Myth
A special food or diet guarantees pregnancy.
Fact
No diet can promise pregnancy. Balanced nutrition supports health; fertility concerns still deserve appropriate assessment.
Source: ASRMPreconception care
Planning a pregnancy
Not struggling — just thinking ahead. The months before you start trying are the cheapest and most effective time to influence how it goes.
Why bother before there is a problem
Most preconception advice is given after someone is already pregnant, which is too late for the things that matter most. The neural tube closes within the first four weeks — often before a pregnancy is even confirmed.
Eggs and sperm both take around three months to mature, so changes made now affect the cells involved when you actually conceive.
And if something is going to make conception difficult, finding out at the start costs you far less than finding out after two years.
Three months before
- Folic acid, daily. Start at least a month before conceiving — earlier is better. It substantially reduces the risk of neural tube defects. A higher dose is advised if you have diabetes, epilepsy, a raised BMI, or a previous affected pregnancy.
- Stop smoking and chewing tobacco, both partners. The clearest single change either of you can make.
- Reduce alcohol.
- Reach a healthier weight if BMI is outside the range. Indian thresholds are lower than international ones — overweight begins at 23, not 25.
- Review your medicines with a doctor. Some common ones are not safe in pregnancy and need changing in advance, not at eight weeks.
- Get regular moderate exercise established.
Worth checking
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Thyroid function | Untreated thyroid problems affect both conception and pregnancy, and are easily corrected |
| Haemoglobin | Anaemia is very common and worth correcting before the demands of pregnancy |
| Vitamin D | Deficiency is widespread in India, including among people who spend time outdoors |
| Vitamin B12 | Commonly low in vegetarians |
| Blood sugar | Undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes raises risks considerably |
| Rubella immunity | Rubella in pregnancy is serious; the vaccine cannot be given once pregnant |
| Blood group | Rh-negative status affects pregnancy management |
| Cervical screening | Better done before than during |
When to raise it sooner rather than later
- Your periods are irregular, absent, or more than 35 days apart
- You have PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids or thyroid disease
- You have had pelvic surgery, a burst appendix, or a pelvic infection
- You have had a previous miscarriage, or a pregnancy with complications
- There is a genetic condition in either family
- Either of you has had chemotherapy or radiotherapy
- You are 35 or older, where knowing your position early is worth more
- You take regular medication for any long-term condition
Timing, and what actually works
The fertile window is roughly the five days before ovulation plus the day itself. Sperm survive several days in the reproductive tract; an egg survives around a day.
In practice, intercourse every two to three days throughout the cycle is more reliable than trying to hit a precise day. It removes the pressure of scheduling, and it means the window is covered whether or not ovulation happens when an app predicts. Ovulation apps are estimates built on averages — useful for a rough sense, not a target to aim at.
For the male partner
Preconception advice is aimed almost entirely at women, which is a mistake, because sperm quality responds to the same three-month window.
- Stop smoking and tobacco
- Reduce alcohol
- Avoid prolonged heat — long hot baths, saunas, a laptop on the lap
- Review anabolic steroid or testosterone use with a doctor; these suppress sperm production, sometimes profoundly and sometimes lastingly
- Reach a healthier weight if BMI is raised
How long is normal? A healthy couple in their late twenties has roughly a one-in-five chance in any given month. Not conceiving in three or four months is entirely unremarkable. The usual point to seek assessment is twelve months of trying — or six, if the woman is 35 or over.
Please note. This page is general information, not medical advice. What is appropriate for you depends on your history, your investigations and a specialist assessment. No fertility treatment can guarantee a pregnancy.
Useful next
Where to go from here
Take the self-assessment
Eight questions on whether your situation warrants a consultation, or whether to simply keep going.
Read moreUse the ovulation calculator
Estimate your fertile window from your cycle length.
Read moreBook a preconception consultation
A check before you start, rather than an investigation after two years.
Read moreA little clarity
Myth vs Fact
Fertility can come with a lot of advice. Here is what the evidence helps us understand.
Myth
A previous pregnancy rules out infertility.
Fact
Fertility difficulties can develop after an earlier pregnancy. Previous conception does not rule out a current problem.
Source: WHOGeneral information. Your clinician can explain what applies to you.
Get checked before you start
A preconception consultation costs a fraction of a fertility investigation, and occasionally saves you needing one.
Get in touch
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Fertility care is a personal series of decisions. It begins with your history, your questions and the findings that matter to your treatment.
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