Every woman knows the importance of a healthy and balanced diet and maintain healthy weight when planning to become pregnant. However, there are other important lifestyle changes women need to consider making before becoming pregnant to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy.

Exercise

Not only does physical exercise before pregnancy help with losing weight, but it also helps women optimize the reproductive system and boost fertility. They key is regular moderate exercises, because exercising too much can be counterproductive. Regular exercise also positively affects other aspects of your life, such as sleep and stress levels.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is important at every life stage. Sleep is when our body takes the time to repair itself. A very important role of is hormone regulation, which includes the hormones involved in reproduction, such as progesterone and estrogen. In fact, sleep deprivation can disrupt this balance and affect fertility in a way that it may take longer to become pregnant.

Getting Healthy

Something that many women do not consider before becoming pregnant is visiting a doctor to evaluate their overall health. This helps in discovering and treating or controlling any health issues that may affect fertility or pose a risk to the mother or developing fetus during pregnancy.

Stress

Stress affects almost every aspect of our health. That is why getting stress under control is crucial when attempting to become pregnant. Learning and performing stress-reducing techniques help boost fertility before becoming pregnant and having a safer pregnancy. Examples for techniques for controlling stress include yoga, meditation and breathing techniques.

Caffeine

Limiting caffeine intake is important while pregnant, but there may some benefits for limiting caffeine before becoming pregnant. Caffeine in excessive amounts may affect fertility and make getting pregnant more difficult. It is not necessary to cut caffeine altogether, but it is important to limit your intake to no more than 200 mg per day.

Smoking

Smoking negatively affects every aspect of health, including fertility. Smoking make it harder to get pregnant, and once pregnant, it increases the chance of birth defects, premature birth, and miscarriage. If you find it hard to quit, see a doctor to help you forgo smoking once and for all.

Weight

Losing extra weight holds many benefits to health. Being overweight affects fertility and increases the chance of pregnancy complications, such gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, which is serious complication characterized by very high blood pressure. Being underweight may also pose problems with getting pregnant and having a healthy and safe pregnancy. Consult your doctor or dietitian if you are having trouble losing or gaining weight.