Folic acid
All women who are trying to conceive are advised to take folic acid 400micrograms daily to reduce the risk of a baby born with spina bifida. It is often cheaper to buy this over the counter at a chemist than on prescription.
In some situations – if there is a personal or family history of spina bifida or when the woman is taking some medications e.g. some antiepileptic drugs it is advisable to take a higher dose. If you are uncertain about this please don’t hesitate to ask.
Vitamins
Vitamin D helps us to absorb the right amount of calcium and phosphate. This is particularly important in pregnancy as it helps to develop baby’s teeth, bones, heart and nervous system.
You are advised to take a 10micrograms vitamin D supplement when trying to conceive.
Vitamin A
Do not take vitamin A supplements or any supplements containing vitamin A (retinol), as too much vitamin A could harm your baby.
Alcohol
The Chief Medical Officers for the UK recommend that if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.
There is no completely safe level of drinking, but sticking within the guidelines lowers your risk of harming your health.
Men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week. Heavy drinking reduces fertility in men and women.
Smoking
Research suggests that women who smoke are less likely to conceive following IVF treatment. There is also good evidence that smoking reduces the quality of sperm.
There are well-known health benefits in stopping smoking. Both men and women are strongly advised stop smoking before embarking on fertility treatment.
If you would like help to stop smoking please speak to the nurses who can offer you advice or telephone the NHS Smoking Helpline 0300 123 1044.
Weight
It is important for both partners to maintain a healthy BMI. Your BMI is your body weight index and is calculated from your weight and your height.
An ideal BMI is between 19-25. A BMI of 25-30 is overweight and over 30 is obese. You can use the NHS BMI calculator to work out your BMI.
For women
If your BMI is over 30, it can take longer to conceive. Losing 5-10% of your body weight can lead to significant health benefits and increase your chances of getting pregnant and it will also reduce the risks in pregnancy. Joining a slimming group may improve your chance of successfully losing weight.
The potential health risks of being obese include difficulties during pregnancy, labour and delivery.
If your BMI is less than 19, this may interfere with your periods and fertility, if this applies to you we may advise you that you would benefit from gaining weight. If you are underweight you are also at higher risk of problems in pregnancy, labour and delivery.
For men
It is accepted that obesity (BMI>30) may have an adverse effect on sperm production.
Men who have a suboptimal sperm test where it is believed that weight loss may improve fertility are advised to lose weight before pursuing fertility treatment.
Recreational drugs
We would advise both men and women not to use recreational drugs. They are harmful to your health, may reduce your fertility and they are harmful to potential children.
Cannabis in particular can affect sperm quality therefore should be avoided. The effect on sperm quality can be reversed.
Anabolic steroids are very harmful to sperm quality. It can take up to 18 months for sperm quality to get back to normal after stopping steroids and in some men the effect on sperm quality will be permanent. Some protein supplements contain steroids also and such products should be avoided completely.
If you feel you require further support on stopping using recreational drugs please inform a member of staff.
Vitamin D
In the UK approximately 1 in 5 people have a deficiency in vitamin D. This is especially common in Asian women.
Women who are obese also tend to have lower levels of vitamin D. Low levels of vitamin may affect reproductive health and may increase the risks of pregnancy. We would advise taking a vitamin D supplement. Most over the counter multi-vitamins will contain vitamin D.
Cervical smears
It is advised that you ensure that your smears are up to date prior to commencing fertility treatment so that any further assessment or treatment can be undertaken before any potential pregnancy.
Genetic problems
Please inform us if you aware of any conditions or illnesses that exist in your family.
This will allow us to investigate any risks to you or any child that you may have and ensure that you receive appropriate advice and counselling.
We may refer you to a genetics specialist who can offer you specialist advice and arrange further investigations.
Medical problems
If you suffer from any significant health problems, we would recommend you discuss the fact you are planning a pregnancy with the relevant health professionals.
There are a number of medications that are not safe for use in pregnancy therefore, it provides an opportunity to switch onto safer medications prior to pregnancy and allow your body to adapt to this change.
If you will be the woman carrying the pregnancy it is important that all health problems are optimised prior to embarking on a pregnancy as it reduces the risk of complications such as miscarriage or ill health later in pregnancy which could result in a premature birth.
If you have any of the following conditions please seek advice before conceiving:
- Diabetes
- Epilepsy
- Cardiac Disease
- Hypertension
- Renal Disease
- Rheumatological disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Haemoglobinopathies
- Mental health illness
Infections
Sexually transmitted diseases caught at any time may create further problems when trying to conceive. It is also possible that vaginal infections at the time of embryo transfer reduce the chance of IVF working.
If you are worried about this at any time we encourage you to visit your local genitourinary medicine clinic.
Travel abroad
Travelling abroad may carry health risks for pregnant women or women who plan to get pregnant (e.g. Covid-19, Zika virus and Ebola).
We advise any patients who have recently travelled or are planning to travel abroad to refer to the department of health guidelines about any risks relating to pregnancy. If you are unsure about this please discuss with the clinic staff.
To minimise the risk of Zika Virus transmission, female travellers (symptomatic or asymptomatic) should not try to conceive naturally, donate gametes or proceed with fertility treatment for 2 months.
Male travellers (symptomatic or asymptomatic) should not try to conceive naturally, donate gametes or proceed with fertility treatment for 3 months. If a female partner becomes pregnant use of a condom is advised for oral, vaginal and anal sex during and after travel to a Zika area to prevent the developing foetus being exposed to the Zika virus.
To minimise the risk of Ebola transmission, egg donors and female fertility patients should defer from treatment or donation for 6 months after leaving an area affected at the time by an Ebola outbreak.
Sperm donors and male fertility patients should defer from treatment or donation for 2 years after leaving an area affected at the time by an Ebola outbreak.
Covid-19
Covid-19 vaccination
People of reproductive age are advised to have the vaccine when they receive their invitation for vaccination.
This includes those who are trying to have a baby as well as those who are thinking about having a baby, whether that is in the near future or in a few years’ time.
There is absolutely no evidence, and no theoretical reason, that any of the vaccines can affect the fertility of women or men.
Complementary therapies
At the moment we do not have a good evidence base to recommend any complementary therapies. There are none that are proven to increase your chances of conceiving.
We would not recommend the use of any herbal remedies, as we do not know how safe they are. However if you are using complementary therapies such as massage or acupuncture to relieve stress and you are finding this helpful there is no reason why you should not continue doing so.
If you have any other questions about planning a pregnancy please ask a member of our nursing or medical staff and we would be happy to answer.
