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#39 How to Prepare for Pregnancy: Preconception Care, Gut Health and Fertility Explained
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The Bean Talk – Episode 39: How to Prepare for Pregnancy: Preconception Care, Gut Health and Fertility Explained
In this episode, Riannon and Jeremy break down what preconception care really looks like and why both partners play an essential role. They explore how gut health, toxins, stress, sleep and nutrition shape fertility, alongside the simple lifestyle shifts that make the biggest difference before trying to conceive.
From supporting sperm health and improving egg quality to understanding the 3–6 month fertility window, this episode gives you the foundations to prepare your body confidently and naturally.
Mentioned in this episode:
Schleepi Nose Strips - Code: MUNGBEAN20
Sleepy Belly Pregnancy Pillow + Pyjamas - Code: mungbean$10
Connect with us on Instagram or TikTok @mungbean_health or visit mungbeanhealth.com for expert support.
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Transcript
Introduction to The Bean Talk
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to The Bean Talk with me, Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother, joined by my trusted partner in life and in the mission of Mungbean Health, Jeremy. Here at Mungbean Health, we're on a mission to unlock the secrets of fertility and natural well-being episode at a time.
00:00:25
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Bean Talk with Rhiannon and Jeremy. We are back and we are in our new home office, not that it looks like much now because it is just an empty shell, but as you know, if you have been listening to some of our podcasts that we moved recently, and so now we're going to be able to set up this beautiful new office in our home. It's like a little studio that's away from all the noise of the children and hopefully the dog. But yes, that's so exciting.
00:00:54
Speaker
We've... We've been so busy.
Setting Up Home Office and Lifestyle Changes
00:00:57
Speaker
Obviously, this time of year, owning a small business is absolutely cooked anyway. But then also there's like, you know, Black Friday sales and you can really get lost in that.
00:01:08
Speaker
Especially you first move. Yes. Although it was really good for us. It was like perfect time of moving because there were some amazing sales on. it like the best time year. And we needed new things like letterboxd.
00:01:19
Speaker
clothesline. i got these yeah the kids bunk beds. think we might have spoken about it before, but trying to healthify in any way we can our lifestyle as we always are. It's like forever trying to get better, right? It's never just going to be done.
00:01:37
Speaker
yeah Got eco kids mattresses. Bamboo. And they're so good and they're bunk ones and i love the fact that they're not sucking in all the terrible...
00:01:49
Speaker
chemicals and crap. It's not good. They're everywhere. you can't get away from all of them. So if you can do some things like
Enhancing Studio Air Quality
00:01:55
Speaker
that, it's helpful. And I also ordered, which I haven't received yet, but the air purifiers, which I'm so excited about. We actually had to put an air con in, in our studio. And there's like a special cycle on it where it, can't remember what he said, but it does the same sort of thing. Cleans the air, clean it up for us. So our lungs can do less work.
00:02:18
Speaker
So, yeah, it's been busy. um Little bean, big bean. Gosh, my – I'm to big bean first.
Importance of Sleep During Pregnancy
00:02:26
Speaker
My big bean – my little beans sort of go into my big bean because I have been really prioritising sleep, which if you watch our stories, mungbean underscore health on Instagram, i would I have been sharing more about that because obviously being pregnant and sleeping, it it can be a bit of a hard road sometimes.
00:02:46
Speaker
And so I've been trying to do things that help. now these are the things where it sort of falls into both categories. So I'm going to, it's going be little and big bit for me, um which Jeremy sort of goes in with me as well, because he's not the best sleeper. Whatever she does. Yeah.
00:03:01
Speaker
He's not, it doesn't matter if he's pregnant or not. He doesn't sleep well. so I could sleep right now. Yeah. Three o'clock in the afternoon, I'll do it to you. um No, but we've been using the Sleepy.
00:03:15
Speaker
Nose. Nose strips, yeah. And they like open up your nasal cavity so you can breathe. Yeah, and through your nose. They also do the mouth tape as well.
00:03:27
Speaker
so you've got the two options. You can do them separately or together. And I've heard a lot about them before and about how they... and be very irritating to people on their skin, but these ones have been absolutely fine, no issues. So check out Schleepy. And the code for the Schleepy is mungbean20.
00:03:47
Speaker
Go and check them out. S-C-H-L-E-E-P-I, Schleepy. And they'll help you Schleepy really good. I need a Schleepy. So we've been doing those. And then also the Sleepy Belly Pillow.
00:04:05
Speaker
Actually, I think I have a code for you guys as well for that because whenever I love something, I'm always like, can you do me a solid and give me a code so I can give it to my clients? Because I know i have so many beautiful clients that are in the same boat. The Sleepy Belly, and it's the original Sleepy Belly pregnancy pillow, but they also do these amazing pajamas. which would make the most beautiful gift. And i'm actually going to keep it in mind for when somebody I know or love is having a baby and getting it for them. They've actually got the Sleepy Belly in different shops now. And I've seen so many people get them and they're so, so good. And it's like three parts. So you can pick and choose which parts you want to use, or you can use it all together. But the cool thing about the pajamas as well, not only are they super comfy and great for breastfeeding and postpartum, but they actually have support for the tummy, not tight or anything, but just you can pull them up over the tummy with like a gap in there. So there's no hard elastics and stuff, but so good. And yes, I've got a code for them who are absolutely amazing.
00:05:11
Speaker
It is mungbean and then the dollar sign 10. They are amazing. Sleepy Belly, you have to check them out. If you're having a baby or you know someone is having a baby, they have definitely been helping with my sleep hugely.
00:05:27
Speaker
So it's been part of my Big Bean Little Bean. Jeremy, you could say a Little Bean for your nose strips. And Big Bean is probably like you just... Working on the house. I know. Getting things done around the house in the healthiest option ever.
00:05:44
Speaker
Also our anniversary today. Super cute. Seven years. Seven years, if you can believe it, but we have been together for like 15.
Reflections on Preconception Care
00:05:53
Speaker
So been together a while, but it definitely does bring me back to like thinking about when we first got married or when we first got together. And when we first got married, I guess that's always a time for us thinking about, okay, well, we're going to want to have babies sometime soon.
00:06:09
Speaker
What do we need to do about it? And as you guys know, I'm big on preconception care and I'm big on not only female preconception care, but also male preconception care. So you bet your bottom dollar that I got Jeremy to do blood testing. We did sperm testing.
00:06:29
Speaker
What else did we do? And took supplements obviously and herbs. So I thought today we could talk a little bit more about why it's so important to support both parties in preconception care.
00:06:42
Speaker
And not only just talking about it, always find it fascinating, not only just talking about it from a, oh, yay, we conceived, we're having a baby. It's like the health of your child and your grandchildren.
00:06:54
Speaker
So you can do something for like three to six months, especially for a man, three to six months before trying to conceive, like stop drinking, stop smoking, or stop taking drugs, exercise a bit more, eat healthier, eat healthier take antioxidants, take some supplements,
00:07:11
Speaker
It's not only going to benefit you as a man, but it's also going to benefit like your grandchildren and their children and forever down the line. Really, you want to pass down good genes rather than pass down crappy stuff, you know? so it seems so black and white and like it makes so much sense when you're obviously in this field but you'd be surprised like I still have so many clients that their husbands won't or partners won't do anything and I just like it it makes me upset because the woman's usually doing so much and I know from a society standpoint it was always a woman's problem and female always had to do it and you house the baby so it's you but it's like we know that
00:07:50
Speaker
The male sperm passes on so much DNA and it's linked to miscarriages and stillbirth and early-term labour and all these horrible things. So let's talk a little bit more about the education around it. So obviously we need the eggs, we need the sperm. And that doesn't happen overnight. Like the egg health, obviously you're born with your eggs, but the health of our eggs, we can improve with time. And sperm, you need to actually give yourself a bit of time as well.
00:08:19
Speaker
So it takes about 90 to 120 days. So I usually suggest about 100 days for an egg to mature. Whereas for men, it takes about, they say about 74, but let's say between 70 to 84 days for the new sperm to actually develop and be ready. So what you're doing now, what you're drinking, smoking, eating, doing, you're exercising or not, is going to be for you know a couple of months time, three, two to three months time. So yes, we want to think about nutrition, stress, sleep, and toxin exposure as well in the months before conception, because this plays such a big role in the quality of those cells and therefore the quality of your future embryo. your future baby, your future child, your future teenager, your future passed on down to grandchildren, which is just amazing, isn't it
00:09:11
Speaker
So this window, it's a short time considering you're going to pass it down for generations. This window impacts not only your ability to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy, but also, you know, as I said, early miscarriage risk, the placental health as well, so the health of the placenta. It's, yeah, lifelong, lifelong. I don't know how to stress that anymore, but we really want to try and minimise chronic disease and issues for ourselves and our children.
00:09:41
Speaker
So i guess looking at it from a really like ah layman's terms, like what is preconception care? Preconception care is about preparing your body before pregnancy begins. So it's not once you're already pregnant, it's preparing yourself beforehand. It's not just for couples with fertility challenges. It's for anyone who wants to give their future child the healthiest start possible.
00:10:04
Speaker
So here's some of the things that we look into supporting for preconception care, especially in naturopathy. So we really want to look at nutrient repletion, especially after years of stress, hormonal conceptions or poor diet and people will often come to us in very poor health and not even if they're wanting to conceive but also if they're just wanting to get healthier and feel healthier um so we usually have years that we need to support them and change their lifestyle for which can be done it just takes time and obviously everyone wants everything done yesterday i know that is society and the way that we're set up everything is very
00:10:43
Speaker
born and now, but, and we do our best to get that done as quick as possible, but sometimes it does take time depending on where you're at in your journey, but also supporting hormone and cycle balancing, beg and sperm quality support, gut and liver detoxification, mental health and stress support is a big one, digestion and gut microbiome support. And we know that the gut microbiome for men can influence the health of the sperms.
00:11:10
Speaker
Sleep and lifestyle optimization. So very important to get that sleep. It's all about building a healthy foundation before you even start trying. so your body is ready when the time comes. Obviously, living a healthy lifestyle is key all the time, but at least giving yourself a bit of time to really get things into order, especially if you know you've been a bit lazy or because you've been busy or working hard or whatever, then just give us at least three to six months minimum.
00:11:41
Speaker
And when when when you first come to see us, we can usually give you a bit of an idea of where your health's at and how long that's going to take as a bit of like a ballpark. We never obviously can guarantee how long it's going to take, but we can go, okay, we can see that you've got XYZ, let's support that. So why is it important to see a naturopath when you're looking for preconception care? So we definitely recommend starting, as I said, at least six months if you can. Three months is like the bare minimum, like if your hubby's like, no way, I'm not helping, I'm not doing it, I'm not.
00:12:11
Speaker
And you're like, please just give me three months, it's so much better than nothing. But six months if you can. So here's some reasons
Role of Naturopathy in Conception
00:12:18
Speaker
why. It gives us time to thoroughly assess and optimize your health from hormonal levels and nutrient stores to stress resilience and digestion.
00:12:26
Speaker
We can help uncover and address underlying issues that could make conception more difficult, things like thyroid imbalances, undiagnosed PCOS or endometriosis, which we see a lot. low sperm motility or count, even morphology issues, poor egg quality, gut dysbiosis or vaginal microbiome imbalances, which love doing a vaginal microbiome on my clients, especially when they're trying to conceive, because we usually can see what's going on there and that could be hindering.
00:12:53
Speaker
And with certain overgrowth opportunistic bacterias and overgrowth of bugs, the man and the woman will often pass them back and forward to each other. So it makes it very hard to get on top of if you don't know it's there and it could be the thing that's standing in the way of you conceiving. We also support you with targeted evidence-based supplements, practitioner grade, herbs and nutrients to replenish what your body really needs, especially in this preconception phase. And remember your preconception is your like your health check or your report card of what's going on in your body. So it's very important that we get you to an optimal state. It's also about education helping you understand your cycle, identify your fertility window as well, or your fertile window, and working with your body, not against it, which a lot of people aren't sure how to do. We've also got hormone and cycle balancing, which is very important. So for women, this looks like helping you have regular ovulation, not just bleeding monthly, but actually releasing an egg and learning when ovulation occurs.
00:13:57
Speaker
We've got healthy luteal phase, which is strong enough to have a good amount of progesterone to support implantation happening, balanced estrogen as well, and progesterone ratio to reduce things like PMS, spotting or painful periods.
00:14:14
Speaker
We've also got supporting that thyroid, very important, cortisol or stress hormone regulation. and insulin sensitivity as well, which all affect our fertility greatly. And then for men, we've got promoting testosterone production, supporting libido and energy as well. Libido for women as well, to be honest. Supporting sperm count, motility, morphology and DNA integrity as well. Very important because we want you to be passing on good DNA. Also addressing inflammation, poor detoxing pathways, oxidative stress as well. um which all affects fertility.
00:14:50
Speaker
Very important that we get on top of that. A 2020 systematic review found that antioxidant therapy significantly improved male fertility markers, which we know about and we use a lot in clinic, but it is really nice to see some of those studies that show what we already do.
00:15:09
Speaker
Also, we look at diet for preconception
Dietary Habits for Preconception
00:15:12
Speaker
as well. Very important. So in the lead up to conception, your body needs consistent energy and nourishment so that then it knows it's safe. So not just specific nutrients, but real balanced meals. It's about eating enough, eating regularly, and also choosing whole foods that support stable blood sugar levels, hormone production, and healthy egg and sperm development. But what matters most is eating enough calories. So when the body senses a lack of energy, it can downregulate reproductive function and actually conserve resources as well. Fertility is not a priority when the body feels undernourished.
00:15:53
Speaker
essentially malnourished, that's the word I'm looking for, your body will think it's not safe and not want to reproduce. So adequate calorie intake provides the fuel that's needed to produce these beautiful hormones, to build a healthy uterine lining, support that egg quality and prepare the body for the energy and demands of pregnancy as well.
00:16:18
Speaker
So focusing on real whole foods, cannot stress that enough. Think of a mix of quality proteins like eggs, poultry, legumes, good quality meats, really important.
00:16:30
Speaker
um Complex carbs are really great as well. So brown rice, sweet potato, love sweet potato. Quinoa, good fats, cannot look past them. Avocado, olive oil, seeds, real butter.
00:16:44
Speaker
Can't forget that real butter, we love that. and plenty of colorful veggies as well. So yes, with those fats, if you're including those good fats, they are the building blocks of reproductive hormones. Sources like oily fish, can't forget those, obviously olive oil, flax seeds, they're great as well, chia seeds, nuts and other seeds help support ovulation and sperm quality as well. And they're usually pretty easy to get in.
00:17:11
Speaker
They're usually an easy one to get in. really balancing your meals. So every plate you should aim for a combination of protein, fats, and also carbs to support stable energy, stable blood sugar, and hormones as well.
Impact of Lifestyle on Fertility
00:17:26
Speaker
And you really want to avoid extremes.
00:17:29
Speaker
I see this a lot and it affects fertility hugely. Strict low-fat diets, low-carb diets, very restrictive diets, they can impair reproductive function, especially if sustained over time. So if you are looking at doing a really restrictive diet for weight loss, something like keto or I don't know, no carbs for something, can you want to just rejig yourself or even fasting, which I don't recommend for everyone, but it is right for the right person and short term, especially for men, just don't try to conceive during that time. Do that as a separate goal.
00:18:06
Speaker
Get the weight down. If that's what you're doing it for, that's going to be amazing. vi fertilility and then get yourself back into well-balanced diet, eating normal again, then try and conceive. So I guess what things to sort of limit and avoid? We'd already mentioned it, but definitely alcohol. An even low to moderate alcohol reduces fertility in both men and women. It increases our oxidative stress in sperm and impairs ovulation as well.
00:18:32
Speaker
So that's a no-no. Caffeine, work on reducing stimulants. I'm not saying you can't have your coffee, but including that caffeine, we really want to reduce it. Cutting it back during this time can help create the healthiest environment possible for conception and pregnancy because excessive caffeine, especially in men, can impact sperm quality and DNA integrity. doesn't mean you have to get rid of it, but just do it in the right way and cut it back. If you're having five a day, drop yourself back to one.
00:19:02
Speaker
And that might be a bit of a slower journey, but get yourself down to one after you've eaten in the morning and like, you know, around 10 a.m. is a good time. Also, you want to consider toxins. So endocrine disruptors like BPAs, phthalates and pesticides can all disrupt our hormones and damage that DNA. So aim to reduce plastic use, avoid synthetic fragrances and choose organic produce where possible.
00:19:29
Speaker
Because this actually supports our hormone regulation, tissue repair, detoxification and metabolic health, and they're all vital for our fertility. Stress is another big one. Chronic stress elevates our cortisol, which is our stress hormone, which can suppress our ovulation and reduce sperm quality as well. So using strategies like breath work, walking, especially in nature, journaling, meditation, even therapy, all calming herbs in our clinic, things like Lithania, passionflower, ashwagandha, they're all really beautiful to support and regulate that stress response.
00:20:05
Speaker
We help a lot of clients in their fertility journey with stress. And also movement, a very important lifestyle factor. So engaging in regular moderate exercise to support that blood sugar, our mood, our metabolism, and our hormone balance as well. And you wanna, again, avoid extreme. So avoid overtraining, especially in women, as excessive exercise can actually suppress that ovulation and disrupt our cycles as well. Sometimes you feel like you're doing the right thing by starting on this new diet and this new movement exercise, and it can throw things out even worse. Now the preconception period is your window of opportunity.
Preparing for Pregnancy
00:20:45
Speaker
It's truly great way to prepare yourself physically, emotionally, and nutritionally, essentially, for a healthy pregnancy. So starting at least six months before trying to conceive allows time for the correct nutrient deficiencies to be fixed, supporting gentle detoxification as needed, and balancing our hormones as well.
00:21:10
Speaker
And just reducing that stress on the overall body, very important. So working with a naturopath during this time just gives you personalized care. It's all personalized and tailored just for you. It's targeted treatment, so we can see what's going on with you and treat you different because not every person presents the same.
00:21:28
Speaker
And we also give like a nice clear step-by-step plan to optimize your fertility and also support you for a healthy pregnancy and postpartum. Like we're already thinking about those long-term health goals.
00:21:39
Speaker
So if growing your family is on your mind, now is the perfect time to begin. Book in today for both yourself and your partner, and we can guide you on your preconception journey. Also tune in to our next episode because we're actually going to cover the importance of natal vitamins, which is also really important in our preconception phase.
00:21:59
Speaker
So thank you so much for
Connecting with the Audience
00:22:01
Speaker
listening. If you enjoyed this, check out our other podcasts. We also have our Instagram you can check out, which is at mungbean underscore health, so M-U-N-G, B-E-A-N underscore health. where you can check out our website at www.mungbeanhealth.com.
00:22:17
Speaker
Yes, and you can ask any questions you have and we can guide you through a consultation. We also have a TikTok as well, which I share heaps of information around fertility, which is the same as our Instagram handle, which is mungbean underscore health.
00:22:31
Speaker
And we can't wait to help. Thank you. Bye.
00:22:38
Speaker
And that's a wrap on today's dose of wellness. I'm Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother. Thank you for joining us. Stay connected with us on Instagram at mungbin underscore health.