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Six Months to Conception
A Practical 5-Step Plan Toward Pregnancy
By Lisa Marie Metzler
If you are overweight or underweight, take advantage of the next six months to get your weight stabilized. If you are seriously overweight or underweight it can influence birth defects like cleft palate and diabetes. If you start out heavier and gain too much weight, it can negatively impact blood glucose levels and blood pressure.
If you are underweight now, see your doctor about healthy weight gain. Bing underweight while pregnant can result in your baby not growing properly or bed rest for you during pregnancy.
Overweight women should consult their doctor about a healthy weight loss plan and start a moderate exercising program. However, doctors agree that you shouldn't start any new exercise program after conception, and that's why Tracy Rothman of El Dorado, Calif., decided to start before conception.
"I decided that I better already be in the habit of exercising beforehand," she says. "I could stand to lose about 15 pounds, and I don't want to add to the extra weight that I already have."
Although there are many diet aids, such as "fat burner" pills and shakes, to help you lose weight, these products have not been studied in women trying to conceive. "My strong suggestion would be to use a judicious program of caloric restriction and exercise prior to pregnancy," says Dr. Cole. "Such a program should be with the advice and approval of a treating physician, nurse practitioner or nurse midwife."
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