If you want to get pregnant you must know this!

Did you know that certain drugs can affect your ability to get pregnant and sustain a healthy pregnancy?  This applies to both the male and female partners in a couple trying to get pregnant.

•  NSAIDS (aspirin, ibuprofen, some cold and flu remedy's that combine paracetamol and NSAIDS) "should be used with caution, ANY exposure may cause spontaneous abortion" (CMAJ 2011).  They also create (reversible) impairment of ovulation, tubal function and sperm motility.
• Antibiotics can cause reversible impairment of spermatogenesis (making of sperm) and sperm motility
• Corticosteroids can cause reversible impairment of sperm concentration and motility
• Blood pressure medication and anti-depressants can cause fertilisation failure
• The pill.  Another important issue is if the mother to be has been on the pill for some time prior to trying to get pregnant.  Taking the pill for a sustained time often results in deficiencies in the body in Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Zinc and Glutathione.  Taking some time to eat a very nutrient dense diet and get these vitamin levels topped back up is crucial to having a healthy baby and pregnancy.

Your egg and sperm ARE your baby.  Remember that issues with getting pregnant and miscarriage are not just a factor of the mother to be's  health.  Unhealthy sperm can still at times fertilise an ovum however if the DNA is damaged, this pregnancy is likely to terminate resulting in miscarriage.  Your sperm and egg ARE your baby so it is really important to have the healthiest possible sperm and egg to make the healthiest possible baby.

~Bel