Planning for pregnancy

Updated April 2024 | 6 min read
Expert contributors Dr Wendy Burton, Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Antenatal; Clare Collins, Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle
Words by Karen Burge

Starting a family is an exciting time in your life. Here’s what you should know before you start trying to conceive.

Planning for pregnancy isn’t as simple as it may sound. There are many things that need to be considered for all parties involved that may improve your chance of having a healthy pregnancy and birth.

In fact, according to IVF Australia, one in six Aussie couples of reproductive age experience difficulties conceiving a child. That’s why experts believe that looking after your health before falling pregnant is just as important as during and after pregnancy.

Pre-pregnancy health check

Three to six months before trying to get pregnant, NSW Health recommends visiting your GP for a health check and pre-natal chat.

“This is an opportunity to review your personal and family history, as a number of checks and blood testing may be recommended,” Dr Wendy Burton, Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Antenatal and Postnatal Care Specialist Interest Network advises. “Women should speak to their GP three months before they begin to attempt falling pregnant, but women who have significant health issues should speak to their GP well in advance.”

Some areas your doctor might look into include your:

• blood group
• immunisation status (rubella, chicken pox, COVID-19, influenza, mumps and whooping cough)
• other medical conditions including blood pressure, asthma or diabetes that need to be controlled
• heart health
• sexually transmitted infections
• cervical and breast screening
• height and weight
• any pre-existing medical conditions
• family history.

Your doctor may also ask you to complete a dental check. “Depending on your family history, genetic testing may be recommended, or you can request it," Dr Burton explains.

Essential supplements

Dr Burton says women should start taking folate (a B-group vitamin) and iodine supplements as soon as they start planning for pregnancy. According to Pregnancy, Birth & Baby, a daily dose of folic acid (the synthetic form of folate) that contains at least 400 micrograms should be taken at least one month before you actively start trying to get pregnant and throughout the first few months of pregnancy.

Some good sources of natural folate include:

• vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, English spinach, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, parsnip, sweet corn and zucchini
• fruits, like avocado, grapefruit, oranges, berries and bananas
• legumes, like chickpeas, soya beans, lima beans, red kidney beans, lentils, haricot beans
• eggs
• nuts
• juices
• Vegemite.

This may help to provide the best health outcome for your baby throughout your pregnancy and may assist in preventing neural tube defects, like spina bifida.

University of Newcastle Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, Clare Collins, explains that folate is like ‘a helper nutrient for making DNA’. “DNA is like the backbone of every single cell in your body,” she says. “And when you’re growing a baby, there’s a lot of activity happening, so you need lots of folate.”

Iodine, she adds, is essential for your baby’s nervous system and brain development. Women also need it for proper thyroid function.

You can buy folate and iodine supplements at most pharmacies, but if you’re not sure what is best for your individual circumstances, speak to your doctor.

Lifestyle considerations

The way you live your life can also have an impact on your pregnancy plans. During your GP consultation, you’ll be required to talk about some of the key lifestyle changes you may need to make, like:

• maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet
• quitting smoking and giving up alcohol and other drugs.

The importance of a healthy weight

According to Women's Health Victoria, it’s estimated that around half of Aussie women are carrying too much weight, which may impact your ovulation and make it harder to conceive. Being overweight or obese may also put you at risk of complications, including:

• unplanned caesarean delivery
• gestational diabetes
• pre-eclampsia
• cardiovascular disease later in life.

It may also impact the health of your baby, including higher rates of neonatal complications and childhood obesity, and an increased risk of metabolic disease as adults.

If this is a concern for you, and you have time to make an improvement before conceiving, it’s helpful to do so, advises Prof Collins. Following a diet that limits foods containing added salt, sugar and fats can help you lead a healthier lifestyle, along with trying to do two-and-a-half to five hours of moderate intensity exercise a week.

Eating a well-balanced diet that includes fresh fruit and vegetables may help increase your chances of falling pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy. But there are also many foods and supplements you should avoid during pregnancy, including:

• vitamin A supplements, as they can increase the risk of miscarriage and other problems
• fish that have high levels of mercury as it can affect your baby's brain
• caffeine should be limited to two to three standard cups of coffee per day because it can affect your baby's growth during pregnancy.

Speak to your GP or check in with an accredited practising dietitian for support if excess weight is an issue for you.

Being underweight can also have an impact on your fertility journey as it can reduce a woman’s fertility by causing hormone imbalances that affect ovulation and the chance of getting pregnant. Women who are underweight are also at risk of pre-term delivery.

Avoid alcohol and smoking

Alcohol and smoking are best avoided right from the start, even when you’re trying to conceive. Given you may not know exactly when you become pregnant it’s wise to stop beforehand.

The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care recommends zero alcohol for women who are planning for pregnancy, already pregnant or breastfeeding. This is because alcohol can affect the health and development of your unborn baby, not only during pregnancy but for life.

Quitting smoking early on in your conception journey will help protect your baby and yourself from developing any serious complications. It also helps increase your chances of conceiving naturally, reduces the risk of a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy and you’re less likely to deliver your baby
prematurely.

The impact of men’s health

According to reports, about half of infertility cases are due to a problem that the male may have, so it’s important for men to keep their health in check during preconception, too. Keep the acronym SNAP in mind, which refers to smoking, nutrition, alcohol (and other drugs) and physical activity.

“A GP may also give specific advice to the male partner, depending upon his personal and family history,” Dr Burton says.

It’s also important for men to be a healthy weight to help increase the chances of falling pregnant. Being overweight can:

• affect the quality of their sperm
• reduce their sex drive
• make it more difficult to keep an erection.

The best time to get pregnant

For many healthy, fertile couples, falling pregnant can happen within the first 12 months of trying. Though for women over the age of 35, it can take twice as long.

You're most likely to get pregnant if you have sex within a day or so of ovulation, which is the releasing of an egg from the ovary. For most women, ovulation occurs 14 days before the first day of your next period.