The Role of Good Nutrition Pre-conception
It used to be thought that the job of raising a healthy child began at birth. Then influences during pregnancy came under scrutiny (smoking, alcohol, folic acid….) and we talked about ‘’womb to tomb’’ effects. (Report 2004 British Medical Ass 2004).
It has become clear that even before conception the nutritional status and health condition of both parents can impact pregnancy outcomes and pre-programme the health of the child right through to old age.
Improving nutrition and reducing toxic exposures both before and during pregnancy are key areas to focus on. By the time we emerge, much of the ‘health story’ of our life is already programmed. Sperm, egg, fertility and foetal health are influenced by: the parent’s age, certain infections, and nutritional status and diet components. Chronic stress also plays a role. Toxic chemicals in the air, water, food and cosmetics, (heavy metals, plastic) pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, smoking, alcohol, and drugs are among other factors.
There is now a general scientific understanding that maternal nutrition during pregnancy has a profound and life-long effect on the health of her child.
The Baker Early Origins Hypothesis (‘Foetal Origins Hypothesis’) states that nutrition deprivation while in the womb restricts foetal growth and development. This is a key contributor to some of the most common, disabling and costly medical disorders of adult life, such as coronary heart disease, hypertension and type-2 diabetes with all of its complications.
Poor diet and toxic intakes both before and during pregnancy can strongly influence the structure, vitality, physical and mental development of the baby. The days or weeks before awareness of pregnancy are so crucial because the microscopic, newly created foetus is more exposed to both the nourishing and toxic impacts at this stage of development than it will ever be again. This understanding highlights the importance of pre-conception nutritional planning.
Research (Ontario Early Child Development Research Centre Preconception and Health Best Start brochure 2001) shows that everything you do in the three or four months before trying to conceive is very important. The egg and sperm released at conception are the products of your own and your partner’s diet and lifestyle and researchers now believe that these factors prior to conception are as important as during pregnancy.
Most pre-conception care involves getting both you and your partner in the best possible physical and mental shape before you try for a baby. Sperm quality and quantity can be affected by lifestyle factors such as poor diet, stress, smoking, drugs and remember it takes two to get pregnant.
Three months is the recommended period of time for pre-conception care because it takes approximately that long for the follicles on your ovaries to develop before one is mature enough to release one egg at ovulation. With men, it can take from six weeks to three months to eliminate certain toxins from your system properly and to raise the level of crucial fertility-boosting nutrients in your bloodstream. Research spearheaded by European doctors suggests that a good three-month programme of healthy living and eating will maximise your chances of conception. (Dunlop, A.L. etas 2007 National recommendations for preconception care; the essential role of the family physician’ Journal of the American Board of Family Jan-Feb20 (1)81-84). According to psychologists, it also takes at least three months to replace dietary and lifestyle habits with healthier ones.
Standard medical advice is to get all the nutrients you need from a good balanced diet. Unfortunately, even if you do try to eat healthy, the food you eat may not always contain all that you need. Overall, 74 per cent of women are falling short on nutrients from their diet, with 80 per cent decrease in the consumption of Omega 3 fatty acids. (Simonpoulos, A, 1991 ‘Omega 3 fatty acids in health and disease and in growth and development’ American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54, 438-463) and an intake of 50 per cent more saturated fat than the maximum recommended.
A good diet is not about giving up all the food you like, it simply means eating more of the right foods and cutting back on the others. A food intolerance test could be of great support in reducing inflammation pre-conception.
The aim is to include all the vital food groups - sufficient intake of carbohydrates, fibre and essential fats, healthy amounts of protein and lots of water.
The optimum fertility diet recommendations above should ensure an adequate intake of every nutrient, but some are more essential for fertility than others. Folic acid is essential to help prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida. Everything needs to be at optimum levels before you conceive, both to prevent a miscarriage and to give you the best possible chance of having a healthy baby.
Eat plenty of fruit & vegetables. They are the tools to heal your body and they supply us with antioxidants which protect us against the effects of free radicals.
Carbohydrates give us energy so we need to eat the longer-lasting ones and balance our hormones.
Essential fatty acids are found in nuts, seeds and oily fish. These essential fats are a vital component of every human cell and the body needs them to balance hormones.
Reduce your intake of saturated fat, they are not essential for your health. Some saturated fats produce hormones called prostaglandins. They are not healthy prostaglandins because they are inflammatory and can cause swelling and pain. This hormone can trigger muscle contraction and constriction in the blood vessels, so it can increase period pain, endometriosis-related cramps and the spread of endometrial tissue.
Take care of your liver. It is connected with hormone imbalances, such as fibroids, endometriosis and PCOS. If the liver is not working efficiently, old hormones can become accumulated. These old hormones are left over after each menstrual cycle, but unless they are deactivated by the liver, they can return to the bloodstream and cause all sorts of problems.
Exercise is important if you suffer from problems caused by a hormone imbalance such as fibroids and endometriosis, because it can help to regulate oestrogen levels.
Nutrition is not an alternative medicine. We have to eat. It is something we do every day. Nutrition is actually the foundation of your health. What you eat can direct how well your body controls hormones, repairs your cells, destroys mutant cells and fights infection. If you and your partner are having problems conceiving, doing everything you can to boost your fertility is important. It could be the difference between you being able to conceive easily and then carrying a healthy baby to full term - or not.
For more information or a private in-person /zoom Nutritional Consultation contact: Aine O Reilly Mc Dermott Phone 0871346038 or email: aine.nutrition@gmail.com
