Fertility
How can I prepare my body before trying to conceive?
The short answer
Before trying to conceive, start a prenatal vitamin with folate, review lab issues like anemia or thyroid imbalance, and build steady movement and sleep habits. If you have pelvic pain or heavy bleeding, preparation also means optimizing symptom control.
Starting a prenatal vitamin with folate before you begin trying can help build nutritional reserves. It’s also a good time to review any lab issues that can affect cycles and early pregnancy, like anemia or thyroid imbalance. We typically encourage steady, realistic habits you can sustain, including regular movement and consistently restorative sleep, because they support hormone regulation and recovery.
If you’re navigating pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, or suspected endometriosis/adenomyosis, preparation also means optimizing symptom control to make intercourse and cycle timing more manageable. Nutrition and digestion can play a role in inflammation and day-to-day comfort, and pelvic floor physical therapy can be helpful if you have pain with intimacy or pelvic muscle tension. If you’d like, contact us so our team can help you create a personalized preconception plan based on your symptoms, history, and fertility goals.
Where to go from here
Understand it, compare it with what you're feeling, then talk it through with us.
Step 1 · Understand
Understand the condition
Step 3 · Speak with Us
Ready to Start Your Fertility Journey?
Our specialists can help optimize your health and manage symptoms like pelvic pain or heavy bleeding before conception. Let us guide you through preparing your body for pregnancy with personalized care and support.
Questions people ask next
All fertility questionsWhat diet changes may support fertility with endometriosis?
A Mediterranean-style diet emphasizing plants, fiber and healthy fats may support fertility with endometriosis. There is no proven endometriosis fertility diet, but research points to overall diet quality, including cutting back on ultra-processed foods.
Can supplements improve fertility or IVF outcomes in endometriosis?
Supplements may be a helpful adjunct for some patients, but evidence that they improve fertility or IVF outcomes in endometriosis is mixed and not definitive. Timing and dosing can matter, and some fertility protocols pause certain antioxidants during stimulation.
What treatments help pelvic pain when trying to conceive?
Pelvic floor physical therapy and other non-hormonal pain strategies can help manage pelvic pain while trying to conceive, with medications tailored to your cycle and symptoms. If endometriosis is causing pain, excision surgery can be an option in selected cases.
How long to try conceiving before infertility evaluation?
If you suspect or know you have endometriosis, we generally recommend a fertility evaluation after about 6 months of trying naturally. We suggest evaluation sooner if you’re over 35, have severe symptoms, or have been told you may have ovarian cysts or tubal involvement.
Further reading
Trying to Conceive With Endometriosis Without Making Symptoms Explode
Discover how to navigate pregnancy with endometriosis while managing symptoms. Explore safe options and recent research on fertility and treatment.
Making a Fertility Plan: Working with Your Endometriosis Care Team
Learn how to create a patient-centered fertility plan with your endometriosis care team, addressing symptoms, treatment, and desired timelines.
Endometriosis Diet: What Research Really Supports (and What It Doesn’t)
Learn what truly supports endometriosis symptom relief and improving your reproductive health, backed by reliable research and new evidence.
