Lifestyle Modification Tips

Patients frequently ask similar questions pertaining to diet, exercise, and finances. While we are here to answer any questions you may have, we've compiled a list of helpful tips to steer you in the right direction for building a healthy foundation, mentally and physically for getting started:

Everyone who wants to be pregnant should be taking a folate (from the Latin word folium, or leaf), which is water-soluble vitamin B naturally found in foods such as spinach, lettuces, peas, and fortified cereal products. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, in the form of supplements, which helps prevent anemia in pregnancy. It also assists with the production and maintenance of new cells, such as the ones found in a baby's brain and spine. This, in addition to a well-balanced diet, is particularly essential during periods of rapid cell division and growth, such as infancy.

Moderate exercise is recommended for women who wish to become pregnant. Potential problems can arise if you are overweight or underweight, so optimizing your weight for your height is pertinent to your outcome.

Too much exercise (i.e. more than four hours of intense exercise a week) could compromise fertility. Runners, especially, should not exceed 20 miles a week. Swimming, on the other hand, has less problems associated with it and will offer you an excellent cardiovascular workout.

Your body mass index should be 18 or more. Anything under 18 can propose problems.

Assess how much stress you incur and how busy your lifestyles are. Both partners should try to reduce as much stress as possible from daily routines.

Have an advanced conversation with yourself or with your partner; ask, "How far am I or are we willing to go?" Think about your financial landscape before your initial consultation, as some treatments can be quite costly.

Consult your insurance so you have an idea of what costs are covered. Typically the diagnostic tests are covered, but often treatment is not. However, you can evaluate your benefits and sometimes take proactive measures to upgrade you level of insurance. Be sure to know whether or not your insurance covers IVF. This is often the last factor couples think about, but it does require some serious consideration.

It's not uncommon to have consent forms signed by the second visit, as time is of the essence. Ask yourself if you are comfortable with that or if you'll need more time. We're flexible, but fertility cycles wait for no one.