Preparing for Pregnancy: Nutrition (Part 2)

While NaturalGuy and I work on re-jiggering how to cook and eat (see Part 1), we've paid special attention to how what we eat will effect fertility and pregnancy. We recently read "Be Fruitful," by Victoria Maizes, MD. "Be Fruitful" is written with couples who are not yet pregnant in mind. Dr. Maizes recommends that couples protect their fertility through healthy living, well in advance of planning to have children. She explains what dietary changes typically improve fertility, what lifestyle changes couples can make prior to trying to conceive, and other preventative medicine tips. She also discusses conventional and alternative approaches to treating infertility.

Pros: 
I thought the chapters on diet were sensible and helpful. The chapters on environmental hazards and pollution were informative and helpful, without being alarmist.

Cons:

The alternative medicine sections were too weird for me - and I think it does the reader a disservice to present the methods discussed as medicine.

Implementable changes:

• NaturalGuy and I should work on eating more eggs, whole milk products, fruits, and vegetables.

• We should be aware of BPA in canned food (like canned beans, tomatoes, soups, etc) and avoid BPA cans when possible.

• Stress can delay ovulation, making it more difficult to conceive. We've already seen this in my charts and hopefully I'll manage stress better in the future.