What Does Preconception Really Mean? A Guide If You Are Planning Pregnancy
If there’s one thing we wish more people knew about preconception, it’s this:
You can make a positive impact on your health during the months that you start to plan for a pregnancy.
Not just in the weeks leading up to a positive pregnancy test, but in the months before conception, when your body is quietly laying the foundations for the next steps.
At arxi, we call this phase PREPconception - and it’s a great opportunity to support your reproductive health.
What is Preconception?
Preconception refers to the months before you begin to try for a baby.
This window is about more than “being healthy” - it’s about using positive strategies like your nutrition, lifestyle and environment to support your preconception and reproductive health.
Why Nutrition and Lifestyle Matter To Preconception
Think of preconception as your “day zero” for supporting your future pregnancy.
The food you eat, how you move, sleep and manage stress in the months before you fall pregnant can influence conception, how your pregnancy unfolds and even aspects of long‑term health (Stephenson et al., 2018).
A Mediterranean style, high-antioxidant eating pattern - think extra‑virgin olive oil, colourful vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, and minimal ultra‑processed foods - is a delicious, and positive step you can implement as part of your preconception planning (Alesi et al., 2023; Winter et al., 2023).
It probably comes as no surprise that factors like smoking, heavy alcohol intake and chronic high stress can negatively impact preconception health. In contrast, regular movement, good‑quality sleep, and stress‑support strategies can help support hormone production, improve metabolic health, and create a more supportive environment for conception (Stephenson et al., 2018).
What Are the First 1000 Days?
The first 1000 days usually refers to the period from conception right through pregnancy and up to your child’s second birthday.
It’s considered a uniquely sensitive window where nutrition and environment impact on growth and development. This sits within the broader field known as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) (Lacagnina, 2019; Linner & Almgren, 2020).
What Does Preconception Support Actually Involve?
Preconception isn’t about perfection. It’s about intentional, science-guided choices. Key pillars include:
- Nutrition and lifestyle support for reproductive and preconception health - think, diet, movement, sleep and stress management and minimising exposures to alcohol, smoking/vaping and recreational drugs.
- Simplifying supplementation (not adding to the mental load).
- Taking a prenatal vitamin everyday that contains folic acid and iodine.
This is exactly why arxi exists, and why we built OvaGold - to make preconception support accessible.
At arxi, we see "prepconception" as an achievable, positive part of your pregnancy planning process. It’s not about detoxes, or countless capsules each day.
Preconception Is an Investment
Preparing your body for pregnancy isn’t about guarantees - reproductive health can be complex and deeply individual. We support positive preconception steps like adopting healthy lifestyle and food changes, and remembering to take your supplements; small, intentional actions that build up over time for your health and wellbeing. And that matters. Start from day zero.
Reading
Stephenson J, Heslehurst N, Hall J, Schoenaker DAJM, Hutchinson J, Cade JE, Poston L, Barrett G, Crozier SR, Barker M, Kumaran K, Yajnik CS, Baird J, Mishra GD. Before the beginning: nutrition and lifestyle in the preconception period and its importance for future health. Lancet. 2018 May 5;391(10132):1830-1841. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30311-8.
Lacagnina S. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). Am J Lifestyle Med. 2019 Oct 11;14(1):47-50. doi: 10.1177/1559827619879694.
Linnér A, Almgren M. Epigenetic programming-The important first 1000 days. Acta Paediatr. 2020 Mar;109(3):443-452. doi: 10.1111/apa.15050. Epub 2019 Oct 24. PMID: 31603247.
