Top Ways to Regulate Blood Sugar When Trying to Conceive

ByRiddhi Roy
Updated: 28 Apr 2025, 11:00 am

Keeping your blood sugar balanced can make it easier for your body to ovulate regularly, regulate hormones, and support a healthier path to conception. By focusing on everyday habits, you can create a more stable internal environment that supports conception naturally, especially if managing conditions like PCOS.

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Blood sugar balance is often overlooked when you're trying to conceive. Most focus goes to ovulation and hormone levels, but unstable glucose can quietly affect fertility, even if you don’t have diabetes. It can throw off hormone balance and interfere with reproductive functions at several stages.
In this article:

Keeping your blood sugar steady isn’t just about cutting sweets; it also supports hormonal stability, which can improve your chances of conceiving. Small changes in what you eat, how you move, and your daily routine can really make a difference.

Blood Sugar: An Overview

Blood sugar, also known as blood glucose, refers to the sugar level in your bloodstream. Carbohydrates from your meals break down into glucose, which your body uses as a primary source of energy throughout the day.When blood sugar rises or drops too quickly, it can disrupt hormonal balance. These fluctuations affect insulin, along with reproductive hormones like oestrogen and testosterone, both of which are essential for fertility.Poor blood sugar control can interfere with conception in several ways:
  • It can disrupt ovulation and delay menstrual cycles.
  • It increases overall inflammation in the body, affecting the reproductive system.
  • It worsens hormonal conditions like PCOS, where androgens are already elevated.
  • It gradually reduces egg quality and may affect embryo development.

What is considered normal blood sugar?

For women who are not diabetic:
  • Fasting blood sugar: 70–99 mg/dL (3.9–5.5 mmol/L)
  • After eating (2 hours ): The blood sugar level should be lower than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) during the 2 hours after consuming food.
Working toward maintaining stable blood sugar levels during the entire day will prevent chronic conditions while simultaneously increasing your natural conception opportunities.

Why blood sugar regulation matters before pregnancy

Your ability to regulate blood sugar derives directly from your reproductive methods. The slight hormonal imbalances will disrupt essential signals between ovulation and implantation. The hormones insulin, oestrogen, and luteinising hormone encounter disrupted functioning when your blood sugar levels become either too high or too low throughout the day because they play essential roles in fertility.Poor blood sugar control may:
  • Disrupt your ovulation, leading to irregular or missed periods, which makes it harder for you to track your fertility window.
  • Affects the quality of your eggs, reducing your chances of successful fertilisation.
  • Increase inflammation in your uterus, making it more difficult for a fertilised egg to implant and grow.
  • Raise the likelihood of pregnancy complications, such as miscarriage and gestational diabetes.
Stable blood sugar levels generate favourable hormone conditions for healthy ovulation and regular menstrual cycles and boost the likelihood of conception. All expectant parents should tweak their lifestyle towards reproductive health maintenance since pregnancy planning has begun.

Key Lifestyle Tips to Regulate Blood Sugar While TTC (Trying to Conceive)

You don’t need a complicated routine to manage blood sugar. What matters most is staying consistent, maintaining balance, and paying attention to how your body responds. Even small, steady changes in your eating habits, daily movement, and sleep can support healthier insulin levels and improve your chances of conception.

  • Prioritise low-glycaemic, high-fibre foods

Food with low GI values causes slow digestion, which stops sudden increases in blood sugar levels. The combination of whole grains, including brown rice or oats, with vegetables, along with legumes, will help stabilise your energy levels and decrease inflammation.

  • Add balanced meals

Combining all three macronutrients helps slow down digestion and keeps your blood sugar steady. Pair lentils with lightly cooked leafy vegetables, or enjoy dal with roti and a few avocado slices for a filling, balanced meal. Balanced meals like these help curb cravings and prevent sudden energy dips.

  • Limit processed sugars and refined carbohydrates

Eating items like white bread, sweet drinks, or packaged treats causes your blood sugar to spike fast. Over time, this can wear down how well your body handles sugar. Choose simpler alternatives such as fruits, soaked almonds, or homemade snacks with minimal ingredients.

  • Stay consistent with your meals and avoid long gaps

Going too long without food can cause your blood sugar levels to drop and then spike suddenly when you finally eat. To prevent this, aim to eat small, balanced meals every 3–4 hours. This helps maintain steady energy levels and reduces the urge to overeat.

  • Make movement a daily habit

You don’t need intense workouts to stay healthy. A 20 to 30-minute walk after meals can improve how your body uses insulin. Even light yoga or stretching supports better glucose absorption in your muscles, helping to keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day.

  • Don’t skip breakfast and make it protein-rich

Eating a breakfast high in protein helps delay the development of blood sugar peaks throughout the day. A morning start can be built with whole-grain toast and boiled eggs alongside curd served with seeds and fruits.

  • Stay hydrated and get adequate sleep

Even mild dehydration can raise blood sugar. Aim for 6–8 glasses of water daily. Inadequate sleep also affects insulin regulation, so getting 7–9 hours of rest is just as important as what you eat.

  • Manage stress to protect blood sugar

Continual stress elevates cortisol levels to the point where glucose management becomes compromised in the body. The practice of deep breathing and meditation, along with relaxation walks, helps reduce cortisol levels to maintain hormone equilibrium.

  • Support gut health for better insulin sensitivity

Your stomach serves as a fundamental part of the blood sugar management system in your body. The gut flora can benefit from the addition of fermented foods such as yoghurt and kefir, along with homemade pickles. A healthy bacterial environment supports important functions of insulin signalling while also decreasing inflammation.

  • Limit caffeine and alcohol

Excess caffeine or alcohol can disrupt how your body manages sugar, making blood sugar harder to stabilise. Consume caffeine only in moderate amounts, limited to two cups per day. Water is a good option, while soft drinks and sugary cocktails should be avoided.

  • Track your blood sugar if needed

A glucometer should be considered by individuals who have PCOS or insulin resistance. Tracking your blood sugar before and after meals can help you understand which foods keep your levels steady and support your fertility goals.

Supplements and Nutrients that Support Blood Sugar Balance

Lifestyle changes form the core of healthy blood sugar management, but certain nutrients can provide additional support, especially when you're preparing for pregnancy. If you're considering supplements, it's best to first check with a healthcare expert to ensure they’re safe and right for your specific needs.
  • Inositol (particularly Myo-inositol): Studies show that inositol, especially Myo-inositol, helps make the body more receptive to insulin and maintains healthy ovarian function in PCOS patients.
  • Magnesium: Helps regulate insulin action. Medical research indicates weak magnesium levels tend to worsen the control functionality of glucose.
  • Chromium: The intake of chromium might benefit glucose metabolism and lead to lower sugar cravings in the body.
  • Vitamin D: It supports how your body handles insulin and plays a crucial role in keeping reproductive hormones in check.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3s found in nuts and seeds may help reduce inflammation and support hormonal balance.
You need a basic prenatal vitamin before consulting your healthcare expert about other supplements that suit your requirements. Avoid self-supplementing without guidance.

Special Notes for Women With PCOS or Prediabetes

Women with PCOS or pre-diabetic patients must closely monitor blood sugar because these health conditions increase susceptibility to insulin resistance. Keeping blood sugar stable helps regulate ovulation while controlling menstruation and enabling a well-rounded pregnancy.

Tips for PCOS or Prediabetes Management

  • Opt for slow-releasing carbs such as oats, brown rice, or sweet potatoes to help steady your energy and support blood sugar balance, keeping the portion size in control.
  • Increase your vegetable intake
  • Add soluble fibre using chia seeds, flaxseeds, or psyllium husk.
  • Avoid sweetened drinks, which can cause sharp sugar spikes.
Stable food consumption and proper rest, along with stress control, work together to achieve positive results. You should seek specialised medical care from a professional when your menstrual cycle keeps being irregular.

When To Speak to a Healthcare Expert

At times, even with a healthy lifestyle, your body may still need a little extra support. Consulting healthcare experts early can help detect any hidden issues in time.

  • If your sugar levels don’t improve even after consistent lifestyle changes

You should consult with a healthcare expert regarding your high fasting and post-meal sugar readings that persist despite following diet and exercise changes. Blood tests, together with assessments of insulin sensitivity and possible recommendations to metabolic specialists, might be required for your case.

  • If cycles are still irregular or ovulation doesn’t return

Consult a healthcare expert if your periods stay irregular, together with signs of anovulation (failure to ovulate). Your medical condition may result from PCOS, thyroid problems, or unrelated medical issues that require medical attention.

  • To plan safe, supervised interventions or tests

Your healthcare expert will establish a correct treatment plan, including blood sugar screening tests in addition to nutrition counselling and prescription therapy. If you’re managing PCOS or insulin resistance, medical support helps tailor your treatment safely.Regulating blood sugar doesn’t need rigid rules. Building steady habits that work with your body is more effective. Your chances of achieving a healthy pregnancy will increase with the combination of maintaining balanced nutrition, along with consistent exercise, stress management, and quality sleep.Making basic and steady modifications over time produces a significant transformation. Whenever progress seems frustrating or puzzling to the individual, a healthcare expert can provide clear information and increased confidence. Getting the right treatment can help your body restore regular cycles and prepare for a healthy pregnancy.

FAQs on Regulating Blood Sugar When Trying to Conceive

  1. Why is blood sugar control important when trying to get pregnant?Stable blood sugar supports healthy ovulation, hormone balance, and egg quality—all of which are essential for conception and early pregnancy.
  2. Can high blood sugar prevent ovulation?Yes, the condition of insulin resistance and uncontrolled blood sugar causes problems with ovulation.
Disclaimer: Medically approved by Dr Varun Suryadevara, Endocrinologist, MBBS, M.D, Internal Medicine, DM Endocrinology, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore