What to Expect Before You're Expecting: The Complete Guide to Getting Pregnant

INTRODUCTION

What Can You Expect Before You’re Expecting

(And why does it matter, anyway?)

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Pregnancy, as you probably know, is 9 months long (or 38 weeks from conception, if you’re really serious about keeping count). And if you’ve ever been pregnant before, you probably think that’s plenty long enough. Maybe even a little too long, especially once your belly’s the size of a prize-winning watermelon and your breasts have worked their way through the cup alphabet . . . twice. But is 9 months really long enough? Does that time-honored baby-making timetable really stand up to the latest science?

According to experts, no. From the CDC to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the March of Dimes, American College of Nurse Midwives, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians—that traditional 9-month timeline has been bumped by this recommendation: It’s time to add more months to pregnancy.

That’s right, more months. At least 3 more, in fact, for a full 12. But before you panic (3 extra months of not seeing my feet? Of passing on the sushi? Of waiting to hold that bundle of joy?), here’s what you need to know: Those extra months aren’t meant to be spent being pregnant, but getting ready to be pregnant.

The truth is, a healthy pregnancy begins before sperm and egg meet up. Before the home pregnancy test announces the good news. Before the queasies kick in and your waistline checks out. Even before you ditch your diaphragm or peel off your patch. A healthy pregnancy begins before you’re expecting—which is why, if you’re planning to get pregnant, you might want to start planning (and prepping) ahead.

What’s New About Getting

Pregnant?

Sure, getting pregnant isn’t considered rocket science. It’s biology—for most of us, the really fun kind of biology. And the basic mechanics of baby making aren’t only, well, basic (insert part A into part B, repeat as needed and desired), but they haven’t changed much over the history of human reproduction. And certainly, they haven’t changed much over the 8 years since I delivered the first edition of What to Expect Before You’re Expecting.

That said, there’s plenty that’s new about getting pregnant—especially when it comes to couples who aren’t able to get pregnant the basic way—and that’s why I’m delivering a brand new 2nd edition. In it you’ll find the latest his-and-hers advice on getting ready to get pregnant: from diet (why high protein may lower your fertility) and weight (how it affects fertility and your future baby) to the workplace (how your 9 to 5 job may impact your baby-making job, especially if you work the night shift) and lifestyle (which habits to kick before you get busy). What checkups and vaccines to get, what screenings you’ll need (including up-to-date information on expanded genetic carrier screening), and how to make sure your health insurance has you covered. What medications might need adjusting (including antidepressants), and what supplements you’ll need to stop (or start) popping.

Yes, you’ll find the fertility basics (when and how often to have sex, in what positions, with what lubricants). But this edition goes way beyond those basics—from new tests to assess your ovarian reserve to high-tech ways to track your ovulation (with wearables that sync with smartphones) and check your partner’s sperm count at home (there’s an app for that, too).

There’s a new chapter on the fertility workup: when and how to seek help if you’re having trouble conceiving, distinguishing between subfertility and infertility, a comprehensive section on fertility challenges (from elevated prolactin to PCOS to low sperm count to unexplained infertility). And a brand new chapter devoted to fertility treatments, including the most cutting-edge technology, advanced procedures, and the newest medications. Frozen embryos vs. fresh for IVF, 3-day embryos vs. 5-day, why ICSI is edging out standard IVF, when to consider preimplantation genetic screening, everything you’ll need to know about donor sperm and donor eggs, embryo donation, and surrogacy. How to finance it all. And, if you’ve experienced pregnancy loss, a chapter to help you start over, including treatments for recurrent loss.

Are you a same-sex couple hoping to become a pair of parents? All your conception and pregnancy options are covered, too.

Wondering how Zika virus might affect your baby-making plans? You’ll find out everything you and your partner need to know about protecting the baby you’re hoping to make.

And here’s how. What to Expect Before You’re Expecting—a complete, start-to-cuddly-finish guide to getting pregnant—is everything you need to know to get your body and your partner’s body into the best baby-making shape possible before you start trying to conceive. What baby-friendly foods to order up often, and which fertility-busting foods—and drinks—to keep off the menu. (Hint: Get your sushi while you can, but can the fresh tuna.) How to get your weight where it needs to be for maximum fertility and optimum pregnancy health (packing on too many pounds—or too few—can compromise conception and complicate pregnancy). Which medications need to be shelved (including some surprises, like antihistamines), when to toss your birth control, why your partner should put hot tubs (and spinning classes) on ice, why kicking your smoking habit now can give fertility a boost (while protecting your future baby’s health).

Once you’ve prepped for pregnancy, it’s time to get pregnant. Sounds like the easy (and fun) part—and usually it is. But a little conception know-how can help you fast-track your fertility and make those baby dreams come true sooner. You’ll find out how to pinpoint ovulation, when to schedule in sex, how sex toys and lubes fit in, why wet isn’t wild when it comes to baby-making sex, how to keep on-demand sex spicy—plus the lowdown on sex positions and conception. Have you heard a few conception tales already, or read them on the internet? Fertility fiction and fact are sorted out here, too.

What if you encounter a bump on the way to baby? Fertility challenges—and how to overcome them—are covered, as well as the latest in fertility treatments. You’ll also find out when to let nature take its course, and when to seek help.

Whether you’ve begun your conception campaign already, or you’re just starting to think about getting pregnant, it’s never too late—or too early—to start optimizing your preconception profile. So put time on your side, and add a few months to your baby-making calendar. More pregnancy, it turns out, is more.

May all your greatest expectations come true!