Asima Ahmad: Advice from a Fertility Doctor and Mom
Asima Ahmad, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Specialist at Reproductive Medicine Institute, shared on LinkedIn:
”Things I know as a fertility doctor. Things I’ve needed to remember as a mom.
After years of taking care of women trying to build their families-and raising four children of my own-these are a few things I wish more women heard:
1. Know your cycle. You don’t have to obsess over it.
You don’t need five apps, three wearables and a spreadsheet. But knowing when your periods start, how long your cycles typically are, and whether they’re fairly predictable can tell us a lot. A few months of information can be incredibly useful.
2. Trying to conceive does not require giving up everything you enjoy.
I see women eliminate coffee, gluten, dairy, travel, exercise-the list keeps growing-because they’re terrified one ‘wrong’ choice will hurt their fertility.
For most people, there is no evidence that you need to eliminate entire food groups just because you’re TTC unless there is a medical reason to do so. And yes, you can usually keep your coffee: moderate caffeine intake-generally under 200 mg/day-is considered acceptable during pregnancy.
Your fertility plan should be based on your body and your health-not a list of restrictions you found online.
3. Write down the questions. And ask every single one.
I’m a doctor. I have four kids. And I can still forget what I wanted to ask the second I’m sitting on the other side of an exam room.
Bring the list. Take notes. Ask why. Ask what the alternatives are. Ask what happens next.
4. Work on your health-but don’t wait for perfection.
Improving your health before pregnancy matters. Nutrition, movement, sleep, stress – working on your metabolic health, and managing underlying conditions can sometimes improve your chances of conceiving, reduce the amount of fertility treatment you may need, and help set the stage for a healthier pregnancy.
But there’s a difference between improving your health and waiting until everything is perfect.
Fertility is also time-sensitive, and age still matters. You don’t necessarily have to choose between working on your health and moving forward with your fertility goals. Often, we can do both at the same time.
The goal before pregnancy isn’t perfection. It’s putting you in the healthiest position possible without losing sight of your fertility timeline.
Maybe that’s the biggest thing being both a fertility doctor and a mom has taught me:
You can care deeply about getting it right without doing everything perfectly.
What’s one thing you gave up-or thought you had to do-when you started trying to conceive?”
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