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ORIGINAL: sharonjef2007

...I'm REALLY looking forward to the physical intimacy. However, as many of you know, I'm not at all thrilled about the idea of pregnancy and childbirth. Yet, I know that when people have sex, pregnancy can occur.

So, while we are NOT going to be trying to get pregnant and will be using condoms for BC, I also want my body to be prepared just in case we do end up with a "whoops." What can I do to help prepare my body? Take vitamins? Nutrition? Exercise? What kind of exercise?

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ORIGINAL: sharonjef2007

LOL..naw, I'm not a partier at all. Maybe a couple of glasses of wine or a beer a month. And that is a heavy month! No smoking or anything like that. I do take a fair share of allergy meds seasonally as well as advil due to endo and fibriod issues.

So, a multi-vitamin that has folic acid should be good? How much is recommended?

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retinoic acid

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Retinoic acid is teratogenic in humans at very low doses. The critical exposure time is between 3-5 weeks of pregnancy, often before the woman knows she is pregnant. Exposure to retinoic acid during pregnancy may result in malformations of the fetus: craniofacial alterations, cleft palate, neural tube defects, cardiovascular malformations, thymic aplasia, psychological impairments, absent or defective ears, small jaw, kidney alterations. Fifty percent of affected children have an IQ below 85 (average intelligence being an IQ of 110-100).


Retinoic acid is the active ingredient in Accutane¨, a drug used to treat severe acne. Since its introduction in September of 1982, an estimated 160,000 women of child bearing age have ingested the drug. Between 1982 and 1987, approximately 900-1300 malformed children, 700-1000 spontaneous abortions and 5000-7000 elective abortions are due to Accutane¨ exposure. Exposed children may have hydrocephaly, ear malformations, cardiovascular defects and decreased IQ. Accutane carries a pregnancy category X warning, meaning it is a known human teratogen.

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Role in embryology

Retinoic acid via the retinoic acid receptor influences the process of cell differentiation, hence, the growth and development of embryos. During development there is a concentration gradient of retinoic acid along the anterior-posterior (head-tail) axis. Cells in the embryo respond differently to retinoic acid depending on the amount present. For example, in vertebrates the hindbrain transiently forms eight rhombomers and each rhombomere has a specific pattern of genes being expressed. If retinoic acid is not present the last four rhombomeres do not develop. Instead rhombomeres 1-4 grow to cover the same amount of space as all eight would normally occupy. Retinoic acid has its effects by turning on a differential pattern of Hox genes which encode different homeodomain transcription factors which in turn can turn on cell type specific genes. Deletion of the Hox-1 gene from rhombomere 4 makes the neurons growing in that region behave like neurons from rhombomere 2. The retina is also patterned by retinoic acid, with a concentration gradient that is high on the ventral side of the retina and low on the dorsal side.

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ORIGINAL: HisCovenant

Eat a variety of whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean meats, fruits and veggies, preferring green veggies and berries in the fruit and veggie department because they are packed with the most nutrients and lowest sugar. And Exercise regularly with intensity. These things will keep you from having to spend money on suppliments, have your body at it's best for the baby, make you into a great role model for your child (health-wise, I mean,) and give you a better quality of life (energy and health) to deal with motherhood. Any exercise is good, although you should be doing some weight bearing exercise for both lower and upper body. It can include bearing your own weight (as in running or doing push ups.)

Secondly, check out any perscriptions you are taking. Some are known to be harmful to women conceiving or nursing, although most are not known to be.

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ORIGINAL: nicole6598
If you have a good healthy diet you shouldn't need anything else. although you could ask for bloods to be taken to see if you are low in any area of which you could eat more food or if you can't do that take supplements for that specific thing.