(4 min read)
This blog was inspired by Episode 227 of The Science of Motherhood podcast. You can listen to the full episode here.
Most women start preparing for pregnancy around the time they decide they want a baby. They grab a prenatal, download an ovulation app, and feel like they've covered the basics. And for many women, that genuinely is enough.
But for a significant number of women, it isn't. And the frustrating thing is that nobody tells them that upfront.
If you've ever felt like your body should be ready by now, or like you're doing everything right and still waiting, this is worth reading.
What "preparing for pregnancy" actually means
There's a version of fertility preparation that most of us grew up with. Take a prenatal. Track your cycle. Try when the app says you're ovulating. Hope for the best.
The problem with that version isn't that it's wrong. It's that it's incomplete. Your body's readiness for pregnancy is shaped by dozens of factors that a prenatal vitamin and an app simply can't address. Iron stores. Thyroid antibodies. Progesterone levels. Blood sugar patterns. Nutrient absorption. These things take time to assess, and even more time to correct.
A naturopath who specialises in women's fertility and blood test interpretation puts it plainly. Start now. Not two months before you want to conceive. Not when you've been trying for six months with no success. Now. Even if everything feels fine.
Because the women who come to her years into IVF, exhausted and depleted, all share one thing in common. They wish someone had told them this earlier.
The gap between normal and optimal
One of the most common experiences women describe when they're struggling to conceive or simply not feeling well is being told their blood tests are normal. And yet something still doesn't feel right.
Here's what's worth understanding. A result that falls inside a reference range and a result that's truly optimal for your body are not the same thing. Reference ranges are built on population averages. They tell you whether you're within a broad band of what's considered typical. They don't tell you whether your iron is where it needs to be to support ovulation. They don't tell you whether your thyroid antibodies are elevated in a way that could affect implantation. They don't tell you whether your progesterone is strong enough to sustain a pregnancy in those early weeks.
What you want to know isn't whether your results are normal. What you want to know is whether your results are optimal for where you are and where you're trying to go.
That distinction changes everything about how you approach your health before pregnancy.
What your cycle is actually telling you
Most women who track their cycle are using an app. They log their period, the app calculates an ovulation window, and they time accordingly. It feels scientific. It feels thorough.
Research suggests that cycle tracking apps can accurately determine ovulation in around 21% of cases. Which means that for the vast majority of women, the window the app gives them is based on an average cycle, not their actual one.
Your body gives you real signals about where you are in your cycle. Cervical mucus changes in predictable ways across the month, moving from dry to creamy to that thin, slippery, fertile consistency that your body produces in the lead-up to ovulation. Your basal body temperature shifts when you ovulate, rising slightly and staying elevated through your luteal phase. These are measurable, reliable signs that no algorithm can replicate.
Learning to read them takes a little practice. But it gives you information your phone simply cannot.
What to actually do before you start trying
If you're thinking about trying to conceive, even if that's a year or two away, there are three things worth doing now.
Get a comprehensive blood panel done. Not just the basics your GP might order at a standard check-up, but a full picture that includes your iron studies, thyroid and thyroid antibodies, hormones, vitamin D, B12, folate, zinc, and blood sugar markers. Find a practitioner who will look at your results through an optimal lens, not just a normal-versus-abnormal one.
Start eating like you're already pregnant. This doesn't mean restriction or perfection. It means prioritising nutrient-dense whole foods that support hormone balance and egg quality. Grass-fed meat, eggs, fish, vegetables, and whole grains are a strong foundation. If you have specific conditions like insulin resistance or hormonal imbalances, your nutritional needs will look different, and a practitioner can help you tailor that.
Give your body time. If you have a nutritional deficiency, correcting it takes months, not weeks. If your thyroid antibodies are elevated, addressing that takes time. If your iron is low, building your stores before pregnancy means you're starting from a place of strength rather than catch-up. The women who do this work early go into their conception journey with so much less stress because they're working to optimise, not scramble.
A note on postpartum
This conversation matters beyond trying to conceive. After having a baby, your body has given an enormous amount of itself. Iron, B12, vitamin D, zinc, and thyroid function should all be checked at around six to eight weeks postpartum, not because something is necessarily wrong, but because you deserve to know where you're starting from as you recover.
Postpartum thyroiditis is more common than most women realise, and it often presents as postnatal depression. Getting your thyroid antibodies checked postpartum means that if something is happening, it can be identified and addressed rather than missed.
You carried a pregnancy, birthed a baby, and are now keeping that baby alive. Your body has done extraordinary things. Looking after it properly in the months after birth isn't optional. It's how you recover well.
Disclaimer:The information presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained here is intended to be used as medical advice and it's not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.
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