How to prepare for pregnancy: a practical preconception checklist

Seven meaningful ways to nourish your body, understand your biology and prepare for parenthood with intention.

When Ingrid and I began preparing for pregnancy, something unexpected happened. Making dedicated time for our preconception journey actually made us feel less stressed about it, not more.

Instead of rushing towards a positive pregnancy test, we began to appreciate this unique chapter in our lives. It became a fertile space in between — a time to slow down, reassess our habits, learn to love and understand our bodies, and nurture our relationship.

We discovered that preparing for pregnancy could be genuinely enjoyable. There was so much to explore, from the fascinating biology of reproduction to the everyday choices that influence how we feel.

And perhaps most importantly, we began to see preconception not as a waiting period, but as an opportunity for personal growth and connection.

Conscious preparation isn't about achieving perfect health or controlling the outcome. It's about approaching this new chapter with curiosity, knowledge and intention.

Here are seven areas we found particularly meaningful, along with practical ways to begin your own journey.

1. Understand your preconception window

Did you know that sperm development takes approximately two to three months?

In women, eggs are present from before birth, but the follicles surrounding them go through several months of development before ovulation.

This means the months leading up to conception are an interesting window for both partners to pay attention to their health.

Nutrition, metabolic health, smoking and certain environmental exposures can influence aspects of reproductive health, although no lifestyle change can guarantee conception.

Something to explore: Consider giving yourselves a dedicated three-month preparation window. Not as a deadline, but as an invitation to become more intentional.

What would you love to improve during this time? Your energy, sleep, nutrition, relationship or perhaps simply the way you feel in your body?

Choose a few priorities that genuinely excite you.

2. Nourish your body at a cellular level

Food is one of life's great pleasures, and we believe preparing for pregnancy should deepen that enjoyment rather than turn eating into a list of restrictions.

What's fascinating is how specific nutrients support the biological processes involved in reproduction and early development.

Choline, found abundantly in egg yolks, supports cell function and early brain development. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA from oily fish, are important for the developing nervous system. Zinc contributes to normal reproductive function, while folate is essential for DNA synthesis and cell division.

For those planning to become pregnant, the standard recommendation is 400 micrograms (µg) of folic acid daily before conception and through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects. Individual circumstances may require different medical guidance.

Rather than focusing on individual nutrients, we love approaching nutrition through diversity, seasonal ingredients and nutrient-dense whole foods.

Something to try: Add something nourishing to your usual meals. Eggs for breakfast, sardines with lunch, more colourful vegetables or a handful of nuts and berries.

Think abundance rather than restriction.

Explore our five preconception nutrition principles.

3. Become curious about your metabolic health

Blood sugar regulation might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about fertility, but it's an interesting part of the picture.

Insulin helps our cells use glucose for energy. When cells become less responsive to insulin, reproductive hormone signalling can also be affected, particularly in conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

This doesn't mean ordinary blood sugar fluctuations are harmful, or that everyone needs to monitor glucose.

Instead, it's an invitation to notice how food and movement influence your energy and well-being.

Something to try: Enjoy a breakfast containing protein, fats and fibre, or take a gentle walk after a meal. Notice how your energy and hunger feel throughout the day.

Learn more about blood sugar and fertility.

4. Learn to understand your body's rhythms

Our bodies follow fascinating natural rhythms, from the daily cycles regulating sleep and alertness to the hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle.

For women, learning to observe cervical mucus and basal body temperature can provide valuable information about the fertile window and whether ovulation has likely occurred.

It's a beautiful way to develop body awareness beyond simply following predictions from an app.

And for both partners, sleep deserves attention. Consistent, restorative sleep supports metabolic health, emotional well-being and numerous biological processes.

Something to explore: Start observing your natural rhythms. When do you feel most energetic? What helps you sleep deeply? If you menstruate, what changes do you notice throughout your cycle?

Approach these observations with curiosity, rather than turning them into another performance target.

Explore our guide to understanding your fertile window.

For recording your observations, you can explore the Read Your Body app and Tempdrop, an optional wearable temperature tool. The Tempdrop link is an affiliate link; we may receive a reward if you purchase through it. Neither tool replaces individual professional guidance.

5. Make space for rest and nervous-system regulation

One of the most valuable things we learned during our own preparation was that slowing down can be just as meaningful as adopting new healthy habits.

Our nervous system constantly responds to the demands of daily life. Stress is a normal and necessary part of being human, but making time for recovery supports our overall well-being.

This doesn't mean stress automatically prevents pregnancy. Fertility is far more complex than that, and nobody should feel responsible for an outcome because they've experienced a difficult period.

What matters is learning to recognise what helps us feel grounded, rested and connected.

Something to try: Create a small daily ritual that allows you to slow down. Five minutes of gentle breathing, a walk in nature, an evening without screens or a quiet conversation with your partner.

Ask yourself: What genuinely nourishes me beyond food?

6. Make more intentional choices about your environment

We encounter countless substances through our everyday environment, from household products to food packaging and the air around us.

Some chemicals can interfere with normal hormone signalling, and certain exposures are an area of concern in reproductive health research.

But conscious living doesn't mean chasing an impossible toxin-free existence.

We prefer simple, achievable changes over fear or expensive lifestyle overhauls.

Something to try: Choose one manageable change in your home. Avoid heating food in plastic containers unsuitable for that purpose, improve ventilation when cooking or cleaning, or reduce exposure to tobacco smoke.

Small, considered choices are a more sustainable starting point than trying to change everything at once.

7. Prepare for parenthood together

This is particularly close to our hearts.

Preconception is so often presented as a woman's responsibility, yet the male partner's biology, health and lifestyle deserve equal consideration.

Sperm contribute half of the embryo's nuclear genetic material, and sperm health can be influenced by several lifestyle and medical factors.

But preparing together is about so much more than biology.

For us, it also became an opportunity to nurture our relationship, talk about our hopes and expectations, and reflect on the kind of family life we wanted to create.

Something to explore together: Set aside an evening for a conversation without distractions.

What excites you about becoming parents? What uncertainties do you carry? How would you like to support one another? What values do you hope to bring into your family?

Sometimes the most meaningful preparation happens through conversations we wouldn't otherwise have made time for.

Preparation is an opportunity, not a guarantee

The journey towards parenthood holds many unknowns.

We can support our health, understand our biology and make conscious choices, but we cannot control every outcome.

Practical medical preparation still matters. If you have an existing health condition, take medication or have questions about supplements or screening, arrange a preconception conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Never stop prescribed medication without medical advice.

Beyond those essentials, we believe preparation should be an enriching experience rather than another source of pressure.

Looking back, what we treasure most about our own preconception journey isn't a particular habit or checklist we completed. It's the space we created to care for ourselves and each other, and the things we learned along the way.

Preparing for a new life can also be an opportunity to fall more deeply in love with the one you're already living.

It's this philosophy that inspired us to create the Storka Preconception Wellness Programme: a science-backed, holistic journey through the biology, lifestyle and emotional dimensions of preparing for pregnancy, with expert-led learning and practical exercises to explore at your own pace.