Preparing for pregnancy. Exercises to strengthen muscles.

Planning pregnancy for a man. How to prepare your husband for conception?

Bearing and giving birth to a child is an exclusively female task. But both a man and a woman participate in conception. Consequently, both parties must participate in preparation for this responsible process, and nothing else. However, few men understand that preparation for conception is truly necessary. In the minds of most of them, the idea is firmly rooted that the real troubles begin after the birth of the child, and everything before is an easy, pleasant and unburdensome process.

“Why plan a pregnancy?”
–
be prepared to answer this question with reason. Actually, physiologically, the male role is limited to conception, so at the first stage of planning it is better to talk about this topic. The first thing you should focus on is the health of the unborn child. Explain that already now, before conception, the spouse has the responsibility to ensure high-quality genetic “material”.

A big discovery for many may be the fact that you need to give up harmful, but beloved habits. What is contraindicated for a man if a couple is faced with the question “how to get pregnant quickly”?

Smoking, alcohol (yes, and beer too), taking strong medications, fatty fried foods, fast food and junk food, sweet carbonated drinks - all this must be avoided.

It is important not to forget about the nuances of male psychology. Arguments “it’s impossible because it’s impossible” are unlikely to work; it’s better to provide scientific evidence for every ban. For example, beer inhibits the production of male hormones, which in turn negatively affects spermatogenesis; smoking has a bad effect on the number and motility of sperm.

It is also necessary to minimize contact with harmful chemicals and radiation: salts of heavy metals, paint fumes, ionizing and X-rays. If a man works in a hazardous industry, then during the preparation period he must carefully observe safety precautions, avoiding direct contact with toxic substances if possible.

The category of prohibitions also includes tight underwear, baths, saunas, and hot baths. Overheating of the male genital organs negatively affects the quality of sperm.

Perhaps it will make a man feel better if you tell him that all restrictions are temporary. Experts recommend following the above recommendations for at least three months before conceiving. After pregnancy occurs, the spouse may return to old habits if during this time he does not appreciate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Taking special vitamins is simply necessary for the male body to mature motile and morphologically correct sperm. Of course, the components of the vitamin complex will not be the same as for women. For example, men do not need folic acid, but substances such as zinc, vitamin E and the amino acid L-carnitine are recommended.

Zinc is perhaps the most “masculine” mineral. After all, it is necessary for the synthesis of the hormone testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which are responsible for the production of sperm.

Vitamin E increases the concentration of sperm in the seminal fluid, increases their viability and mobility.

L-carnitine increases sperm motility and increases their number, also reduces the risk of pathological forms and stimulates sperm maturation. When choosing a vitamin complex with carnitine, be sure to pay attention to the content of pure substance in it. The fact is that L-carnitine increases fertility in high dosages, which exceed the daily dose (300 mg per day) several times. Taking L-carnitine in prophylactic doses is unlikely to affect sperm quality.

Many manufacturers have come up with a trick that helps them “mask” the lack of carnitine in the drug. Its composition does not indicate the amount of pure substance, but the amount of raw material, which includes L-carnitine. For example, if it is written that the drug contains 1 g of L-carnitine fumarate, then the body will receive only 450 mg of pure L-carnitine.

Among all the specialized complexes for men on the market, special attention should be paid to Spematon. It contains optimal dosages of vitamin E, zinc and L-carnitine, which help increase male fertility. Another advantage of this complex is its convenient packaging, designed for a monthly course and, importantly, an affordable price. Spematon should be taken only once a day, which will be appreciated by men who prefer convenience and comfort.

Pregnancy planning for a man,

as for a woman, it should ideally start with some tests.
Only when the tests have been taken does pregnancy planning make sense, because in this case, firstly, you will be sure that there are no physiological obstacles to conceiving a child, and, secondly, you will know that there are no infections in the body that could negatively affect the course of pregnancy and the health of the baby. If health problems are discovered, you can eliminate them in advance, or take additional measures that will help you get pregnant quickly.
The main male analysis is a spermogram. The volume of ejaculate, its color, viscosity, quantity, quality and sperm motility are assessed. If the characteristics are unsatisfactory, the specialist may recommend a special diet, physical activity, and again, giving up bad habits.

You should also be tested for sexually transmitted infections that can affect the child’s intrauterine development. These are mainly sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, hepatitis, various viruses and bacteria of the genital area.

It is important to determine the Rh factor to avoid Rh conflict in the future. In this case, conception is possible, but there is a high risk of miscarriage. Knowing about the possibility of Rh conflict, you can prevent its consequences. For the most responsible couples, one of the stages of the examination may be a trip to a geneticist - to prevent the possibility of hereditary diseases manifesting in the child.

Do not underestimate the psychological side of the issue. Joint actions aimed at the birth of a child bring the relationship closer and take it to a new level, from which it is much easier to move into the “we are parents” category. Preparing for conception in advance will give a man the understanding that he is a future dad, even if pregnancy is only in the plans.

Article provided by https://plan-baby.ru/

What will you have to give up in preparation for pregnancy?

Having decided to become parents, a man and a woman must give up many factors:

- completely eliminate the use of any alcoholic beverages;
- stop taking any psychotropic drugs (including sleeping pills);
- give up the widespread bad habit called smoking;
- reduce routine physical activity;
- refuse to go to the bathhouse or sauna.

Having changed their lifestyle, future parents will need to include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in their daily diet. In addition, the doctor will recommend that they take vitamins of various groups and avoid stressful situations. All free time for a man and a woman is best spent on a joint vacation outside the city or on professional courses to prepare for a new life, in which the main thing will be the little man.

Preparing for pregnancy: the benefits of movement

Before pregnancy, you should strengthen your body in every possible way. Knigazdorovya.com advises doing fitness, swimming, yoga, Pilates, dancing, and long walks a few months before conception.

The optimal thing, in our opinion, is regular exercise, preferably in the morning. By doing simple exercises, spending 15-20 minutes a day on them, you can well prepare your body for the stress of pregnancy and childbirth, and this will also help avoid the appearance of stretch marks and tears.

Of course, until morning exercises have become a habit, it is difficult to force yourself to get up a little earlier to do a few exercises. Therefore, to turn your body into a new mode, try to look at it from the outside right now.

Sleepy inhibition begins to dissipate. Breathing is still weak and shallow, since during sleep the body’s need for oxygen decreases. As a result, a lot of carbon dioxide has accumulated in it. Its content needs to be reduced. To do this, inhale, exhale, stretch. Again. Now rise. The muscles gradually begin to work, and the blood flow through the vessels increases. More active work of the heart. Consciousness is becoming clearer, thoughts are becoming clearer. The remnants of sleep pass. You feel a surge of strength. You feel the urge to move. You enjoy the movement. The joy of movement, the joy of life. The pleasure of breathing in fresh air flowing from an open window. The lungs are straightened, their elasticity is realized and trained.

During morning exercises, the impulses arising in the muscles are sent along sensitive nerve fibers to the brain and, stimulating it, remove the last remnants of inhibition. This leads to better and more precise muscle control, and there is a feeling of mastery of your body and control of your movements.

Exercises to strengthen muscles before pregnancy

It is better to start doing gymnastics by performing simple and non-tiring exercises, namely:

Walking in place;
Breathing exercises (raise your arms above your head - inhale, and lower them along the body - exhale);
Turns and bends of the body, rotation of it;
Squats;
Smoothly, slowly raise and lower your legs while lying on your back. Don't raise your head. Raise your legs up as you inhale, lower your legs as you exhale;
Rotation of the pelvis left and right in the doorway. While performing the exercise, hold the door frame on both sides with your hands;
Lying on the floor on your back, lift and bend your knees. Take a breath. Without raising your head or lifting your shoulders from the floor, slowly lower your legs to the floor to your right. Exhale. Then repeat in the other direction;
Bend forward. Slowly, smoothly, touch the floor with your hands and return to the starting position.

Start the exercises with 5 reps and work your way up to 20. The main thing is to perform the exercises systematically and smoothly. If you find some exercises difficult, you should reduce the number of repetitions. To ensure an even load, you can also perform breathing exercises after a difficult exercise.

After completing gymnastic exercises, water procedures: shower, bath, swimming in a pool, river, lake or sea. This is a special pleasure that gives us new streams of sensations, invigorating and refreshing. Vigorous rubbing then adds mechanical effects to the temperature effects on the skin. This helps maintain its elasticity.

In addition to gymnastics, active movement in the fresh air is very useful. When we move, causing an increased flow of air into the lungs, the supply of oxygen to the blood increases, which contributes to the accelerated recovery of expended energy. Active sports exercises help improve metabolism in our body, strengthen muscles and ligaments, and help prepare the body for increased stress.

Skiing and skating at low temperatures also hardens the body and strengthens the nervous system. Swimming, in addition to general hardening, trains the muscles of the shoulder girdle, maintains and straightens posture, and eliminates stooping. Cycling is also beneficial. It helps strengthen the leg muscles and improve the flow of venous blood to the heart. Ensuring adequate blood flow through the venous system during pregnancy is an extremely important circumstance, since the load on it at this time increases significantly.

Age for pregnancy

Literally 20–30 years ago, the age of first birth was 20–25 years. If the first birth occurred later, that is, after 25–27 years, the new mother was assigned an offensive diagnosis - “elderly first-time mother.”

In modern society, with its values and aspirations, careers, the average age of first-time mothers is increasing: they increasingly prefer to give birth after 27 or even 30 years. At this time, you have already received your education, you have some capital behind you, a career, your own home, a life partner and strong relationships, and most importantly, a conscious desire to become parents. Which is the primary component of happy motherhood and fatherhood.

For modern gynecology, age is not a reason to call a woman an “elderly primigravida”; this term is no longer used. Practice shows that after 25 years, planning a child is approached more responsibly and conception does not turn out to be a pleasant surprise; this is preceded by a preparation process.

Although conception at 25–28 years old does not occur as often as we would like. After all, up to 25 years of age the highest ovarian reserve is. But this does not mean that conception is impossible, but only that its probability is somewhat reduced. Therefore, after 25–27 years, you should be more patient; conception is a complex process and does not come immediately. And it’s too early to talk about infertility; in this case, the more appropriate term is temporary absence of a desired pregnancy.

In gynecology, there is a term - idiopathic infertility, that is, its causes have not been established. Many tests and studies were carried out, but the cause in the form of diseases, obstructions, or hormonal imbalances was not found. Sometimes gynecologists simply focus on some reason, for example, endometriosis, which essentially does not interfere with the conception and birth of a baby. Or are we talking about chronic stress, which also does not contribute to conception, and, by the way, this problem is often not taken into account - everyone has stress at work and in life, and this does not prevent others from giving birth, but in this particular case, this the factor turned out to be critical. Gynecologists, unlike osteopaths, often forget to assess the state of the body as a single system and the woman’s psyche.

Osteopathy is essentially a second medical education, and the “seeing hands” of an osteopath with extensive experience in gynecology will help you find the true cause, because sometimes the body may simply be unprepared for such a load. By the way, an osteopath will also correct this problem, and in just a few sessions.

Stimulation of ovulation and IVF is an extreme measure that should be resorted to only after osteopathic treatment. It is these doctors who can “see” what problems are preventing conception, and by eliminating them, the long-awaited pregnancy occurs.

Doctors at the Quality of Life clinic, regardless of age, will help a couple conceive and give birth to a healthy baby. Even if we are talking about patients over 40 years old. As they say: age is not a sentence. But it should be noted that the older the woman, the more carefully she needs to prepare, because the body has already managed to “accumulate” stress, change under the influence of the environment, and acquired diseases of the internal organs will certainly affect the state of the body.

Nutrition and vitamins

Proper balanced nutrition is an important factor in this case. Therefore, on the eve of pregnancy, you should not abuse fatty, canned, smoked foods. You should exclude fast food, semi-finished products, meat and fish dishes that have not undergone sufficient heat treatment, and do not abuse gastronomic and confectionery delights.

If you adhere to a rational and balanced diet, your diet contains a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, then there is no need to take additional vitamins and mineral complexes, with the exception of folic acid in a dosage of no more than 400 micrograms per day. Reception should be started 3 months before pregnancy and continued until the 11th week of pregnancy.

Can I drink coffee?

Research shows that drinking too much caffeine during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, for both women and men. Caffeine has also been shown to have negative effects on the developing fetus.