Couples must prepare up to two years before becoming parents

Couples who want to be parents need to adjust their life - style until two years before they start trying for a child have warned an expert.

The three months usually recommended are not sufficient if couples start out with weight or unwholesome lifestyles, says biologist Grace Dugdale.

Rather, wives and husbands should try to sit on a healthy weight long before considering the start of a family. They should consider reducing alcohol and starting multivitamins before a woman becomes pregnant.

That is because it can take a full year for many to lose weight in a reasonable way or adapt to a healthy diet that contains nutrients that are thought to increase fertility. Then it may take several months for those changes to begin and touch a woman's eggs, since men see the results in their spermoids about three months after making changes.

Standard councils are to allow three months before conception to use folic acid and live healthyly, but this does not give people enough time to make necessary changes. Basics such as controlling vitamin D can make big changes. If people allowed themselves time to follow a healthy diet and achieve a healthy weight earlier, it would really make a difference” said Dugdale.

Studies suggest that up to one in 10 men can improve their fertility by making changes in their life - style, such as exercising three times a week, or controlling food and alcohol.