foods that provide the building blocks for healthy hormones and reproductive function. Think of including quality proteins like eggs, legumes, wild-caught fish, and lean meats. Incorporate healthy fats from avocados, nuts, olive oil, and seeds, and enjoy complex carbohydrates such as quinoa, sweet potatoes, and a wide variety of vegetables. These foods are rich in key fertility nutrients like folate, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, selenium, and antioxidants such as CoQ10. Minimising processed foods, trans fats, and refined sugars is essential, as they can promote inflammation and hormonal disruption.
Balance Blood Sugar
Stable blood sugar is vital for hormone regulation and ovulatory health. To maintain balance, aim to combine carbohydrates with protein and healthy fats at each meal. Eating at regular intervals, avoiding skipped meals, and limiting refined carbs and sugar can all make a difference. It’s also worth being mindful of caffeine intake, as it may increase cortisol and lead to blood sugar spikes if consumed in excess.
Support Your Gut
A well-functioning gut supports the absorption of nutrients and plays a role in hormone and immune balance. Preconception gut health can be supported by eating a variety of fibre-rich foods like vegetables, berries, legumes, and seeds. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and yogurt help feed a diverse microbiome. Some people also benefit from taking a quality probiotic, depending on their digestive health and history.
Reduce Toxin Exposure
Everyday exposure to environmental toxins can impact egg and sperm quality, hormone balance, and overall fertility. Start by making simple swaps in your home and personal care routine. Use low-tox cleaning and skincare products, avoid storing food in plastic containers, and choose stainless steel or cast iron cookware over non-stick options. Filtered water is another foundational step. Where possible, aim for organic produce and pasture-raised or grass-fed animal products to reduce your chemical burden.
Manage Stress & Prioritise Sleep
Chronic stress can interfere with ovulation and reproductive hormone rhythms. Managing stress doesn’t mean eliminating it entirely, but rather building in supportive tools for your nervous system. This can include gentle movement like yoga or walking, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, and establishing a soothing bedtime routine—like switching off screens an hour before bed. Don’t underestimate the power of laughter, connection, and pleasure in supporting your reproductive health too.
Check Your Labs
Before trying to conceive, it can be helpful to run a few key labs to assess underlying imbalances that might affect your fertility. These include a full thyroid panel (TSH, Free T3, Free T4 and thyroid autoantibodies), vitamin D levels, iron and ferritin, markers of inflammation such as CRP and homocysteine, and blood sugar metrics like fasting insulin or HbA1c. Testing in advance gives you time to address any issues and optimise your chances of conception.
Preconception care isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. By making small, consistent changes now, you’re laying the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and a thriving baby.
Want support with your preconception journey? Book your free intro call and let’s chat about how I can support you.
In good health, Lee x