Pregnancy over 40 is very common in today's society. As you may be well aware many women are holding off getting pregnant until later in their reproductive years. It's a well known fact that the older a woman gets the less fertile she becomes. Just because you have reached the stage in your life where you want to have children and also find yourself over 40, does not mean you should give up your dream of having a baby.

Nutrition plays a big role in fertility and the weeks prior to conceiving and the early weeks of a pregnancy are much more crucial than anyone used to believe. A healthy pregnancy really begins before you conceive. By having a healthy lifestyle prior to conceiving will give you a much greater chance of bringing a healthy baby to full term. Some doctors advise would-be mothers to use the concept of a 12 month pregnancy, to portray the idea that pregnancy does indeed start before you get pregnant. A woman can do this by giving up smoking, no drinking, consulting your doctor before taking any unnecessary medications, keeping fit, avoid exposure to toxic chemicals and eating well.

A good way to ensure this happens is to think of yourself as pregnant even when you are trying to do so. This way you will look after yourself much better than you would if you weren't pregnant. Try it, it's a great motivating factor to eating healthy and staying fit. It also gives you great peace of mind as you are consciously responsible for your babies health as well as your own even before you become pregnant.

The purpose of this preconception planning is to help make your pregnancy be the best it can be. Preconception planning is particularly important if you are over 40 as not only will it prevent problems but it will also reduce your anxiety about how things will go during the upcoming pregnancy.