The desire to start or grow your family can be filled with hope and joy, but more often than not, it can also be anxiety inducing. If you’re reading this blog, you’ve likely already learned about the basics. Perhaps you’ve stopped birth control, maybe started a generic gummy prenatal vitamin, and cut back on your caffeine intake, but what if I told you these steps are barely making a difference?

The three to six months before conception are arguably the most critical period in determining your future baby’s health, your pregnancy experience, and your own postpartum recovery. At Primal Wellness Clinic, we use functional medicine to address the root causes of imbalance, ensuring your body is not just ready for growing your baby, but thriving throughout the experience. This blog is a roadmap to help you begin to optimize your body’s natural abilities.

How long does it take your body to prepare for pregnancy?

Biologically, it takes at least 90 to 120 days for a woman’s eggs to fully mature before being released during ovulation. This means that 3-4 month window is the prime time to practice fertility optimization. Examine everything you consume, every toxin you encounter, and every stressful moment you experience, as these factors directly influence the environment surrounding your developing egg. Furthermore, the quality of the environment you create will also dictate your egg quality. This is the single most important factor when it comes to healthy conception and pregnancy. So, if you’re planning to start trying in six months, your prep needs to start TODAY. You’ll need three months to stabilize, detoxify, and nourish your system before you start to see the results in your monthly cycle. Every day will be an opportunity to improve the building blocks that will grow your baby.

What is the best diet to improve fertility?

Don’t let Tiktok scare you into a restrictive or trendy diet program. The truth is, all you need is a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory plan that supports your liver, stabilizes your blood sugar, and nourishes your cellular structures.

Primal Wellness Clinic’s 4 key factors to creating a healthy fertility diet plan:

1. Cut down on your refined sugar. This is a non-negotiable. Frequent blood sugar spikes create hormonal chaos, directly inhibiting ovulation health and fueling inflammation.

   • Every meal should balance protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates, while keeping added sugars low.

2. Focus on antioxidants and phytonutrients. Your egg is susceptible to oxidative damage during its 90-day maturation process. Flooding your body with antioxidants is essential for egg quality improvement.

   • Make your plates colorful. Dark leafy greens, colorful berries, and vibrant spices like turmeric are a great start.

3. Introduce quality fats. Fat makes up both your hormones and the membrane of your egg. This means omega-3 fatty acids are your best friend in reducing inflammation for conception.

   • Consume wild-caught fish like salmon and avoid seed oils like canola or soy, which contribute to systemic inflammation.

4. Support detoxification. Before conception, your liver needs to process and eliminate old hormones and environmental toxins.

   • Drink filtered water and add sulfur-rich foods like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale to your meals.

Also, check out this list of my favorite fertility super hero foods that help provide the nutrients you need to conceive.

• Lentils and beans - these are excellent sources of iron and fiber.

• Organ meats - these are nature’s richest source of bioavailable folate, B12, and Vitamin A.

• Berries - these mighty little fruits pack in antioxidants like resveratrol.

• Bone broth - rich in collagen and L-glutamine, which repairs gut lining.

What supplements should I take before getting pregnant?

At Primal Wellness Clinic, we don’t suggest supplements prior to receiving your lab test results. This allows us to customize your supplement plan based on your body’s individual needs. However, these six cornerstones for fertility optimization will be essential to your protocol: Activated Folate (not to be confused with folic acid), Choline, CoQ10, Vitamin D, Omega 3 DHA/EPA, and Myo-Inositol/D-Chiro Inositol.

What about my partner? Can his diet affect his sperm health?

50% of the time, factors contributing to conception challenges don’t involve the female partner at all. Optimizing sperm health and diet is another key component to consider when aiming for fertility optimization. Just like eggs, sperm also require a 90-day maturation cycle and they are incredibly sensitive to oxidative damage, heat, and poor nutrition.

Here are a few tips to share with your partner:

1. Load up on antioxidants - Since sperm are highly susceptible to free radical damage, antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, and Selenium are the warriors you need to protect sperm DNA and improve motility.

2. Consume sources of Lycopene - Commonly found in cooked tomatoes, lycopene has been shown to positively impact sperm morphology.

3. Minimize exposure to endocrine disruptors - Avoid plastics, conventional cleaning products, and excessive heat as much as you can. This means keeping your laptop off your lap!

You can start holistic fertility optimization today

Now that you know you have the power to improve the health of your future child long before they are conceived, it’s time to invest in a level of prenatal care that is proactive, precise, and powerful. At Primal Wellness Clinic, we don’t treat fertility issues as an isolated problem, instead we treat your entire body as the intelligent ecosystem that it is. Are you ready to stop guessing and start building a thriving foundation for your family?

Click here to schedule your fertility optimization consultation with Primal Wellness Clinic Provider Jessica Gulch.