What to avoid when trying to get pregnant is one of the most common—and most misunderstood—questions I hear from women in my practice. If you’re between 30 and 42, trying to conceive or struggling to stay pregnant, you may have been told that everything looks “normal,” or that stress doesn’t really matter.
Many of the women I work with have PCOS, endometriosis, recurrent pregnancy loss, or unexplained infertility, and are trying both natural and treatment cycles. They come to me because they’re looking for deeper answers—and because avoiding the wrong things can be just as important as doing the right ones.
In my clinical experience, fertility challenges are rarely caused by one isolated issue. They’re far more often the result of multiple systems being slightly out of balance at the same time.
So instead of another list of “do this, take that,” here’s what I believe matters more:
What to avoid when trying to get pregnant—especially if it hasn’t been easy.
1. What to Avoid When Trying to get Pregnant –> Skipping Comprehensive Testing
One of the most common mistakes I see is jumping straight into fertility treatment without first understanding what’s actually going on in the body.
Fertility does not exist in a vacuum. It is deeply affected by:
- Insulin resistance
- Micronutrient deficiencies
- Inflammation and immune activation
- Thyroid function
- Stress physiology (cortisol and circadian rhythm)
- Gut and vaginal microbiome health
When these are not evaluated, women are often told to proceed with treatment while underlying issues quietly reduce the body’s ability to conceive—or sustain a pregnancy.
Optimizing health before or alongside treatment often changes how the body responds.
2. Avoid Undereating (Even If You Think You’re Eating “Healthy”)
Undereating is incredibly common in women trying to conceive—especially those with PCOS, inflammation, or long fertility journeys…and it’s not on purpose!
I just don’t think we have ever been taught how much fuel our bodies actually need.
From the body’s perspective, inadequate fuel is stress. Chronic under-fueling can:
- Suppress ovulation
- Lower progesterone
- Disrupt thyroid signaling
- Worsen cortisol dysfunction
- Increase inflammation
Fertility requires safety signals. Adequate energy, protein, and carbohydrates are not optional—they are foundational.
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3. What to Avoid When Trying to get Pregnant –> Random Supplement Use
Taking “all the fertility supplements” is rarely helpful—and often counterproductive.
I frequently see women taking large stacks of supplements without:
- Clear lab-based indications
- Appropriate dosing
- Consideration for gut, liver, or hormonal impact
Targeted, strategic supplementation based on testing is far more effective than a scattershot approach—and much easier on the body.
4. Avoid Accepting “Normal” Labs at Face Value
This is one of the biggest issues I see in practice.
Normal does not always mean optimal for fertility.
Common examples include:
- TSH within lab range but too high for conception
- Thyroid antibodies never tested
- Low-normal B12, vitamin D, selenium, or iron dismissed
- Inflammation markers like hsCRP overlooked
- Insulin resistance missed because glucose or A1c look “okay”
If labs are repeatedly dismissed but symptoms persist, that deserves further investigation—not resignation.
5. What to Avoid When Trying to get Pregnant –> Ignoring the Vaginal Microbiome
Vaginal dysbiosis is one of the most overlooked contributors to fertility challenges, particularly in unexplained infertility and recurrent implantation failure.
Imbalances—especially high variability of species and elevated bacteria such as Gardnerella and Prevotella—can:
- Increase local and systemic inflammation
- Interfere with implantation
- Affect cervical mucus and sperm survival
- Impact pregnancy maintenance
This layer matters far more than most women are told.
6. Avoid When Trying to get Pregnant –> Overlooking Thyroid and Cortisol Health
A full thyroid panel is rarely ordered, yet thyroid health plays a critical role in ovulation, implantation, and pregnancy maintenance.
Cortisol is just as important—but not only when it’s high.
Many women struggling with fertility have low morning cortisol, often after years of chronic stress, inflammation, under-fueling, or repeated hormonal disruption. Low cortisol can impair progesterone production, immune balance, and overall reproductive resilience.
7. Avoid Normalizing Chronic Stress and Chaos
We live in a culture that celebrates busy, overstimulated lives—late nights, irregular meals, constant pressure. Add the emotional weight of infertility, and the body often stays stuck in survival mode.
Stress affects fertility through:
- Hormonal signaling
- Immune activation
- Inflammation
- Disrupted circadian rhythm
The goal isn’t eliminating stress—it’s restoring enough safety and consistency for the body to shift out of threat mode.
8. Avoid Underestimating Sleep and Environmental Exposures
Sleep is one of the most undervalued fertility tools.
Irregular sleep, light exposure at night, and insufficient deep sleep disrupt:
- Melatonin (important for egg quality)
- Cortisol rhythm
- Insulin sensitivity
- Immune regulation
At the same time, many women don’t realize how toxic modern environments can be—from gas appliances and household chemicals to pesticide exposure in food. These factors may not be dramatic on their own, but collectively they matter.
9. What to Avoid When Trying to get Pregnant –> Believing That Stress Doesn’t Affect Fertility
Stress absolutely impacts fertility—physiologically, not just emotionally.
It influences ovulation, progesterone, thyroid signaling, immune balance, and implantation. Dismissing it removes a critical piece of the fertility picture.
10. What to Avoid When Trying to get Pregnant –> Trying to Fix Everything at Once
More effort does not equal better results.
Fertility improves when strategies are:
- Prioritized
- Personalized
- Implemented in the right sequence
Doing everything at once often increases stress and backfires. Smarter, staged support works better.
A Clinical Example (Name Changed)
“Jess” came to me after struggling to conceive and feeling like she had exhausted her options.
Testing revealed:
- Vaginal dysbiosis with high variability of species and elevated Gardnerella and Prevotella
- Low luteal-phase progesterone
- Elevated TSH
- Very low morning cortisol
- Significant under-eating and poor macronutrient balance
We addressed each layer systematically—treating the vaginal microbiome, supporting progesterone production, lowering TSH to under 2, restoring morning cortisol to a healthy level, rebuilding nutrition, and implementing stress-support strategies.
Jess is now 14 weeks pregnant, after 2 prior losses!
P.s Book your FREE Fertility Clarity Call HERE and learn how a personalized plan can help you along your fertility journey.
The Bottom Line When it Comes to What to Avoid When Trying to Get Pregnant
If you’re trying to get pregnant—or stay pregnant—the answer is rarely to do more.
Often, it’s about stopping what’s quietly working against your body and addressing the systems that have been overlooked.
Fertility is not just about ovaries and embryos. It’s about the whole body being supported enough to say yes to pregnancy.
And when that foundation is addressed, outcomes often change.
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