Dr. Dai Xue of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital: Why is it recommended to be pregnant for at least three months?

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Dai Xue

Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital

Associate Physician, Center for Reproductive Medicine

He has rich clinical experience in gynecological endocrine diseases such as menstrual disorders, infertility, polycystic ovaries, premature ovarian failure, etc. It is unique for intractable diseases in infertility, such as advanced pregnancy, recurrent miscarriage, and hysteroscopic management.

Many couples feel that preparing for pregnancy is preparing to have children, and not contraception is preparing for pregnancy.

In fact, pregnancy ≠ not contraceptive. And whether it is a person or a doctor, it is generally recommended that the time of pregnancy preparation is not less than three months.

Preparing for 3 months of pregnancy seems to be a standard, is there really a scientific basis for preparing for pregnancy three months in advance? Why do people around me, including doctors, tell me this?

It takes 85 days for high-quality egg cells to mature

As we all know, a woman usually releases only one mature egg a month, and an egg survives for about 48 hours after being released, and it will meet and bind with sperm in this short period of 48 hours.

The number of eggs is fixed from birth. But the follicles are not mature at the beginning and can be discharged directly, but need to go from the basal follicles to the secondary follicles and then to the dominant follicles, a period of about 85 days.

Therefore, under normal physiological circumstances, it takes the length of 3 menstrual cycles to complete ovulation.

Therefore, during the egg growth competition, women who are trying to conceive should pay attention to conditioning the body and ensure the quality of eggs.

If the egg quality is poor, or the egg cells are abnormal, it is very easy to have abnormal embryonic chromosomals, leading to the occurrence of miscarriage. Statistical data show that the natural abortion rate in humans accounts for 10% to 15% of all pregnancies, of which more than 80% is an early abortion that occurs within 3 months.

It takes about 90 days or more for high-quality sperm to mature

Unlike eggs, adult males produce sperm every day, but sperm production and development also require a process.

From the time it originates in the testicles to the time it develops into a tadpole, it takes 74 to 76 days for a sperm to mature; the sperm excreted from the testicles, although formed, is not fully mature and must also mature in the process of passing through the epididymis, which takes 14 to 16 days.

So it takes about 90 days for a sperm to mature from production to maturity.

That is to say, the sperm you excret today only started to develop three months ago, but the sperm continues to mature every day, so the fertilization of sperm is not limited by time.

Store folic acid and other nutrients in advance

The first 4 weeks of human embryonic development are critical periods for the formation of the central nervous system, i.e. the brain and spinal cord. Differentiation of the nervous system begins around the 18th day of embryonic development, and by the fourth weekend the neural tube is completely closed, and by the 6th weekend of pregnancy, the development of the lips and palate is complete.

Folic acid has the effect of preventing fetal neural tube malformations, but due to dietary differences, the amount of folic acid in many people is far from enough to be needed for pregnancy, so it takes time to accumulate folic acid.

Therefore, keeping folic acid levels normal from the formation of a fertilized egg to the sixth weekend of pregnancy is key to preventing birth defects.

In addition, after pregnancy, the mother and fetus's demand for other nutrients in the body is greatly increased, so it is necessary to adjust the various indicators of the body to an ideal state during pregnancy, and it is more conducive to the development of embryonic babies after pregnancy.

Precautions for pregnancy preparation

Do preconception tests, for men and women of the right age who are trying to conceive, it is recommended to go to the hospital for preconception tests, if there is a best cure for the disease before starting to conceive.

Have intercourse on the date of ovulation, accurately grasp the ovulation cycle, and conceive scientifically.

Develop good living habits, go to bed early and get up early every day, don't stay up late, and develop regular living habits.

Keep a good mood and don't be overly stressed: Work pressure and environmental stress are likely to lead to endocrine disorders and affect conception.

Pay attention to diet, and usually eat more nutritious foods during pregnancy. Men quit smoking and alcohol, and toxic substances in tobacco and alcohol will affect the quality of sperm to varying degrees and reduce the chance of pregnancy.

This article is reproduced from Dr. Dai Xue's popular science article, the copyright belongs to Dr. Dai Xue, if there is any infringement, please contact Xiaobian to delete