Thinking of trying for a baby? Beware the false promises of ‘trimester zero’

For as far as we’ve come in technological advancements to help people conceive, fertility is still – largely – something we cannot control.

Unless, that is, you believe what you might hear in one of the thousands of videos about trimester zero on social media.

Describing the three-to-six-month period of preparation before a couple starts trying for a baby, trimester zero has emerged as a popular – and profitable – concept among wellness and parenting influencers, some who claim that by following certain rules or protocols, you can prevent future fertility issues .

Coined by American sociologist Miranda R Waggoner in 2017 to describe the shift in emphasis on preconception care in public health approaches to women of childbearing age, she argued trimester zero creates undue pressure for women to be in a perpetual state of “pre-conception”.

Since then, the idea has been co-opted by the wellness industry, which pedals expensive and extensive guides, supplements and toxin-free products with the message that in buying and using them, you can prevent future fertility issues.

Often, the emphasis is on what women can do in this preconception period but, as Dr Jessica Dunleavy explains, men have just as big a part to play.

“Men’s preconception health has a huge impact on not only fertility, but the health of the pregnancy and the health of the offspring,” explains Dunleavy, a fellow in School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne, noting that male factors account for an estimated 50 per cent of infertility issues.

It’s true that if you’re preparing to try to conceive, starting three to six months out is a good idea.

The main things that will impact your fertility are age, weight and genetics. Most supplements, guides and strict advice pedalled by influencers about trimester zero are not backed by science and will not make a difference in your efforts to conceive.

But there are some things you can do to put yourself in the best position to try to fall pregnant.

In this time, you should stop drinking, smoking, vaping or doing drugs. Smoking has been proven to be detrimental to egg and sperm health. Alcohol consumption can be detrimental to sperm quality , lower testosterone production, and make it harder to achieve an erection.

For women, there is no established safe level of alcohol consumption, so experts recommend stop drinking altogether when you start trying , says Dr Vijay Roach, an obstetrician, gynaecologist and former president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

He notes that age is one of the biggest determining factors in a woman and man’s fertility and due to the rising average age of first parenthood, it’s more relevant than ever because the older you are, the more likely you are to have put on weight, develop high cholesterol or be at greater risk of diabetes in pregnancy or preeclampsia. “So getting older is not necessarily helpful for somebody who’s planning to be pregnant.”

Likewise, sperm quality is closely correlated with age. “Males produce sperm for their whole life, but sperm quality does decline with age,” Dunleavy says.