10. Lose the birth control. The final step in your countdown to conception is to lose the birth control. If you’ve been using the birth control pill or some other form of hormonal birth control (e.g. implants or injections), you’ll need to wait for at least one normal period before you start trying to conceive—something that makes it easier for your caregiver to pinpoint your due date. If the intra-uterine device (IUD) has been your birth control method of choice, you’ll still need to put on the brakes momentarily: the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada recommends that you wait for at least one normal period before you start trying to conceive.
While there are no guarantees in the reproductive world, it only makes sense to do what you can to tilt the roulette wheel in your favour. With any luck, you’ll walk away with the ultimate prize: a healthy baby.
Daddies in Waiting
Preconception planning isn’t just a girl thing. It’s also important for fathers-to-be. Here are some important health issues your partner should be thinking about if there’s a baby in your future:
- Workplace exposure to lead, mercury, anesthetic gases, biological hazards, pesticides, herbicides, radiation, or other health hazards on the job. These can affect a man’s fertility and/or the health of his offspring.
- Medication use. Some medications are fertility impairing while others are linked to fetal abnormalities. The jury’s still out on most herbal products. - X-rays to the groin area. One U.S. study indicated that such paternal x-ray in the year prior to conception can affect a baby’s growth rate. - Weight. The excess quantities of the female sex hormone estrogen that can be found in overweight men can interfere with communication between the testes and the pituitary gland, hampering a man’s fertility. - Groin injuries. Athletic injuries can temporarily or permanently hamper fertility and sexual function. What’s more, some research from south of the border links long-distance cycling with groin numbness and impotence. - Avoid overheating the genitals. Wearing tight clothing, soaking in hot tubs, and otherwise overheating the testicles can interfere with sperm production and leave a man less fertile. - Skip the vices. Cigarettes, marijuana use, and excessive alcohol use have all been linked to reduced fertility and other negative health effects.