One thing that I think our system is really missing the boat on is thoughtfully prepping the body for a season of fertility.
And I think there are actually a few ways to look at this.
There is of course prepping the physical body for conception…BUT there is also prepping the emotional, energetic, and nervous system side of the body for this new chapter of motherhood too.
What most women are told is:
“When you’re ready to get pregnant — stop birth control, start a prenatal, and you should be ready to roll.”
And yes… you can do that.
But fertility is not always a switch that gets flipped overnight.
Because when I see women:
- waiting 1+ years to conceive
- struggling with recurrent miscarriage
- dealing with inconsistent ovulation
- irregular cycles then being given a PCOS diagnosis
- navigating “unexplained infertility”
- or moving through round after round of fertility treatments…
I often see a body that was never truly supported, nourished, or thoughtfully prepped for conception in the first place.
And I say this with SO much compassion, because this is not about being wrong – it’s simply where I see our current system has major blind spots.
There are real pre-requisites for fertility, healthy hormone communication, and availability to receive pregnancy.
And this actually comes from BOTH partners — not just the female side.
Pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, hormone shifts, sleep deprivation, and motherhood as a whole are metabolically demanding seasons on the body.
Your body genuinely needs resources available to create new life.
And if you are:
depleted,
drained,
running on stress hormones,
undereating,
fighting inflammation,
mineral depleted,
chronically stressed,
disconnected from your body,
or stuck in survival mode…
your body may interpret this as:
“Now is not the safest time.”
Not because this isn’t ever going to happen for you, but because your body is communicating an important message of where support is actually needed.
A few important things I really wish more women were taught BEFORE trying to conceive (TTC):
- An egg takes about 90-120 days to mature, meaning egg quality interventions and hormone shifts take time to truly start impacting the body. So, if you are TTC immediately post birth control, the body hasn’t had time to really support A. Creating a healthy, stable hormone rhythm again and B. Have notable improvements and effects on egg quality from supplementation, diet, and lifestyle.
- Sperm takes about 64–74 days to mature too, which is why partner health matters WAY more than most couples are told
- Your cycle can return after birth control, and ovulation can still not yet be strong, well-resourced, or consistent
- Sex hormones are directly impacted by inflammation, blood sugar balance, stress physiology, gut health, nutrient status, and nervous system safety
- Pregnancy itself is a stress on the body and requires significant nutritional, hormonal, metabolic, and emotional resources.
Honestly… I really wish more women were taught that fertility should be approached more like a season of preparation than a switch that gets flipped.
My ideal recommendation?
About a year before TTC, both partners start intentionally supporting the physical body, mind, and nervous system before conception.
WHETHER TTC for the first time… OR postpartum trying for baby #2 or #3, or #4…OR revisiting fertility after loss or a difficult journey.
Not from fear or obsession, but from an empowered place of support, intention, awareness, and readiness.
My top 11 Trimester Zero Recommendations
1. Ladies — get REALLY comfortable with your cycle
Not just your period. Your actual ovulation patterns and hormone communication.
You can use tools like Oura + Natural Cycles, a BBT thermometer + Kindara, or even simple symptom tracking apps.
But remember: without temperature data, these apps cannot actually confirm ovulation.
Start paying attention to:
cervical mucus,
energy,
PMS,
spotting,
mood,
cramps,
cycle length,
sleep,
appetite,
ovulation timing,
and how your body communicates with you across the month.
Your cycle is one of the biggest data reports your body gives you around hormone health.
2. Start eating enough for your body
I cannot emphasize this enough.
So many women trying to conceive are unintentionally under-resourced.
❌Undereating.
❌Skipping meals.
❌Overexercising.
❌Living on caffeine.
❌Running on stress hormones.
❌Trying to eat “healthy” while the body is quietly screaming for more support.
Your sex hormones need enough fuel for optimal function.
💰Ovulation is metabolically expensive.
💰Pregnancy is metabolically expensive.
💰Healing is metabolically expensive.
The body needs enough resources available to feel safe enough to support new life.
This is one of the BIGGEST missing pieces I see clinically.
Your fertility availability is not just hormonal — it’s nutritional too. I recommend grabbing my Under-Resourced Woman Meal Guide, where I help women start taking the first steps toward eating enough for their hormones, metabolism, nervous system, and fertility.
3. Treat or address disruptive symptoms present
Chronic acne that has always bugged you?
Constipation?
Bloating?
IBS?
Psoriasis?
Migraines?
Hair loss?
Iron deficiency?
Painful periods?
PCOS?
Endometriosis?
These symptoms are not random inconveniences.
They are often clues around inflammation, gut dysfunction, immune stress, blood sugar imbalance, nutrient depletion, hormone imbalance, nervous system overload, or deeper metabolic stress patterns.
And if the body is getting weighed down with the noise, inflammation, and stress…
your fertility and first trimester are likely going to feel it too.
This is why I care so much about root-cause work BEFORE fertility treatment whenever possible.
This is the kind of work we do inside the Liv Nourished practice — getting clarity on the root imbalances driving your symptoms and conditions, then building a personalized plan to support your body back into balance.
Curious if this feels like the right next step for you? Book a clarity call here.
4. Have BOTH partners assessed
Please do not place the entire fertility journey on women.
Partner health matters enormously. In my practice I have all my male fertility partners do a in depth bloodwork panel for screening and fine tuning their support.
Sperm quality is highly impacted by:
👉🏻 stress
👉🏻 blood sugar balance
👉🏻 under eating (so common for men actually!)
👉🏻 ALCOHOL INTAKE
👉🏻 vaping
👉🏻 nicotine + marijuana products
👉🏻 sleep
👉🏻 overtraining
👉🏻 nutrient deficiencies
👉🏻 inflammation
👉🏻 gut health too
Honestly… most men are under-eating too.
I also think couples deserve more than just “basic labs.”
A more advanced bloodwork review looking at:
thyroid markers, inflammation markers, blood sugar and insulin, cholesterol patterns, vitamin and mineral status, sex and stress hormones, alongside mineral and nutrient reserves…this can tell us SO much about where the body may need support before conception.
5. Create healthy circadian rhythms and more nervous system stability
Fertility is not just physical.
It’s energetic, emotional, relational, and nervous-system-based, too.
And no — this does NOT mean “just relax and you’ll get pregnant.”
But the body absolutely responds to perceived safety, nourishment, regulation, and stability.
Morning sunlight.
Evening sunlight.
Walking.
Consistent meals.
Healthy sleep routines.
Less chaos.
Less rushing.
More grounding.
These things matter more than people realize.
Many women are trying to conceive while simultaneously:
🫠 burned out
🫠 running on adrenaline
🫠 sleep deprived
🫠 overstimulated
🫠 emotionally disconnected from themselves,
or stuck in survival mode for years.
Your body is always listening and these are thoughtful daily cues for support.
6. Be mindful of intense stress, rapid weight loss, or overexercising phases (AKA energy balance)
This is a BIG one I see missed and often one that comes with good intention that creates bigger challenges.
- Pre-wedding dieting.
- GLP-1 use.
- Marathon training.
- High-intensity workouts every day.
- Significant stress.
- Emotional depletion.
- Periods of rapid weight loss.
These things can absolutely influence ovulation, hormone signaling, mineral status, cortisol patterns, and fertility availability.
The body often interprets extremes as stress — and more than people realize, it can take time for the body to hormonally and physiologically re-regulate afterward. We are often talking 4–8+ months to truly support healthy cycles, cortisol patterns, energy balance, and the body feeling safe and well-resourced again.
7. Become a genuine Nutrient Seeker
I want women to think beyond:
“Am I eating clean?”
And instead asking:
“Am I deeply nourished?”
Focus on minerals. Mineral-rich foods, mineral moments throughout your day, mineral-dense meats like organ meats if tolerated, electrolytes, root vegetables, seafood, and becoming a genuine nutrient seeker with your meals.
Not just eating the same “healthy” meals on repeat — but really voting with your fork from a nutrient-dense fertility perspective. Minerals are foundational for thyroid health, ovulation, stress resilience, blood sugar balance, and hormone communication.
8. If your cycle is off, there is more underneath the surface here
If your cycle is off, you’re clear on your ovulation window and not getting pregnant, or you are experiencing recurrent miscarriage — there is usually more underneath the surface here. This is often where more advanced testing like stool testing, DUTCH hormone + adrenal testing, mineral analysis, or deeper thyroid and metabolic assessment can help us understand what may be contributing more clearly to your fertility journey.
9. Prenatals matter more than most people realize
Just “taking a prenatal” is honestly the bare minimum recommendation.
And not all prenatals are created equally.
I personally look for:
adequate choline,
bioavailable/methylated B vitamins,
appropriate iron use based on actual labs,
quality sourcing,
and enough DHA + EPA support.
Most women are wildly under-supported nutritionally entering pregnancy and most women are supporting general buckets without having the clarity of what their unique body actually requires in this stage before pregnancy to replenish and prepare for fertility.
10. Partner with your emotional world too
If you are TTC to save a relationship…
get out of a job…
fill an emptiness or longing…
on top of a lot of unprocessed grief…
or if you have unprocessed emotions around trauma, body image, family dynamics, self-worth, being parented, or your relationship with yourself…
THIS is the time to do that work.
Start nurturing a relationship with self.
Do the therapeutic work.
The somatic work.
The nervous system work.
The emotional processing work.
Your fertility availability is more than just physical.
It’s energetic, spiritual, emotional, relational, and physiological too.
We want to welcome in the readiness of this season from a full-body, whole-woman , 5D perspective — not just a 3D approach.
In my practice I tap 1:1 with my clients to help move emotion – if you are interested in scheduling an EFT Tapping session a la carte, you can book here.
11. Think about fertility as a season of preparation, readiness, and maturity
I really want women to stop feeling like:
“I’m behind.”
“I already messed this up.”
“I should have started sooner.”
It’s about support.
Awareness.
Preparation.
Participation.
Nourishment.
and overall…readiness to receive.
And honestly fertility deserves deeper preparation than most women are taught.
Your intention matters.
Your preparation matters.
Your participation in the process matters.
And while we cannot control every outcome…
we CAN support the body more intentionally before conception.
Available This June (Offered Just Once Per Year)
If you’re trying to conceive (TTC), preparing for pregnancy, navigating fertility after loss, or looking for a more root-cause approach to fertility and hormone health…
We are revisiting a really special, single-session mini offer dropping in June, The Functional Fertility 90-minute Deep Dive, that might be the perfect fit for you or someone you know preparing for the fertility journey. Email livnourishedteam@gmail.com for the details.
If you or someone you know would benefit from information like this, join the Liv Nourished newsletter and Nourished Notes series for fertility, hormone, and nutrition insights delivered directly to your inbox.
