Pregnancy After 40 - The Twelve Month Pregnancy

A typical pregnancy lasts nine months however you should think about a pregnancy lasting twelve months instead. It is a good idea for you to prepare your body mentally and physically for an upcoming pregnancy three months prior to trying to conceive. This is especially true for women over the age of 40 trying to have a baby. During this time, it may be a good idea for you to seek out the advice of a medical professional in order for you to get all of your questions answered and for you get a check up to make sure there is no condition you may have that will negatively affect the pregnancy.

During this time, you will want to focus on two things: a healthy diet and, if you are a smoker, quit smoking. These two things have a huge impact on fertility and pregnancy health. Lots of leafy greens, lean proteins, and fiber will help your body become healthy and provide the fetus with the proper nutrients, especially folic acid. Sufficient amounts of folic acid helps to prevent certain birth defects like spina bifida. Many of these conditions occur very early in the pregnancy so you will want to be as healthy and nutrient-rich from the start. Consuming a prenatal vitamin is a good way to make sure you are taking the right amounts of nutrients. A medical professional can help recommend one for you.

Smoking a huge factor in fertility and the pregnancy. Most people are aware that pregnancy and smoking should not go together but do not know why. Smoking poses many risks to a pregnancy including birth defects and a low birth weight. Studies have also shown that it can double your risk of having an ectopic pregnancy. In short, an ectopic pregnancy is where the embryo attaches itself in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus. This is a life-threatening condition that must be addressed immediately and usually discovered by the eighth week of pregnancy.

As was mentioned, research has shown that smoking has been linked to fertility problems in both men and women. The journal "Fertility and Sterility" cites a study that shows that the sperm count for smokers were 17 percent lower when compared to nonsmokers. Another study in the same journal notes that once smokers stopped, their sperm count dramatically increased up to 800 percent!

While diet and quitting smoking alone may not lead to a pregnancy, it will give you an increased chance of conceiving. You will want to maintain a healthy diet anyway and as smoking and pregnancy do not mix, you and/or your partner will want to quit anyway.

Getting pregnant is possible and many women have successfully brought a baby into this world. Keep an open mind and keep yourself as healthy as possible. To learn more about curing infertility in women, please take a moment to read this article and please visit pregnancyover40.tumblr.com for more information. Good luck and don't lose hope.