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Preparing Your Body for Pregnancy: Get Ready!

Written by
Leslie Hughes

Women’s Health Writer
Verified by
Dr. Aditi Neelakantan

Medical Practitioner, MBBS

Dr. Aditi Neelakantan

Dr. Aditi Neelakantan, a medical practitioner with a strong inclination for compassion-driven research, believes that “knowledge is a commodity to be shared”. She dedicates her time to simplifying complex medical information so that people can better understand their health and make informed choices.

“Our content is medically reviewed by experts and adheres to the highest standards of accuracy.”

Published on 22 September 2025

Published on 22 September 2025

Inito Content Quality Standards

“Our content is medically reviewed by experts and adheres to the highest standards of accuracy.”

Published on 22 September 2025

Published on 22 September 2025

Inito Content Quality Standards

“Our content is medically reviewed by experts and adheres to the highest standards of accuracy.”

When you’re dreaming of a healthy baby, being prepared is key. Preparing your body for pregnancy isn’t just about making it easier to get pregnant. It’s also about giving your future baby the very best start in life.

If you’re healthy when you conceive, you’re more likely to have a successful pregnancy and a happy, healthy child.

Taking care of yourself before pregnancy is a key part of the journey. Doctors call it preconception care. This means eating well, managing any health conditions you might have, and making healthy lifestyle changes.

Doing these things can greatly improve how well both you and your baby do.

Key Takeaways

A preconception health check up is about getting your body ready even before you begin trying to conceive.
This includes a thorough medical examination, reviewing your medicines, genetic screening, making sure you’re updated on your vaccines, and starting a folic acid supplement.
Building healthy daily habits can improve your chances of getting pregnant. This includes eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and avoiding smoking, alcohol, and excess caffeine.
Taking care of your emotional well-being and managing stress while TTC is also necessary.
And remember, your partner’s health and support play an equally important role in fertility.

Preconception Care: Laying the Groundwork for a Healthy Pregnancy

Preconception care is all about getting your body ready before you even TTC (trying to conceive). It includes things like:

Checking your health
Adapting healthy lifestyle habits
Looking at anything in your life or around you that could cause issues with pregnancy

The goal is to make sure you’re as healthy as possible to welcome your little one. Here’s what to do.

1. Schedule a preconception check-up

Your first step should be to visit your healthcare provider. This can be your OB-GYN or family doctor. This visit is very important to check your overall health.

Talk about any ongoing health conditions: Do you have health problems? These can be diabetes, asthma, allergies, high blood pressure (a.k.a. hypertension), etc. If so, your doctor can help you get these under control before you try for pregnancy.
Review your medications: During your checkup, bring a list of all the prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines you’re on (including vitamins and herbal supplements). Your doc will check if they’re safe for pregnancy or if you need to make changes.
Share your health history: Tell your doctor about your reproductive history. This includes:
- Any past pregnancies
- Miscarriages
- Surgeries
- Pregnancy complications you’ve had

Knowing this helps your doctor understand your unique health history.

2. Update vaccinations

It’s important to make sure you’re protected against infections. You’ll want to be up-to-date on vaccines like:

Rubella
Varicella (chickenpox)
Hepatitis B
COVID-19
Flu vaccine

It’s usually best to get these vaccines at least a month before you start trying to conceive. This is because some aren’t safe to get during pregnancy.

3. Genetic screening

Knowing your family health history is key. This allows them to see if there are any health conditions that might be passed on to your child.

Let your doctor know if anyone in your family history has birth defects or an intellectual disability. You might want to think about tests for inherited conditions, too, like:

- Sickle cell anemia
- Thalassemia
- Cystic fibrosis
- Tay-Sachs disease

This is especially true if any of these run in your family history.

Sometimes, your partner might also need to be tested to get a full picture of any risks.

4. Assess and manage chronic conditions

Do you have conditions like:

Thyroid issues
PCOS
Endometriosis
Other hormonal problems?

If so, now is the time to get them under control.

Work closely with your doctor to get these health conditions under control before you start TTC.

5. Start your supplements

This is a big one that is often overlooked. You should start taking a prenatal vitamin with at least 400-800 micrograms of folic acid.

This special B vitamin is important because it helps prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord (called neural tube defects).

Know more: Vitamins for Fertility: Supplements to Take When TTC

6. Dental check-up

DId you know that problems with your gums have been linked to babies being born too early or with a lower birth weight? Make sure to schedule a dental check-up and get any issues fixed before you conceive

7. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) screening

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is when someone you’re with now or used to be with causes harm. This harm can be:

Emotional
Physical
Emotional

Unfortunately, pregnant women who experience IPV are at a higher risk of:

Miscarriages
Stillbirths
Early births
Babies born at a lower birth weight

So experts at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say that everyone planning a pregnancy should be checked for IPV.

Dietary and Lifestyle Shifts That Support Fertility

Your diet and lifestyle are cornerstones of a successful pregnancy. If you haven’t already, here are some shifts to make before TTC.

1. Eat a healthy diet

Eating well before and during pregnancy isn’t just good for your overall health. It’s vital for nourishing your unborn baby.

Studies have shown that eating a specific way for up to three years before pregnancy can lower your risk of problems like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure during pregnancy, and early birth.

So what does this healthy diet look like? It’s packed with fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, fish, and less of red or processed meat, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars.

Know more: Diet & Fertility: Eat Your Way to Better Baby Odds!

2. Reduce caffeine intake

While the exact effects of caffeine are controversial, too much caffeine (>200 mg/day) might affect your fertility and lead to poor growth of the baby in the womb.

So, it’s a good idea to think about cutting back on caffeine before you conceive and while you’re pregnant.

Know more: Does Caffeine Affect Fertility and Pregnancy?

3. Avoid alcohol

Drinking alcohol can affect your fertility when you’re TTC. It can mess with your hormone levels, periods, and ovulation.

If a baby is exposed to alcohol during pregnancy, it can lead to growth problems, stillbirth, and lifelong disabilities.

4. Quit smoking

This is a big one for your overall health and your baby’s health. Studies show that babies born to mothers who smoke tend to:

Be born too early
Have a lower birth weight
Be more likely to succumb to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Even being around secondhand smoke can put pregnant women at a higher risk of having low birth weight babies. So, it’s time to quit smoking if you do and avoid places where there’s secondhand smoke.

5. Exercise

It’s vital to exercise regularly and keep a healthy weight before and during pregnancy.

For women looking to conceive, it’s generally recommended to be physically active for at least 150 minutes each week. This means moderate-intensity exercise, which could be brisk walking, yoga, swimming, or pilates.

Know more: Exercise During Ovulation and Implantation: Need-to-Knows

6. Manage your body weight

Keeping a healthy weight is a big part of fertility. Why? Because both weighing too much or too little can mess with your hormones. This makes it harder to conceive and increases the risk of complications during pregnancy.

Studies have found that women who are obese are three times more likely to face infertility than those who aren’t.

In addition to that, overweight women often have more irregular periods and don’t ovulate as regularly. This can make getting pregnant a challenge.

But being underweight also comes with its own problems. Having a low body mass index (BMI below 18.5) can also throw your hormones off balance. This leads to irregular or missing periods and lower fertility.

Women with a low BMI actually have a 72% higher risk of infertility. This really shows how important it is to have a healthy body weight for your reproductive health.

Know more: BMI and Baby-making: The Surprising Link Between Weight and Female Fertility

Mental and Emotional Health While TTC

Taking care of yourself physically is a pillar of health if you’re trying to get pregnant. But so is taking care of your mental and emotional health.

1. Acknowledge the emotional impact of TTC

Trying to get pregnant (TTC) can bring on many different feelings like hope and excitement, but also stress and anxiety.

Some of the more difficult emotions may come if it takes longer than expected. Or, if you face fertility challenges, including IVF and other treatments.

Here are some things that can help you deal with these ups and downs:

Keeping a journal
Talking to a therapist
Openly sharing your feelings with your partner

2. Manage stress to support hormone balance

Ongoing stress can mess with your ovulation and how regular your periods are. This is because it affects your hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, which is key for hormones, and also your progesterone levels.

Increased levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) are linked to lower chances of getting pregnant.

3. Practice mind-body techniques

Some practices are known to help lower anxiety when you’re trying to get pregnant. They include mindfulness, meditation, and yoga.

They might even make fertility treatment more successful!

Know more: Stress and Fertility: Is It Actually Hurting Your Chances?

Know Your Cycle: Tracking Ovulation and Hormones the Smart Way

A typical menstrual cycle lasts about 24-38 days. This can be a bit different for everyone.

The most important thing is to understand your own pattern and track it regularly, so that you know when your chances of getting pregnant are the highest.

Your fertile window is the four days leading up to ovulation, the day of ovulation, and the day after ovulation. Having sex during this time gives you the best chances of getting pregnant.

The Inito Fertility Monitor measures four key hormones – LH, estrogen, PdG (urine metabolite of progesterone), and FSH – to track and confirm ovulation on a single test strip.

Measuring your LH, estrogen, and FSH gives you vital information about your fertile window, and measuring PdG can tell you if you’ve actually ovulated or not. You get personalized hormone charts that give you valuable insights into your hormone patterns and trends.

Your Partner’s Role and Its Impact on Fertility

Research has found that women with a supportive partner were 63% less likely to have lower birth weight babies. They were also two times less likely to have pregnancy loss. (This is when compared to those without partner support.)

Further research also found that lack of paternal involvement was linked to a 22% high risk of preterm birth.

These studies are evidence that a partner can do a lot to support both you and your baby.

Your partner’s health and fertility

A healthy pregnancy is just as much about your partner’s fertility health as it is yours. The male reproductive system is affected by:

- Cigarette smoking
- Drinking alcohol
- Stress
- Not enough physical activity
- Obesity
- Other health problems

Know more: 9 Sperm Killers to Avoid When You’re Trying to Conceive

In fact, about 40-50% of infertility cases are due to male-related causes. So, your partner’s health is equally important during your TTC journey.

FAQs

Do Prenatals Help You Get Pregnant?

Prenatals don’t directly help you achieve pregnancy. But, they are important for prepping your body for pregnancy.

Prenatals ensure you have enough key nutrients like folic acid to prevent birth defects. They also support you in a successful pregnancy from the very start.

How To Have a Healthy Pregnancy?

To have a successful pregnancy, begin by focusing on preconception health.

This means:

Getting a check-up before you conceive
Taking a prenatal with folic acid
Eating a clean and nourishing diet
Weight loss or gain to get to a healthy number
Getting regular exercise
Quitting smoking and drinking alcohol
Managing stress

How To Make a Baby?

The best way to conceive is to have regular unprotected sex. And the best time is during your fertile window.

This is when you are most likely to get pregnant. Tracking your cycle and hormones can help you figure out your fertile window.

How To Prepare for Pregnancy?

Here are some things to do to prep for pregnancy:

Schedule a preconception checkup with your doctor
Start taking a folic acid supplement
Eat foods that are part of a balanced diet
Maintain a healthy body weight
Quit smoking and drinking alcohol
Reduce stress
Review your medical history and any medications you’re taking

How To Increase Chances of Getting Pregnant?

To increase your chances of getting pregnant, you want to understand your menstrual cycle and fertile window. The easiest way to do this is by tracking ovulation with a monitor like Inito.

You also want to have regular, unprotected sex during ovulation.

Key to TTC is some of the things we mentioned above: