Improving your chances in Pregnancy

[Thebazile78]

We are about 10 months out from starting to try to get pregnant. I am already taking a good multivitamin and we're both trying to exercise and eat better, which will go a long way towards ensuring a healthy pregnancy, delivery and post-partum period.

Because of all the food-related scares that have been in the news in the last year or so, I've started to think more critically about my overall health and, in particular, any toxins I have absorbed over the 30 years I've spent on this planet.

Is having your blood tested for heavy metals (i.e. - lead, mercury, etc.) overkill as part of a general "get into shape before trying to have a baby" health kick? What factors would make it a good practice? What factors would make it overkill? Can you clear your system of the heavy metals and how long does it take?

This came up between my husband and I when we were listening to one of your shows, and he's curious as to whether or not there's anything HE needs to do in order to give our baby a good start? (He already knows to start losing weight, but was concerned that maybe he should focus on other parts of his lifestyle.)

Thanks in advance!

[Dr Steve]

We are about 10 months out from starting to try to get pregnant. I am already taking a good multivitamin and we're both trying to exercise and eat better, which will go a long way towards ensuring a healthy pregnancy, delivery and post-partum period.



This is all very good...you not only have to be healthy during pregnancy, but both of you need to stay healthy until that kid is out of the house at 18! I like what you're doing. Folic acid supplementation really reduces the risk of midline spinal problems, so taking the prenatal vitamins now is a perfectly fine idea.



Because of all the food-related scares that have been in the news in the last year or so, I've started to think more critically about my overall health and, in particular, any toxins I have absorbed over the 30 years I've spent on this planet.



I know, it's scary, isn't it? When I was a kid, the DDT truck would come through my neighborhood spraying pesticide out it's back for mosquitoes. All the kids in the neighborhood would run through the cloud spewing out the back of this truck. It smelled like oil, and every molecule of that crap that we inhaled is still in our systems. Nice.




Is having your blood tested for heavy metals (i.e. - lead, mercury, etc.) overkill as part of a general "get into shape before trying to have a baby" health kick? What factors would make it a good practice? What factors would make it overkill? Can you clear your system of the heavy metals and how long does it take?


If you think you've been exposed to heavy metals in toxic amounts, then it's certainly ok to get your blood levels checked. And most health care providers wouldn't say "no" to getting a blood level or two in an anxious pregnant person. The odds that you have a heavy metal in your blood stream that would be toxic to your baby are vanishingly low. If you did have something, a process called "chelation therapy" can be used to clear the stuff from the bloodstream. This would be so unusual in the general population to be newsworthy to be honest.

here's a study about nickel exposure in factory workers:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18365800?ordinalpos=12&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

I did a search of the literature on "heavy metals AND pregnancy" and really didn't come up with much.



This came up between my husband and I when we were listening to one of your shows, and he's curious as to whether or not there's anything HE needs to do in order to give our baby a good start? (He already knows to start losing weight, but was concerned that maybe he should focus on other parts of his lifestyle.)

Thanks in advance!

he needs to keep his testicles cool by not wearing too-tight underwear or pants. cool testicles (3 degrees below body temp) = lots of lovely, virile sperm.

He needs to avoid the following drugs that can lower sperm count:

Ketoconazole (an anti-fungal)
Sulfasalazine (for inflammatory bowel disease)
Spironolactone (an anti-hypertensive)
Calcium Channel Blockers (anti- hypertensives)
Allopurinol, Colchicine (for gout)
Antibiotics: Nitrofuran, Erythromycin, Gentamicin
Methotrexate (cancer, psoriasis, arthritis)
Cimetidine (for ulcers or reflux)

and he should stop smoking marijuana (if he does) for the same reason.

He needs to avoid tobacco and make sure he gets a checkup for high blood pressure and high cholesterol as well as all the other things we screen for to help him live a long time and take care of these kids you're going to have. :-)

I hope this helps! I've probably missed a few things. I have to get up in 6 hours so I'm outta here for the night.


your friend,



steve

[patsopinion]

personally i wouldnt put anything out of the ball park as far as overkill

anything that the two of you can do to improve the health of your baby isn't out of the realm of reality

[Dr Steve]

personally i wouldnt put anything out of the ball park as far as overkill

anything that the two of you can do to improve the health of your baby isn't out of the realm of reality

Oh, and on that note, quit drinking, too. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is usually associated with heavy drinking in pregnancy, but no one really knows what the threshold is. You may be able to get away with it, but the better part of valor is to leave it alone until after the baby is born.

Anyway, good luck!

Let us know where you're registered!


your friend,



steve

[sailor]

depending on the level of folic acid your doctor recommends (i've heard everything from 400-1000mcg), you can easily get that from children's chewable vitamins if you aren't fond of swallowing pills.

[Devo37]

you may want to call in Mr. B to assist. he'll get the job done, although he'll probably pull out the first 10 or 20 times.

[Thebazile78]

.... Folic acid supplementation really reduces the risk of midline spinal problems, so taking the prenatal vitamins now is a perfectly fine idea.

I already discused that with my gyno and that's part of the reason why I started on the good multi with the extra folate. Turns your pee bright yellow, but that's only because (1) it's a "B" vitamin and (2) my body evidently isn't using it at the moment, so it's being flushed.

I love the excretal system, don't you?

I know, it's scary, isn't it? When I was a kid, the DDT truck would come through my neighborhood spraying pesticide out it's back for mosquitoes. All the kids in the neighborhood would run through the cloud spewing out the back of this truck. It smelled like oil, and every molecule of that crap that we inhaled is still in our systems. Nice.

It's terrifying.

Especially since my mom's youngest sibling is developmentally disabled. (Since they are very religious, there's no way they're going to get any testing to see if it's genetic or environmental. And, quite frankly, it doesn't matter to me until I think about the extra prenatal tests I may have to face because of it.)

If you think you've been exposed to heavy metals in toxic amounts, then it's certainly ok to get your blood levels checked. And most health care providers wouldn't say "no" to getting a blood level or two in an anxious pregnant person. The odds that you have a heavy metal in your blood stream that would be toxic to your baby are vanishingly low. If you did have something, a process called "chelation therapy" can be used to clear the stuff from the bloodstream. This would be so unusual in the general population to be newsworthy to be honest.
....

I'm only concerned because the house I grew up in (as well as several of my college dorms) were built long before the lead paint ban took effect in 1978.

I have no way to know whether the paint in our house was removed before I started teething (I have some strong memories of my younger brothers teething on the windowsills at our old house, so this is a concern that I may have done it too) and I don't know what kind of "renovation" my grandparents' house may have undergone over the years - besides their kitchen update 8 years ago.

The big thing in the dorms was the replacing of asbestos in the older dorms, which may mean that they fixed the paint thing before I got to college. (Of course, it's a state school, so maybe they didn't. Budget cuts suck.)

I think I started to get concerned because I am a big fish-eater ... and some of my favorites (which I shouldn't have had when I had them) are swordfish (which is a big "pregnant women and women of reproductive age and children" no-no) and shark (again, a "no-no") although I haven't had shark since I was a kid, and haven't had swordfish in about 7 years .... and, of course, mussels and tuna.

I don't have them frequently, so I think I am OK on the mercury-in-your-seafood thing, especially after the latest overhyped mercury scare-story. (I also asked my gyno whether I should put myself on a tuna-ban, seeing as how I love me some spicy tuna rolls, but she said that she doesn't believe in banning things before you're actually preggers. Although she did say that if it made me feel better, I could ban whatever I wanted.)

What about wine with sulfites in it? (Charles Shaw, a.k.a. "Two Buck Chuck," has sulfites in it.) I know that sulfites bother some people (like my stepfather) but I don't know much about them other than that sensitivity. Do they build up in your system?

he needs to keep his testicles cool by not wearing too-tight underwear or pants. cool testicles (3 degrees below body temp) = lots of lovely, virile sperm.

.....

He needs to avoid tobacco and make sure he gets a checkup for high blood pressure and high cholesterol as well as all the other things we screen for to help him live a long time and take care of these kids you're going to have. :-)

I hope this helps! I've probably missed a few things. I have to get up in 6 hours so I'm outta here for the night.

I've been trying to get him to get a checkup for the b.p. and cholesterol. He's reluctant to go because he's overweight. Losing weight will help lower his b.p. (assuming it's high) and it won't kill us to re-examine our eating habits to reduce the dietary cholesterol.

Neither of us smoke (or *smoke* as the case may be) so that's good.

What about caffeine? Some couples I've known have cut back on their caffeine intake when they're trying to get pregnant. Does that affect sperm count or is it based on outdated information?

Oh, and on that note, quit drinking, too. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is usually associated with heavy drinking in pregnancy, but no one really knows what the threshold is. You may be able to get away with it, but the better part of valor is to leave it alone until after the baby is born.

Anyway, good luck!

Let us know where you're registered!

We're no longer into the party thing.

Besides, I can't have more than one or two beers without getting really sleepy. Even in college, I had a lower threshold/tolerance for more than a couple of drinks. (I used to limit myself to "X" number of drinks total at parties so I would be able to get myself home safely. Usually I topped out at 3 drinks over the course of an entire party. Any more than that and I was in trouble.)

depending on the level of folic acid your doctor recommends (i've heard everything from 400-1000mcg), you can easily get that from children's chewable vitamins if you aren't fond of swallowing pills.

Good to know. Although the chewables' flavors leave much to be desired.

I'm better at swallowing pills than I am at taking chewables. (Hell, I'm one of those crazy people that actually takes their prescriptions at the exact same time every single day. Oh, and I finish my antibiotics if I'm ever prescribed one. I hate antibiotics.)

[Dr Steve]

I already discused that with my gyno and that's part of the reason why I started on the good multi with the extra folate. Turns your pee bright yellow, but that's only because (1) it's a "B" vitamin and (2) my body evidently isn't using it at the moment, so it's being flushed.

I love the excretal system, don't you?

yes, it's lovely :-)




Especially since my mom's youngest sibling is developmentally disabled. (Since they are very religious, there's no way they're going to get any testing to see if it's genetic or environmental. And, quite frankly, it doesn't matter to me until I think about the extra prenatal tests I may have to face because of it.)


well, I know a lot of very religious people who have no problem with genetic testing so the other members of their family can be forewarned if there's something running in the family. you might still talk to them about that; their pastor can counsel them as to whether it's truly "against their religion", as it may not be. That's a very complex and personal issue, though, no doubt.



I'm only concerned because the house I grew up in (as well as several of my college dorms) were built long before the lead paint ban took effect in 1978.

I have no way to know whether the paint in our house was removed before I started teething (I have some strong memories of my younger brothers teething on the windowsills at our old house, so this is a concern that I may have done it too) and I don't know what kind of "renovation" my grandparents' house may have undergone over the years - besides their kitchen update 8 years ago.

The big thing in the dorms was the replacing of asbestos in the older dorms, which may mean that they fixed the paint thing before I got to college. (Of course, it's a state school, so maybe they didn't. Budget cuts suck.)


given that history, a serum lead assay isn't a bad idea, for your own sake. Worth a look!


I think I started to get concerned because I am a big fish-eater ... and some of my favorites (which I shouldn't have had when I had them) are swordfish (which is a big "pregnant women and women of reproductive age and children" no-no) and shark (again, a "no-no") although I haven't had shark since I was a kid, and haven't had swordfish in about 7 years .... and, of course, mussels and tuna.


Ha, I'd read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" before I'd eat Mussels, anyway. My understanding is that the ban on raw fish when you're pregnant has more to do with parasites than Mercury levels. However, tossing a Mercury level in while they're doing lead will set your mind at ease. Sometimes that's a good enough reason to do a lab test.




I don't have them frequently, so I think I am OK on the mercury-in-your-seafood thing, especially after the latest overhyped mercury scare-story. (I also asked my gyno whether I should put myself on a tuna-ban, seeing as how I love me some spicy tuna rolls, but she said that she doesn't believe in banning things before you're actually preggers. Although she did say that if it made me feel better, I could ban whatever I wanted.)


yes! ban anything you like except healthy food, fresh air, and exercise!


What about wine with sulfites in it? (Charles Shaw, a.k.a. "Two Buck Chuck," has sulfites in it.) I know that sulfites bother some people (like my stepfather) but I don't know much about them other than that sensitivity. Do they build up in your system?


no, in fact they break down right in the wine bottle if left alone long enough. Sodium and Potassium Metabisulfites are used in wine to stop fermentation. Some wine experts feel that sulfites actually enhance the flavor of some wines. TO MY KNOWLEGE there is no risk to these, other than in people who are allergic to them. I'll see if I can dig anything up on them further. I've been making wine for almost decades now (I started when I was 12 with my dad who couldn't follow directions as well as I could...I'm flerfty flerf years old).






What about caffeine? Some couples I've known have cut back on their caffeine intake when they're trying to get pregnant. Does that affect sperm count or is it based on outdated information?


This guy speaks authoritatively, but doesn't reference any of his assertions:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_7_33/ai_107637368

The main point being "everything in moderation"; I can't find a GOOD study that speaks either way on this one. Again, if I do, I'll let you know. The male reproductive system is amazingly resilient. Part of it has to do with the fact that men have nearly infinite supply of sperm that they can just throw away or use at will...and they only need one good one to do the job.



I'm better at swallowing pills than I am at taking chewables. (Hell, I'm one of those crazy people that actually takes their prescriptions at the exact same time every single day. Oh, and I finish my antibiotics if I'm ever prescribed one. I hate antibiotics.)


we used to prescribe Flintsone Chewables for those who couldn't stomach the regular prenatal vitamins. I don't deliver babies anymore so I'm not sure if people are still recommending these. We'd prescribe two chewables per day, and recommended (for some reason...not all medicine is evidence-based) that people put them in the freezer and chew them cold; supposedly less gagging that way.

good luck! keep us in the loop!

[Sue_Bender]

It's my experience that anal intercourse DOES NOT result in healthy babies.



You're welcome.

[Tenbatsuzen]

Devo and Sue -

I know you guys are trying to be funny, but people who make jokes at other's expense about medical issues may prevent other people from seeking out information in this forum.

[Sue_Bender]

Devo and Sue -

I know you guys are trying to be funny, but people who make jokes at other's expense about medical issues may prevent other people from seeking out information in this forum.

QFT!!

[Midkiff]

When we were first trying unsuccessfully, the doctor told me to switch from briefs to boxers for about six months, and that should help.

No joke, exactly six months later, BOOM! Pregnant. Now my boy is six years old.

I never went back to briefs!

[Jujubees2]

When we were first trying unsuccessfully, the doctor told me to switch from briefs to boxers for about six months, and that should help.

No joke, exactly six months later, BOOM! Pregnant. Now my boy is six years old.

I never went back to briefs!

Wow, then I must have some really strong sperm. I've worn briefs all my life (my boys need a home) and rode a bike regularly for a couple of years before marriage (those bike pants are tight!) and was able to impregnate my wife twice without really trying!

[moochcassidy]

is this the forum where you have to be serious?

[Dr Steve]

is this the forum where you have to be serious?

Is there such a forum on rf.net?

I'm definitely cool with hilarity. Health Care providers can be a little stuffy; although we're trying to give good medical info, I want to do it in such a way that people who wouldn't normally read or seek out this kind of information will feel comfortable with it.

Oh, which reminds me, I need to post a notice about the new "Weird Medicine Addendum" podcast, thanks Mooch!

by the way, you are greatly missed in the USA my friend.

[Dr Steve]

When we were first trying unsuccessfully, the doctor told me to switch from briefs to boxers for about six months, and that should help.

No joke, exactly six months later, BOOM! Pregnant. Now my boy is six years old.

I never went back to briefs!

It really helps some people, at least in theory. The whole thing with ballz hanging (rather than being inside the body) is that for some reason unknown to modern science, the whole male testicle-->sperm machinery works better if the boyz are 3 degrees lower in temperature than the rest of the body. The more hang, the farther they are from the core body temperature, the better they work. Therefore boxers > briefs in this case.

Congrats on your six year old! Only 9 years until he rebels and thinks you don't know anything. :-)


your pal,


steve

[Thebazile78]

....

well, I know a lot of very religious people who have no problem with genetic testing so the other members of their family can be forewarned if there's something running in the family. you might still talk to them about that; their pastor can counsel them as to whether it's truly "against their religion", as it may not be. That's a very complex and personal issue, though, no doubt.

This is the same side of the family where my godmother has infertility problems and they felt it was "God's will" that she didn't do anything about it, despite the fact that she desperately wanted to have children.

And the side where one of my aunts didn't vaccinate her 5 children, either for (allegedly) religious reasons or the thimerosal/autism hype (boy, am I setting myself up for a shitstorm about that one ... there's no empirical proof in a wide enough study to conclusively prove causality, but I don't blame parents for trying to find something, anything to explain why their child is "broken") or what, and they also control my cousin's ADHD through diet (which has some promise ... they recently did a study in Scandinavia that explored a causal relationship between preservatives & other additives in food and exhibition of symptoms of autism-spectrum disorders) ... so, yeah, it's not that it's against their religion, it's just against their interpretation of what it means to be a person of faith.

I'd like to know if my husband and I are carriers so I know what my odds are, so there's no harm in testing for that on my own.

... given that history, a serum lead assay isn't a bad idea, for your own sake. Worth a look!

I'll bring it up with my gyno at my next appointment.

... Ha, I'd read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" before I'd eat Mussels, anyway. My understanding is that the ban on raw fish when you're pregnant has more to do with parasites than Mercury levels. However, tossing a Mercury level in while they're doing lead will set your mind at ease. Sometimes that's a good enough reason to do a lab test.

Reading Jane Brody columns tend to give me ideas for questions to ask my doctors. Of course, my last appointment with my regular gyno was right around the mercury "scare" so I'd asked specifically about mercury then, especially since I was also looking to lose weight and fish is an ideal protien in most cases. (I still am, by the way, but I figure it's more sensible to overhaul the lifestyle so it's ingrained by the time we're expecting .... so the extra calories I'm consuming will come from fruits and veggies rather than cheeseburgers.)

Heck, I'm one of the fortunate few who enjoys salmon ... wild-caught only, thank you very much. (Fish farming is about as gross as reading about mussels. Probably more so. Have you heard what's happening to farmed salmon in Chile? Ewww.)

Thanks so much for all the advice, Dr. Steve. Based on your answers, I've got a good list of questions to take to my next gyno appointment so that I can hash them out with her and make the best decisions I can based on her recommendations.

[Piuki]

we used to prescribe Flintsone Chewables for those who couldn't stomach the regular prenatal vitamins. I don't deliver babies anymore so I'm not sure if people are still recommending these. We'd prescribe two chewables per day, and recommended (for some reason...not all medicine is evidence-based) that people put them in the freezer and chew them cold; supposedly less gagging that way.


I used these when I was preggers with BabyBandit b/c the prescription prenates made my nausea so much worse. I didn't take them frozen, though.

[Dr Steve]

[QUOTE=Thebazile78;1784290](Fish farming is about as gross as reading about mussels. Probably more so. Have you heard what's happening to farmed salmon in Chile? Ewww.)QUOTE]

no! I'm sure I could google it, but I'm lazy and I bet the answer is pretty interesting. Now, in my ignorance, I would have thought that fish farming was a good thing. Illuminate me! :-)

[Sue_Bender]

is this the forum where you have to be serious?



YES!



...wow, the fact that you have to ask...

[Jujubees2]

YES!



...wow, the fact that you have to ask...

Sue, I'm taking a stab in the dark here.

Did your mother smoke and drink when she was pregnant with you?

[Sue_Bender]

Sue, I'm taking a stab in the dark here.

Did your mother smoke and drink when she was pregnant with you?




Obviously.



She also performed trampoline stunts for the neighborhood children.

[Jujubees2]

Sue, I'm taking a stab in the dark here.

Did your mother smoke and drink when she was pregnant with you?

Obviously.



She also performed trampoline stunts for the neighborhood children.


Wow, Mothers Day must be a real special time for you.

[Sue_Bender]

Wow, Mothers Day must be a real special time for you.

Indeed.



The specialist.

[Thebazile78]

(Fish farming is about as gross as reading about mussels. Probably more so. Have you heard what's happening to farmed salmon in Chile? Ewww.)

no! I'm sure I could google it, but I'm lazy and I bet the answer is pretty interesting. Now, in my ignorance, I would have thought that fish farming was a good thing. Illuminate me! :-)

It's kind of like what happens when any animal is smooshed together .... why mad cow and hoof-and-mouth disease spread in gross conditions, why salmonella happens to eggs, etc. ...

Anyway, farmed fish in Chile are dying of a "mysterious" virus. A lot of it has to do with the conditions in the fish-farms - gross, seriously. Farmed fish are also more prone to absorb environmental toxins, seeing as how fish farms are artificially created and maintained ... usually close to shore, so there's a higher concentration of pollutants.

Here are the results of a Google search using "farmed fish + chile" as the search term:

http://www.google.com/search?q=farmed+fish+%2B+chile&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Also, I've read that opting for wild-caught fish (especially fish like salmon) is supposed to increase the amounts of omega-3's (http://www.bk2health.com/newsletter/June_2008.pdf) that you get from eating it because the fish had a more varied diet and probably swam in colder waters than your average farmed fish.

[Dr Steve]

I've read that opting for wild-caught fish (especially fish like salmon) is supposed to increase the amounts of omega-3's[/URL] that you get from eating it because the fish had a more varied diet and probably swam in colder waters than your average farmed fish.


Interesting. Just goes to show that the thing that seems to make sense on the surface isn't always correct. I hadn't really thought of it much, but I figured fishing-->overfishing-->decreased fish population-->breakdown of all society. Whereas farming-->renewable-->utopia.

Poor li'l virus-y fish in their crappy tanks. Thanks for the heads-up.

[lleeder]

Guys please stop with the negative posts. Its bad for the baby that hasn't been conceived yet.

[Kris10]

I also heard non smoking helps.. not sure how true that is.