Healthy Habits: Avoiding a "Panic-demic"

Trying to get pregnant can be stressful enough. Add in the constant coverage of a pandemic and new fears of the virus spreading each day and you have the perfect recipe for anxiety overload. Dr. Dorette Noorhasan, the Medical Director and Co-Founder of CCRM Dallas-Fort Worth as well as a board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist and author of The Fertility Manual: Reproductive Options for Your Family, offers her professional advice on how women trying to get pregnant and families in general can avoid letting stress overwhelm their lives.  

Here are five things you can do to reduce stress while trying to get pregnant, are already pregnant, or are a human in general: 

1. Exercise: Exercise is a great way to burn off some steam and improve your health. Whatever level of exercise you were doing prior to conceiving, generally you can continue at that pace unless you have pregnancy complications. Do not start new exercises or more intensified activity when pregnant without consulting your physician. 

2. Sleep: Sleeping allows our body and our mind to rest. Sleep is necessary to be able to function during the non-sleeping hours. 

3. Eat a well-balanced diet: Eating a diet rich in anti-oxidants will improve the function of all of your cells. Anti-oxidants can combat free radicals. Free radicals are toxic to our cells. Food rich in anti-oxidants include blueberries, raspberries, and kale. You should also take a prenatal vitamin which will make up for any vitamins that you are not getting in your diet. Avoid trans fats, processed foods, and carbohydrates and increase your protein intake. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Try to limit your caffeine intake to the equivalent of one 8 oz cup of coffee per day. 

4. Meditation/Yoga/Acupuncture: Meditation, yoga, and acupuncture help your mind and body relax, which is very helpful to reduce stress. 

5. Massage: Massages are helpful to loosen tight muscles and hence improve relaxation and decrease stress. Head massages can help with tension headaches often related to stress. 

For more information about Dr. Noorhasan and her book, please visit noorhasan.com.