Pregnancy is an exciting phase in one’s life. From getting your pregnancy kit test results to the final delivery, you will go through several changes. Welcoming a new member to your family requires a lot of preparation and care. While you might take care of yourself during pregnancy, the real efforts start way before that. The health, immunity and allergies of the parents get transferred to the offspring through DNA so there are chances that the parents can pass down much more than just diseases. Since it takes at least three months for cells to be regenerated, your pre-pregnancy care should start 3–4 months prior. Below are the best 5 tips on pre-conception care that will help you in your planning.

5 Tips on Pre-Pregnancy Care-

1. Track your Cycle — The first step in getting pregnant is to know when you are ovulating. You can track your menstrual cycle or check out physical symptoms such as breast tenderness, cramping, vaginal discharge, increase in basal body temperature and other such signs. Apart from these signs, you can also take an easy at home ovulation test to be sure. Your fertility window is the time when your chances of getting pregnant is higher.

2. Schedule an Appointment with your Doctor — A healthy body will lead to a healthy pregnancy. To know that you are healthy and ready to conceive is to get a checkup with your doctor. The checkup will help in identifying any maternal risks like cysts, hormonal imbalance or if there is any problem with the reproductive system. The gynecologist will prescribe you medicines in case of any complications.

3. Maintain a Healthy Diet — Your diet should include a variety of healthy foods as it is essential to maintain a healthy diet for a healthy pregnancy. It should be rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, proteins. Also keep yourself hydrated. Avoid consumption of processed foods as it can lead to diabetes and obesity. Quit smoking and intake of alcohol and caffeine as it is not good for your health. To make up for the vitamins, doctor also recommend taking folic acid.

4. Get Regular Exercise — It is beneficial to keep up with your regular exercise as it helps in maintaining optimal weight, reduces stress and makes you feel good throughout pregnancy. Obesity leads to diabetes and high blood pressure and having health conditions can affect the health of baby. You should exercise at least 20–30 minutes for three times per week.

5. Decrease Stress — Keep your stress in check because it can cause problems while conceiving. Cortisol, a hormone that is released when you are stressed, can cause cushing syndrome. It leads to reduced concentration and libido, depression, weight gain and thin skin. In men, excess of stress can lead to low testosterone and reduced sperm count. Sleep on time, take a hobby to de-stress yourself and try not to stress yourself.

These are some of the tips that you can follow to have a healthy pregnancy. Consult your doctor for pre-natal care as they will address any issue related to pregnancy and will help you out. To confirm your pregnancy, you can take test with Pregakem’s pregnancy detection kit or any other digital pregnancy test kit.