Patient's question:
My physical fitness is not good, I have anemia, and I always feel tired. I exercise very little. I am 26 years old this year. I want to take care of my body before pregnancy, but I don't know how to do it. My husband is still in good health, 30 years old, but he often drinks alcohol and does not smoke. However, he has started to gain weight.Doctor's answer:
Pre-pregnancy Preparation is Essential. Scientific pre-pregnancy preparation is the prerequisite for healthy and intelligent offspring. Here are the guidelines:Three Months Before Conception
◎ If you decide to get pregnant, start preparing three months in advance.
◎ Choose the best season for conception. The best months are the second, third, seventh, and eighth months of the lunar calendar.
◎ Stop taking oral or implantable contraceptives. Avoid X-ray exposure and medications for viral infections or chronic diseases.
◎ Distance yourself from toxic substances such as pesticides, lead, mercury, cadmium, and anesthetics.
◎ Neither partner should smoke.
◎ Adjust your emotions. Avoid pregnancy for a period after experiencing major emotional upheavals, such as wedding celebrations, loss of a loved one, or unexpected workplace accidents.
◎ Consult the maternal and child health department at a nearby hospital and take folic acid under medical guidance.
◎ Ensure adequate financial preparation.
◎ Check the quality of your drinking water. Water pollution can affect fetal development. Use appropriate purification devices if necessary.
◎ Remove smoke and toxic substances from your body. You can consume blood from livestock and poultry, spring onions, sea fish, and bean sprouts.
Two Months Before Conception
◎ This month, organize your living space to make it easier to move around after pregnancy.
◎ Reorganize items that could cause tripping and maximize space.
◎ Place frequently used items within easy reach while standing. Clean out items under your bed and in your closet, and adjust the placement of kitchen utensils.
◎ Lower your clothesline or drying rack slightly and extend the light cord.
◎ Add non-slip mats in the bathroom and other slippery areas.
◎ Install grab bars near the toilet for convenience during the later stages of pregnancy.
◎ Ensure your workplace has good ventilation. If not, install an air conditioner or make other improvements.
◎ Develop a habit of keeping things in their proper places.
◎ Supplement with high-quality protein.
One Month Before Conception
◎ Adjust your vanity table. Temporarily set aside cosmetics and leave only skincare products, as pregnant women should focus on skincare rather than beauty.
◎ Choose well-known brands for skincare to prevent allergies that could harm the fetus.
◎ Electronic devices like TVs, speakers, computers, microwaves, and mobile phones can cause electromagnetic pollution, which is harmful to fetal development. "Protective shields" that block magnetic fields are now available and recommended for purchase in advance.
◎ Prepare at least one set of maternity clothes and two pairs of flat, soft shoes.
◎ Avoid conceiving during long trips or when exhausted for less than two weeks.
◎ Avoid conceiving during the full moon to prevent low intelligence or birth defects.
Are You Ready to Be a Mother? With societal development and the fast pace of life, many women prioritize their careers over motherhood. Pregnancy may not be a joyful event for them but rather an unexpected occurrence. Research shows that mothers who strongly desire children before conception develop a deep love for them immediately after birth. As children grow, continuous interaction and emotional bonding strengthen this love. In contrast, mothers who view pregnancy as an accident and adopt a negative attitude may not feel their child's lovableness for three months. Over time, as they interact more, maternal love gradually develops, but it remains significantly weaker than that of mothers who already have strong feelings for their children from birth. This difference arises from the mother's attitude toward the fetus before pregnancy. These two attitudes not only affect the level of care for the infant but also impact the fetus.
Mothers who desire children before pregnancy experience joy and anticipation during pregnancy. They maintain stable emotions, take pregnancy seriously, and actively engage in prenatal care and labor support. Under these conditions, the fetus develops healthily, and delivery proceeds smoothly. In contrast, mothers unprepared psychologically experience negative and unstable emotions during pregnancy. This negativity can disrupt the autonomic nervous system and trigger endocrine changes. Bioactive substances produced by these changes pass through the placenta and umbilical cord to the fetus, causing adverse effects. Additionally, poor prenatal care and inadequate labor support can hinder delivery.
It is clear that preparing to love children and maintaining a positive attitude toward childbirth before pregnancy is essential. This helps pregnant women maintain good mental health, overcome physical discomforts, ensure fetal health, and establish early maternal bonds. The infant receives maximum care, supporting breastfeeding and healthy growth.
How Can Fathers Create Conditions for Optimal Fertility? Optimal fertility and child-rearing are the hope and responsibility of every family, and this responsibility falls squarely on young couples. For fathers, sperm quantity and quality are key factors in fertility, making sperm the foundation of optimal fertility. Therefore, fathers should eliminate factors that affect sperm quality and actively create conditions that support fertility.
(1) Treat Reproductive System Diseases Promptly: In male reproductive organs, the testes produce sperm, the epididymis stores sperm, the vas deferens facilitates transport, the spermatic cord and veins provide support, and prostatic fluid is essential for sperm delivery. When these critical parts malfunction, fertility is compromised. For example, individuals with bilateral cryptorchidism or congenital testicular underdevelopment cannot produce normal sperm. Inflammation, tuberculosis, or tumors in the testes, epididymis, or seminal vesicles can lead to testicular atrophy and tissue damage, rendering most sperm ineffective. Conditions like varicocele, prostatitis, partial vas deferens defects, hypospadias, impotence, and premature ejaculation can also cause infertility. Sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea directly or indirectly impair sperm production, development, and motility, posing risks to fertility. Therefore, fathers should prioritize treating reproductive system diseases.
(2) Abstain from Harmful Habits: Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and drug use not only harm health but also threaten optimal fertility. Men who smoke more than 10 cigarettes daily experience significantly reduced sperm motility, with higher rates of abnormal sperm as consumption increases. Excessive alcohol leads to alcohol poisoning, altering sperm morphology and activity, even killing sperm, which affects conception and fetal development. This is why some call born after weekend drunken sex "Sunday babies." Studies show that 60% of fetuses conceived after drinking have congenital intellectual disabilities. It takes about 80 days for male germ cells to develop into mature sperm, so couples planning to have children should abstain from smoking and drinking during this period. In recent years, the number of smoking men in China has been increasing, contributing to high perinatal mortality rates. These men often face intrauterine growth restriction, premature birth, fetal distress, and an increased incidence of intellectually disabled children, harming families and society.
(3) Moderate Sexual Activity: Frequent sexual activity reduces seminal fluid volume and sperm quantity and quality. To ensure healthy conception, both partners should moderate sexual activity, especially the father, who needs to "store" sperm. This is particularly important for newlyweds with high libido.
(4) Avoid Harmful Substances: Scientific research shows that physical, chemical, and biological factors can damage reproductive function, causing chromosomal abnormalities, abnormal sperm, and impaired fetal development. Substances like lead, benzene, xylene, gasoline, vinyl chloride, X-rays, other radioactive materials, pesticides, herbicides, and anesthetics can lead to chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses and increased miscarriage rates.
(5) Use Medications Cautiously: While medications can be beneficial, some may harm reproductive function and cause fetal malformations. Drugs like morphine, metronidazole, streptomycin, erythromycin, mitomycin, and cyclophosphamide have adverse effects on sperm. If treatment requires medications that harm sperm, avoid conception to prevent lifelong regret.
What Age Parents Have the Smartest Children? In marriage, people focus on emotions, but in childbirth, scientists focus on genetics. French geneticist Maurice's 1989 research found that men aged 30–35 have the best offspring. Maurice stated that male sperm quality peaks at 30 and remains high for five years. On the other hand, physiologists agree that women are most fertile between 23 and 30. During this period, women are fully developed, with high-quality eggs, fewer complications, lower delivery risks, and healthier fetal growth. Premature pregnancy can deplete nutrients, harming both the mother and fetus. Thus, the optimal age combination for male and female fertility is about seven years apart. Recent studies suggest that some "geniuses" may be linked to their parents' "large age gaps." For example, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's father was 18 years older than his mother, and Marie Curie's parents were 14 years apart. Researchers explain that older fathers have more mature intelligence, passing on more genetic "codes," while younger mothers provide a healthier environment for fetal development. This "optimal combination" fosters offspring with greater potential for genius.