Preconception nutrition

• Overview
   
• Balanced
  diet
• Foods to
  avoid
• Further information

Eating a healthy diet before trying for a baby is just as important as eating healthily while pregnant¹.

If you're trying to get pregnant, you never know exactly when you may fall pregnant, so it makes sense to adopt a healthy lifestyle beforehand¹. This will not only boost your chances of conception, but make adapting to a healthy diet during pregnancy easier¹.

Diet plays a big role in conception, especially if you are overweight². If you have a BMI of more than 29, and you have irregular periods, or no periods at all, losing weight by eating a good diet may increase your chances of conceiving².

And again, if you're underweight, and you have irregular periods, or no periods at all, regaining weight through a healthy diet will get your ovaries working again, improving your chances of conceiving².

Your partner's diet and lifestyle will also affect your chances of conception². So, trying for a baby is an excellent time for you both to evaluate your diet and lifestyle and make any changes¹.

Take folic acid

You should take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day for at least one month before conception and through to the 12th week of pregnancy to help protect the baby from spina bifida^3,4.

The condition, which means 'split spine', happens when the spinal cord hasn't formed properly⁴.  It can cause paralysis, muscle weakness, learning difficulties and urinary problems in children⁴.

Folic acid is important to take while trying to conceive because the spine develops sometime between day 14 and 23 after conception – a time when many women don't realise they're pregnant⁴.

As well as a folic acid supplement, you should also eat natural folate found in baked beans, chick peas, green leafy vegetables, lentils, orange juice, oranges, peas, rice, soya beans, split peas and sprouts^1,2.   But try not to over-boil if you cook them, as you will lose all the nutrients.

If you have diabetes, epilepsy or coeliac disease you may need to have a higher dose of folic acid⁴.

Talk to your GP if you're taking any medication, as some drugs stop nutrients being absorbed properly⁴.

If you're taking epilepsy or anti-convulsant drugs, you should talk to your neurologist before taking folic acid, as the two can work against each other⁴.

Vitamin D

You may also want to start taking at least 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D each day, which helps absorb calcium and builds strong bones⁵.

Vitamin D occurs naturally in some animal products, including oily fish, eggs, butter and meat and is added to margarine and other foods such as cereal⁵.

But most of our vitamin D comes from the sun's rays, so spending ten to 15 minutes with your face and arms exposed, before 11am and after 3pm in the summer, will top up levels too⁵. (But be careful not to burn!)