Shape Magazine
The New Facts of Life
"Even women who eat a healthy diet don't always get enough nutrients to ensure a healthy pregnancy," says Potter. "A vitamin-mineral supplement helps you cover all your bases." Iron, in particular, seems to bolster fertility: A recent study of more than 18,000 women published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that women who took iron supplements cut their odds of infertility by 40 percent. Potter recommends you opt for a multi with iron-especially if you're a vegetarian or you don't eat much red meat.
Another key nutrient, folic acid, won't improve your chances of conceiving, but the B vitamin will drastically reduce a developing baby's risk of neuraltube defects-often fatal birth defects of the brain and spinal cord like anencephaly or spina bifida. Taking folic acid now is key because these systems develop during the first few weeks after conception- before many women realize they're pregnant- and if you have a deficiency it can cause irreversible damage. Experts recommend you begin taking 400 micrograms of folic acid a day for at least four months before you get pregnant.
Practice safe sex
Using condoms every time you have intercourse will help you avoid unwanted pregnancy and drastically reduce your risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections that can wreck your reproductive health. "Diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea can damage your fallopian tubes and make conception difficult. They have few symptoms and often go undetected for years," says Tommaso Falcone, M.D., chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the Cleveland Clinic. "Many women just tolerate abdominal pain or difficult periods and learn later that they were really symptoms of an STD and that they'll have a hard time getting pregnant." The pill, the patch, and other types of hormonal contraceptives don't shield you from STDs, but they can protect you from pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ovarian cysts, and uterine and ovarian cancer, which can interfere with conception.
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