I am a HUGE fan of infra-red saunas, but if you're pregnant, I don't recommend utilizing them.

The sauna has been used for centuries, and are especially popular in places like Scandinavia. Studies suggest the sauna is great for preventing & managing hypertension, congestive heart failure, and can even be beneficial in recovering after a heart attack (after the acute recovery stage). The sauna is also indicated  for COPD, chronic fatigue syndromes like fibromyalgia, recovering from substance addiction, and chronic pain. For the average person, infra-red saunas are a great way to improve your health, have more energy, and promote longevity! I personally aim to use the sauna at least 1-2x per month from October-May.

However, when it comes to pregnancy, I recommend patients steer clear. Even for someone like myself who utilizes the sauna often and tolerates the high temperature of the sauna quite well, I would not personally feel comfortable using the sauna while pregnant. Here's why..

Some evidence suggests that an increased body temperature of 101º F might be teratogenic (causing harm to baby) causing an increased risk of birth defects like neural tube defects, heart and jaw defects, and pre-term labour- all which increase the risk of serious complications with baby. I know, a fever and a sauna are not the same thing, but what they have in common is that they both raise our body temperature. Since we can't single out the exact reason that a fever increases these risks (infection, dehydration, the temperature itself) we have to assume it could be any of the above and play on the safe side.

Aside from raising body temperature, the sauna also increases the risk of overheating, dehydration and fainting which pregnant women are even more susceptible to than their non-pregnant body would be. When you're pregnant, you have increased blood supply to the skin, huge hormonal changes, not to mention you're keeping yourself alive PLUS a whole other human inside you, AND a whole new organ (the placenta). Your body may not be able to keep up with the demand, making it more likely for you to faint or become dehydrated.

Using the sauna to improve your health pre or post-baby, after being cleared by your doctor, can be a great addition to your health routine. During pregnancy, it's better to stay clear of the sauna, or at the very least, reduce the temperature to it's lowest setting and reduce the time spent in the sauna.

#1: See a naturopathic doctor 6-12 months before you want to start trying for a baby
It is never too early to start planning your pregnancy! As a naturopathic doctor, I have a heavy focus on prevention and optimization.  This includes reducing the risk of things like gestational diabetes and post partum anxiety/depression(PPA/PPD). It also means setting the stage for proper post partum healing, attaining optimal nutrition status and optimizing baby's immune system. Something I see often in my practice are Mums who are 12 weeks or more post partum who are exhausted and irritable more than they should be at that time. While yes, this can be an aspect of or be caused by post partum depression, what a lot of people don't realize is that getting your iron, B12 and Vitamin D status to a really good point during pregnancy (but ideally, even before pregnancy!) we can reduce the risk of these feelings so you can feel better as a post partum mum. It's much easier to get these levels up before pregnancy, and work on maintenance, than it is to realize we're deficient AFTER baby and THEN start (when we already symptoms). So get your bloodwork and see your ND way ahead of schedule if possible!

#2: Get off birth control 3+ months before you're ready to start trying
Many doctors will tell you "you can get pregnant pretty much immediately after you discontinue your birth control". This goes for hormonal IUDs as well, not just the Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP). While technically this is true there are two things we need to consider:
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1) Birth control depletes many nutrients, so it would not be ideal to start pregnancy in a depleted state. 
2) A LOT of women were not originally put on birth control for contraception. Many women are put on it because they had irregular periods....read on...

One of the biggest problems I see are women who were put on birth control to 'regulate their period'. (Hint: birth control does not 'regulate your period' in any real sense. What it does is give you a withdrawel bleed, and it masks the real reason why your period was irregular in the first place). Coming off birth control with ample time give us time to dive into why your periods are out of whack. Whether it's endometriosis, PCOS, or other reproductive issues, I help women deal with these issues and have a healthy period. I have helped women with heavy periods have normal periods. I have helped women who weren't having a period have a period. I have helped women with 40-50 days cycles have 28-30 days regular cycles. IT IS POSSIBLE TO REGULATE YOUR PERIOD WITHOUT BIRTH CONTROL. Unfortunately, MD's and NP's only have one tool in their toolbox for this: birth control. Fortunately, I have several evidence-based tools that I use with patients to regulate their periods (nutrition, exercise, stress management, hormone balancing herbs, etc). For some women it takes 1-2 months to normalize, other women may take 6-12 months. It depends on the person and the issue, which is why I recommend getting off OCP as early as possible and getting your period figured out sooner rather than later.

By getting off birth control with ample time, we give ourselves time to improve our likelihood of becoming fertile, as well as improve our nutrient status to improve pregnancy and post partum outcomes. 

#3.  Get bloodwork!!!
Your MD or your ND can order bloodwork for you. Make sure your provider knows you are getting this bloodwork because you are TTC. They will order extra things such as Rubella, in order to determine your risk. It's important to get tested for things like Rubella because if you no longer have antibodies and you contract it while pregnant, there is a high risk of miscarriage or still birth. This gives you time to get the vaccine before pregnancy, as it is recommended you wait 4 weeks after having the vaccine to begin trying. Vaccines are not in my scope of practice with Ontario, so you will need to discuss this topic with your MD or NP.

If you're seeing me in my office for the first time, I recommend bringing a copy of your most recent blood work with you. I often see patients bring me lab work from their MD/NP that isn't as thorough as I'd like to see it, so I can order the extras for you in order to fill in the gaps. Some things you want to get tested pre-conception in addition to your typical work up includes Vitamin D, ferritin, B12, and a full thyroid panel. Like I mentioned above, this gives us time to treat underlying disease that can make pregnancy difficult (like thyroid conditions) if gone untreated, and gives us time to boost nutrient status.

#4. Focus on a healthy lifestyle.
There is tons of literature that supports eating a healthy diet and exercising. I always recommend starting to do this before pregnancy to get into a habit. It's way easier to continue exercising and eating healthy into pregnancy than it is to get started when you're already pregnant. Exercise is not dangerous for the baby, and it reduces the likelihood of issues arising in late pregnancy and labour. Continuing to exercise after labour is also important as it reduces the likelihood of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). There are certain conditions during pregnancy that may make exercise less safe for you, so always discuss this with your medical provider.

Don't assume you need to stop smoking or drinking once you know you're pregnant. I see this a lot in my practice! "We're going to start trying for a baby seriously in 6 months but right now we're just being a little less careful". If there is ANY chance you could become pregnant, it's important to discontinue behaviours that are dangerous for baby. Like I mentioned in an earlier blog post, most women find out they're pregnant between weeks 4-7. However, baby is most susceptible to damage between weeks 1-4, before we even know we're pregnant. Odds are, a glass of wine or a smoke- and baby will be just fine. But my personal recommendation: why would we risk an increased risk in our baby's health if it could be prevented? Focus on quitting smoking and drinking as soon as becoming pregnant becomes a possibility.

If you're looking to start living healthier lifestyle but not ready to commit to a pre-conception plan, I recommend taking my Women's Wellness Course. Although it's not directly targeted at pregnant women, the recommendations & information in the course are all totally relevant to women planning to conceive.

#5. Review your medications and supplements.
Something I see often in my practice are women who are on 1 or more medications and they don't even know if they need it. Many medications and supplements can be dangerous for baby, but at the same time, it can be dangerous for Mom coming off a medication that is providing her with a lot of benefit. There are many examples, but since SSRI's are so common, let's use this as an example. SSRI's cross the blood-brain barrier and cross into the placenta and breast milk. There is some evidence that suggests they may cause heart defects, miscarriage, and low birth weight in baby. The research is not conclusive, which means we need to decide how much risk we are willing to take. Untreated depression for Mom increases the risk of suicide, using alcohol or drugs, and poor self care. These actions can lead to the same outcomes as taking the SSRI's. Overall, you need to discuss with your doctor how much benefit you are getting from a medication and compare it to the risk of going off the drug.

If there is any chance you may become pregnant you need to be taking a minimum of 400mcg of folic acid or folate per day, which is why I typically recommend all sexually active women of childbearing age be on a pre natal, even if you're not TRYING to get pregnant right now.

Some supplements are contraindicated in pregnancy and known to increase the risk of miscarriage or cause other complications. Your Naturopathic Doctor will be the best person to talk to when it comes to figuring out what supplements are safe and what is harmful, so you know what to stop taking when you're TTC.

#6. Ditch toxic home and body products
More and more literature is starting to show us that our common home and body products are messing with our hormones. We call these 'endocrine disruptors' (ED's). These are chemicals that interfere with our endocrine or hormone system. Evidence suggests that these ED'S can increase the risk of cancer, nervous system damage, and other unknown effects on the body. Studies show that things like BPA and phthalates can cross into the placenta and affect baby. There is a growing body of evidence showing that exposure to a number of chemicals may adversely impact child development through altered endocrine function. We need more studies on this, but this isn't something I would want to risk.

I recommend checking out this link: SKIN DEEP
You can see how toxic your current products are rated and make switches to cleaner products.

I don't recommend switching everything out at once. I typically recommend waiting until your out of something, and then replacing it with something cleaner at that time. Overall, cleaning with vinegar and essential oils instead of lysol. Stop burning candles. Switch out lotions and topical products before worrying about shampoo and conditioner. If you wear makeup on a consistent basis, switching to a cleaner foundation will be the most important. And last but certainly not least, ditch the plastic tupperware and teflon. I recommend cooking with cast iron and storing food in stainless steel or glass containers. Plastic bottles belong nowhere.

#7 Go to therapy.
Like I say again and again, prevention it the key. Seeing a therapist to discuss any worries or past trauma before bringing a baby into the picture will be of the utmost importance. I recommend at least 2-3 sessions, but your practitioner will be able to guide you as to how many sessions you actually need. I find it takes at least 1-2 sessions to get comfortable with a new therapist. 

#8 See a pelvic floor therapist.
Your pelvic floor needs to be prepared for the intensity of childbirth. Ensuring it is strong but not hypertonic will set the stage for a healthy pelvic floor, and promote better healing of the pelvic floor after childbirth. A lot of women have bladder leakage after childbirth which is normal as the pelvic floor heals, but for many women it doesn't heal completely. Although it is common, it is not normal and can be helped by pelvic floor physio. I recommend seeing a practitioner before you're pregnant, and they'll be able to develop a personalized plan.

​#9. Get excited!
This is a super exciting time in your life! Enjoy the journey and the process. Learn to live in the moment. It's easy to get stressed about the little things, and having a baby doesn't make that any easier. Learn to be excited about the little moments and keep that with you as you move on with your fertility journey!

*Please note, this is not medical advice. This is for educational purposes only.