Something for people planning to expand their family

People planning to start a family (yes, this is not only a task for women!) should start preparing their body at an early, very early stage. There is talk of preparations leading up to a pregnancy by up to several years.

Why so early? It is easier to intervene, change the diet or introduce treatment if the medical condition requires it, spreading it over a longer period of time. Some changes cannot be expected immediately.

Of course, in preparing for pregnancy, it is not about going to the children’s department or buying maternity clothes, but about paying more attention to your health, so that the new family member appears at the moment of optimal health of the parents.

Parents who care about their health, by passing on their genetic material to their child, have a chance to present their child with a blank card, which is the most beautiful gift that can be given to a new family member. The child, genetically unburdened, will be able to enjoy health longer. Of course, a lot also depends on his later choices, lifestyle, etc., but at the beginning the parents deal the cards. Whether the transferred genetic material is of good quality depends on many aspects. Some of them are subject to modification by, among others. changing lifestyle and eating habits. It is therefore a good idea to prepare for your new role in order to guarantee the best possible start in your child’s life.

Departing from the subject for a moment, but hopefully in order to better illustrate the validity of the early preparation approach, I would like to make an analogy. Would you agree with me that an athlete who intends to take part in a high-level sporting event cannot compete without complete preparation? The trainings themselves, if they start 2 weeks before, also won’t do much. So the professional athlete puts down the preparations so that the best form comes out in time for the competition. The future parents should behave in a similar way, starting preparations much earlier so that the new family member would be the fruit of their highest form of health. In my opinion, in such a comparison, parenting can boldly fight even with the World Cup for the importance of and the requirements of the necessary preparations?

Where to start? Firstly, checking the current state of health and correcting any deviations or deficiencies. Women should especially take care of the proper functioning of the thyroid gland and carbohydrate metabolism (glucose, insulin), which may make it difficult to get pregnant. You should also take care of the balance of sex hormones that reflect reproductive capacity. The sooner some disorders are detected, the less “surprise” and the stress associated with it will be, and the intervention may be more effective.

WHAT AFFECTS THE FERTILITY OF THE PRESENT PARENTS?

Physical activity, or rather the lack of it, negatively affects the quality of sperm. The sperm of men with an active lifestyle are more mobile. Regular physical activity of a woman prevents excessive weight gain, insulin resistance and other metabolic disorders that may reduce the chance of becoming pregnant or cause complications during pregnancy. However, you should not exaggerate the other way too – excessive training can lead to menstrual disorders.

Diet – a healthy diet and good eating habits guarantee the proper nutrition of the body, necessary both for getting pregnant and its course. Unhealthy food choices can lead to the development of obesity and other lifestyle diseases, and increase inflammation, which does not create a child-friendly environment.

There are certain aspects of nutrition that you should look at in more detail when planning to grow your family. Noteworthy is folic acid, which prevents fetal defects, but also supports male fertility. In order to take care of your health, it should be enough to provide folate with your daily diet, but with serious, several-year plans to start a family, it is also worth introducing its supplementation. However, all interventions, even those “only” dietary, should be preceded by the determination of the concentration of these parameters in the blood. You should also remember to include as many antioxidants as possible in your daily diet e.g. berries, pomegranate, turmeric, green tea, as they regulate oxidative stress, which can damage DNA and sperm cell membranes, making fertilisation difficult. By accumulating in female gonads, oxidative stress can interfere with the maturation of ovarian follicles and the entire ovulation process, which is why it is so important to eat products with anti-inflammatory potential by both parents.

Obesity – excessive adipose tissue disturbs the hormonal balance, may lead to ovulation disorders and reduce the quality of sperm. Excessive adipose tissue also increases inflammation in the body.

Too low body weight – adipose tissue moderates the body’s hormonal balance on many levels. Too little of it significantly inhibits the work of the gonads, lowers the concentration of sex hormones and causes the cessation of menstruation. Long-term fasts, the use of caloric restrictions, especially in combination with excessive physical activity, lead to the aforementioned hormonal disorders.

Age – unfortunately, with age, the reproductive possibilities decrease in both women and men. If a woman becomes pregnant at an advanced reproductive age (> 35 years), it is associated with an increased risk of genetic disorders and diseases of the child. The quality of sperm and the genetic material transferred by men also deteriorates.

Stimulants – cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, etc. significantly affect the quality of sperm – the number and motility of sperm can thus reduce male fertility. Exposure to such substances that burden the body may increase the risk of later diseases of the child.

Stress – chronic stress can disrupt the ovulation process and reduce the level of sex hormones. It also burdens the nervous system and psyche – it can reduce sex drive.

SO WHAT CAN THE FUTURE PARENTS DO?

• Examine your current health status and adjust individual intervention, depending on your body’s needs.
• Introduce regular physical activity, limit sitting, reduce / normalise body weight.
• Start eating healthily, stopping stimulants and processed foods. Introduce a healthy, balanced diet with an especially large amount of green leafy vegetables and antioxidants.
• Take care of the correct intestinal microflora by properly nourishing your microbes with dietary fiber, fermented dairy products or silage. They can also introduce probiotics and synbiotics, depending on your needs and symptoms.
• Regulate the circadian rhythm, paying attention to the evening use of electronics emitting blue light. Proper sleep not only regenerates the body, but also determines the proper hormonal balance.
• Reduce stress, during which hormonal changes are stimulated in favour of cortisol (the stress hormone) at the expense of sex hormones.