What Does Preconception Really Mean? A Guide if You're Trying to Conceive
If there’s one thing we wish more people knew about fertility, it’s this:
What you do before you start trying to conceive really matters.
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 egg health, sperm health, embryo implantation and even future pregnancy & family outcomes.
At arxi, we call this phase PREPconception - and it’s one of the most powerful opportunities to support your reproductive health.
What is Preconception?
Preconception refers to the months before you try to conceive, whether that’s naturally, through fertility treatment, or in preparation for egg freezing. Yes, we’d consider egg freezing too, because you can’t influence egg quality once those eggs are taken out!
This window is about more than “being healthy” - it’s about optimising the internal environment where eggs mature, hormones communicate, and conception begins.
The science behind why preconception matters for eggs and sperm
One of the misconceptions about fertility is that eggs are static; that they don’t change, that we’re just born with them.
In reality, while you’re born with all the eggs you’ll ever have, each egg still goes through a maturation process before ovulation or retrieval. During this final maturation process, the follicle (a small sac containing the egg cell) grows in size considerably - the number of supporting cells surrounding the egg increases, and the follicle fills with fluid that nourishes the egg.
That process takes roughly 90-120 days.
Which means the egg you ovulate (or collect during IVF) today has been influenced by your nutrition, lifestyle, stress levels, and internal environment over the last 3-4 months.
This is why preconception isn’t about last-minute fixes - it’s about consistent support over time.
Hey-o, what about sperm?
Well, it’s slightly different to eggs in that sperm are made continuously over the lifespan.
However, sperm do take around 74 days to go from an immature cell to a mature sperm, so you’re looking at around 2-3 months preparation time here as a minimum.
Just like for egg health, there’s a lead time involved.
And while we’re here, let’s bust another myth about male fertility. Contrary to what you might think (hello celebrities fathering children in their 60s) sperm quality is affected by age. Reproductive health does start to decline once men reach around their mid-forties.
Why Nutrition and Lifestyle Matter To Preconception
Think of preconception as your “day zero” for giving a future pregnancy the best chance to thrive.
The food you eat, how you move, sleep and manage stress in the months before you conceive can influence conception, how your pregnancy unfolds and even aspects of your baby’s long‑term health (Stephenson et al., 2018).
Mediterranean style, high-antioxidant eating patterns - think extra‑virgin olive oil, colourful vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, and minimal ultra‑processed foods - have been linked with higher pregnancy and live birth rates in both natural and assisted conception settings (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 affect fertility and are linked with higher risks of complications in pregnancy. 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 (when egg and sperm meet) right through pregnancy and up to your child’s second birthday.
It’s considered a uniquely sensitive window where nutrition and environment impact on your child’s growth, brain development and long‑term risk of things like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
During this time, your baby’s organs, brain connections, and metabolic “settings” are being rapidly programmed. And you guessed it, nutrition & lifestyle play a role here.
This sits within the broader field known as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), which shows how early life exposures - including nutrition even BEFORE pregnancy - can influence health across the lifespan through mechanisms like epigenetic changes (Lacagnina, 2019; Linner & Almgren, 2020).
In simple terms: your future baby’s body is “taking notes” on the environment from day zero, and those notes can shape their health well into adulthood.
This is why at arxi, we focus specifically on the prepconception window - because this is when support can meaningfully accumulate before ovulation, IVF retrieval, or egg freezing.
Where Targeted Support Fits In
While foundational lifestyle factors are critical, certain nutrients and antioxidants have been studied for their roles in:
- Reducing oxidative stress
- Supporting mitochondrial function
- Supporting reproductive tissue health
Preparing your body for a baby isn’t about superstition or biohacking. It’s about science.
Preconception Helps Reduce Fertility Overwhelm
Fertility can feel like a minefield of conflicting advice, fad diets, endless supplements and social media noise.
Preconception flips the script. Instead of scrambling once you’re already trying, it allows you to:
- Build habits gradually
- Simplify your supplement routine
- Make informed decisions without urgency
It’s about control, clarity, and confidence - not pressure.
One of the most empowering things about preconception? It’s not just for people actively trying. Preconception support is valuable if you:
- Want the option of children later
- Are planning to freeze eggs
- Want to prioritise reproductive health proactively
You don’t need a timeline to start caring for your future self.
What Does Preconception Support Actually Involve?
Preconception isn’t about perfection. It’s about intentional, evidence-based choices. Key pillars include:
- Targeted nutrition for reproductive health
- Reducing unnecessary oxidative stress
- Supporting energy production at a cellular level - which we explain more in our article on mitochondria and their role in female fertility
- Simplifying supplementation (not adding to the mental load)
This is exactly why arxi exists, and why we built OvaGold - to make preconception accessible, science-backed, and doable in real life.
At arxi, we see prepconception as a fundamental part of your timeline, not an optional extra. It’s not about detoxes, or restriction; it’s about gently nudging your body toward the conditions that allow conception and early pregnancy to thrive, one realistic habit at a time.
Preconception Is an Investment, Not a Shortcut
Preparing your body before you try to conceive isn’t about guarantees - reproductive health can be complex and deeply individual. But preconception does give you something powerful: the knowledge that you showed up for your reproductive health, early and intentionally. And that matters.
Whether you’re trying now, planning ahead, or just starting to learn - preconception is where empowered fertility begins.
Start from day zero.
References
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.
Alesi S, Habibi N, Silva TR, Cheung N, Torkel S, Tay CT, Quinteros A, Winter H, Teede H, Mousa A, Grieger JA, Moran LJ. Assessing the influence of preconception diet on female fertility: a systematic scoping review of observational studies. Hum Reprod Update. 2023 Nov 2;29(6):811-828. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmad018.
Winter HG, Rolnik DL, Mol BWJ, Torkel S, Alesi S, Mousa A, Habibi N, Silva TR, Oi Cheung T, Thien Tay C, Quinteros A, Grieger JA, Moran LJ. Can Dietary Patterns Impact Fertility Outcomes? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2023 May 31;15(11):2589. doi: 10.3390/nu15112589.
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.
