How long in advance is it appropriate to prepare for pregnancy?

Couples should pay enough attention to the matter of preparing for pregnancy and never get pregnant casually. There are many things to pay attention to during the period of preparing for pregnancy, such as reasonable contraception and both husband and wife should enhance their vitality. At this time, you must not overwork at work. In addition, many people are now kidnapped by mobile phones. Try to play with mobile phones less during the period of preparing for pregnancy and go out for more exercise. Many people don’t know how long in advance they should prepare for pregnancy. Let’s learn more about it below.

How long in advance is it appropriate to prepare for pregnancy?

It is recommended to prepare for pregnancy three months in advance. This is supported by certain scientific evidence. The reasons are as follows:

1. Because of the egg

A woman usually releases only one mature egg in a month. An egg can survive for about 48 hours after being released, waiting to meet and combine with sperm during these 48 hours. However, many people do not know that before the egg is released, it has to go through a long growth and development process: a healthy and high-quality egg requires an 85-day growth cycle.

There are 3 to 11 eggs that mature together, but in this process, after layers of selection, finally one or more dominant follicles can be discharged, and the rest will die and degenerate on their own. This growth cycle takes three menstrual cycles. Therefore, during the process of competition among these follicles, women who are preparing to become pregnant need to make comprehensive adjustments to their bodies.

2. Because of sperm

An egg needs 85 days to grow, so what about sperm? Male sperm is produced in the testicles, and develops from spermatogonia into spermatocytes, and then into true sperm. The whole process requires a growth cycle of 72-90 days. That is to say, when the sperm enters the female body, it is actually the sperm that began to develop 90 days ago. This also explains why men should prepare for pregnancy three months in advance, stay away from tobacco and alcohol, and increase exercise.

3. Because cells metabolize harmful substances in the body

Three months is also a cycle for cells to metabolize harmful substances in the body. Any drugs, toxic substances, adverse factors that may affect reproductive cells should be completely eliminated from the body and wait for nearly three months before reproducing a child. For example: conception 3 months after quitting smoking and drinking, etc.

Non-smokers have a better chance of conceiving than smokers. Smoking not only affects physical health, but also affects fertility. Therefore, men and women who are planning to get pregnant should quit smoking.

4. Because of folic acid

As we all know, a standard dose of 0.4 mg of folic acid can prevent fetal neural tube defects. However, due to the Chinese people's eating habits, Chinese women generally lack folic acid in their bodies, and changing this folic acid deficiency will not be effective in a day or two. Moreover, in real life, most women know they are pregnant after more than 30 days of pregnancy. At this time, supplementing folic acid has missed the critical period for preventing neural tube defects.

Therefore, the Chinese Nutrition Society recommends taking it from 2 to 3 months before pregnancy and continuing until the third month of pregnancy or throughout the pregnancy. In addition to preventing neural tube defects, it also helps reduce the risk of gestational hyperlipidemia. In addition, folic acid deficiency will reduce the concentration of semen and may also cause abnormal chromosome separation in sperm, which will increase the possibility of serious diseases in the future baby. Therefore, it is best for men and women planning to have a baby to start taking folic acid supplements three months before pregnancy.

To sum up the above, there is still scientific basis for preparing for pregnancy three months in advance. However, it does not mean that it is necessary to prepare three months in advance, nor does it mean that getting pregnant without preparing three months in advance is bad for the fetus. After all, "plans cannot keep up with changes."