Intermountain Health Explains Trimester Zero and How to Prepare for a Healthy Pregnancy
Sep 20, 2026
Trimester Zero: A time for women to improve health, diet, and physical fitness to prepare for the time when they want to have a baby.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT (PRUnderground) September 20th, 2026
Social media influencers are talking about "trimester zero" or the time before pregnancy when women are working to improve their health, diet, and physical fitness to prepare for the time when they want to have a baby. But some of that content can be overwhelming, inaccurate or over-complicate how to prepare for a healthy pregnancy.
According to OB-GYNs and midwives at Intermountain Health, the most important part of pregnancy planning is for a woman to schedule a check-up with a trusted provider if she's planning to get pregnant in the next 12 months.
A pre-pregnancy checkup can help women find out if they have any risk factors for pregnancy complications such as diabetes or high blood pressure, so they can learn about what they can do to improve their chances for a healthy pregnancy. There are tests and screenings that can be done before pregnancy to help women know if they're at risk for these or other complications.
And for women who know they have high blood pressure, diabetes, a heart condition, or other chronic health conditions like lupus, it's especially important to see their women's health provider before they get pregnant. Knowing their family health history can help their provider identify any medical conditions that may run in the family.
But, people can't always plan ahead for pregnancy.
"I tell my patients, almost 41% of pregnancies are a surprise. It's never too late to get information and start making lifestyle changes to improve your own health and create positive changes for both you and the surprise baby!" said Amelia Parrett, MD, an OB-GYN at Intermountain Health based in the Salt Lake City area.
Women's health providers and the March of Dimes recommend that if a woman is planning a subsequent pregnancy, waiting until their child is 18 months old before trying to get pregnant again helps their body fully recover following pregnancy, and may reduce their risk for premature birth.
Women who are overweight or underweight prior to pregnancy may be more likely to have health problems during pregnancy. It's recommended they talk to their provider about the right weight for them to work toward before becoming pregnant and how much weight to safely gain during pregnancy. Their provider may check their body mass index or BMI. Knowing their BMI can help their provider calculate the right amount of weight for they to gain during pregnancy.
"Pregnancy can be a great motivation to learn how to change or adjust their lifestyle habits to increase their chances for a healthy, normal delivery, said Dr. Parrett.
"I help my patients know how to eat more nutritiously and eat in the right portions during pregnancy. And when moms eat healthier, they can form new habits and also influence their partner and other family members to do the same," she added.
"Exercise is like the cherry on top. If you haven't been exercising, before you became pregnant, start by walking 7,000 to 10,000 steps each day. Find a type of exercise you like and talk with your doctor about what is safe during pregnancy. Body weight resistance training is especially beneficial," said Dr. Parrett.
One of the most common pregnancy complications is diabetes
According to maternal fetal medicine specialists, one of the most common pregnancy complications is diabetes. Diabetes in the U.S. is increasing and having diabetes before getting pregnant or developing diabetes during pregnancy can cause complications for mom or baby. But diabetes can be managed to help moms reduce their risk of complications during pregnancy.
According to a recent report from the National Institutes of Health, one in nine women in the U.S. has diabetes. And six percent of women who gave birth developed gestational diabetes during their pregnancy.
When moms have diabetes, it can lead to a higher risk of complications, such as high blood pressure or preeclampsia, preterm birth, cesarean delivery or other delivery complications since their babies are more likely to have a larger than normal birthweight.
A mom's diabetes puts babies at risk too. When moms have diabetes, their babies are at increased risk for preterm birth, birth defects, stillbirths, respiratory distress, jaundice, birth injuries, and low blood sugar. Babies born preterm may need to spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit or may develop diabetes later in life.
If moms see their doctor or midwife early -- ideally before they become pregnant - their provider can help ensure their diabetes is well-managed before they become pregnant.
And if moms start their prenatal visits early in their pregnancy and keep all their prenatal appointments, they can increase their chance of a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby and reduce the risk of complications.
Women with diabetes can benefit from seeing a maternal fetal medicine specialist (an obstetrician who is trained to manage high-risk pregnancies) for some or all of their prenatal visits.
Some women who have never had diabetes before may develop diabetes during pregnancy or what's called gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes has no symptoms, so it's important to complete a glucose screening test, which doctors or midwives generally recommend for all pregnant patients between 24-28 weeks. Women who have gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
For more information about diabetes and pregnancy or gestational diabetes or to schedule an appointment at the Pregnancy Preparation, Prevention and Risk Evaluation (PREPARE) clinic in maternal fetal medicine at the PREPARE Clinic at Intermountain Medical Center call 801-507-7400 or visit intermountainhealthcare.org
Press Contact
Name: Holly Nelson Phone: 801-442-3217 Email: Contact UsOriginal Press Release.
China table tennis stars describe Asian Games cruise ship living as a ‘unique’ experience
Just one day before the official opening of the Asian Games, chaotic accommodation arrangements have surfaced on the cruise ship hosting athletes in Nagoya, with Chinese table tennis stars including Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin describing living on board as a “unique” experience. On Thursday, the Chinese table tennis team held their first practice session in Nagoya following a rocky arrival that significantly compressed their training and rest schedule. The team also had to quickly adapt to...
China emerges as key growth market for ICC in bid to expand cricket worldwide
China is emerging as a key target for growth as the International Cricket Council seeks new fans worldwide, its chief executive says. While South Asia accounts for about 90 per cent of cricket’s billion-plus fans, the ICC is seeking to expand the sport’s fan base by 500 million and sees China’s 1.4 billion people as a potentially huge audience – helped by the steady progress of its women’s team. “The continued success of their women’s team has provided a major boost to cricket in the country,”...
Fok fudges but Hong Kong football chiefs appear ready to make Gianni Infantino their man
The local football association has planted its flag in the camp of Gianni Infantino, the embattled Fifa president who is expected in Hong Kong for the final of the second-tier Asean Cup on October 3. At a media event to announce details for the coming competition on Friday, Eric Fok Kai-shan fudged the direct question over whether Infantino retained his organisation’s backing. But the chairman of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA) said that “whoever supports Hong Kong football...
Hyrox Beijing athlete apologises to China, competitors after soiling herself
Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has issued a public apology after soiling herself during Hyrox Beijing, admitting she should have stepped off the track while announcing her retroactive withdrawal from the race and forfeiture of her points. The 24-year-old elite athlete completed Saturday’s race covered in faeces after organisers failed to intervene, leaving more than 1,000 subsequent participants to compete on the contaminated track and shared equipment. Wietrzyk previously posted “a win is a...
Chinese star Zheng Qinwen gets massive show of sponsor support as she surges up rankings
Zheng Qinwen’s sponsors have proved even more excited than her long-awaiting fans, kicking off a new round of commercial campaigns to capitalise on her 69-spot surge to world No 52 after her comeback run at the US Open. Following her amazing comeback victories at the year’s final grand slam event in New York, where she lost only to eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals, her sponsors posted celebratory campaigns, competing to highlight their early faith in her resilience. Among...
City tennis chief ‘quietly confident’ Alexandra Eala will play at Hong Kong Open
The city’s tennis chief is “quietly confident” that Filipino superstar Alexandra Eala, and fellow main attractions Paula Badosa and Diana Shanider, will show up for the 2026 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open in November. In the past two years, Michael Cheng Ming-git has seen Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu both withdraw with injuries on the eve of the WTA 250 tournament. But the president of the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association said the “issue about no-shows has got nothing to do with the...
Hong Kong’s Cheung Ka-long ready to rise to challenge overcome by Djokovic, Guardiola
A big believer that elite sporting performance is entirely dictated by an athlete’s brain, Greg Koenig is busy convincing Cheung Ka-long that the Asian Games remain an important date in his calendar. Hong Kong’s first fencing superstar, Cheung has been there and done it over the past five years. He brilliantly won a pair of Olympic golds, first as an unfancied underdog, then as the foil king his rivals all wanted to dethrone, either side of becoming Asian Games champion in 2023. Of Cheung’s...
AFC Champions League 2: Hong Kong champions Kitchee survive red card to make point
Kitchee survived playing the final 25 minutes with 10 men, after a debatable red card for captain Ruslan Mingazov, to draw 0-0 with Gangwon FC on Thursday night in their opening AFC Champions League 2 match. Although a point against the strongest team in the group represented a sound return, it could have been even better for the Hong Kong club on their return to Asian competition after three years away. Mingazov and Victor Camarasa, the former Cardiff City midfielder, were both inches wide with...
Asian Games: China athletes stuck at Nagoya airport with no food, way out for 7 hours
Athletes from multiple countries arriving in Japan for the 20th Asian Games were stranded at Nagoya airport because of a technical glitch, leaving some Chinese team members stuck for seven hours without food. According to state media, the plane carrying the country’s delegation from Beijing landed on schedule at around 12.15pm, with buses already waiting at Chubu Centrair International Airport to take them to their accommodation. However, athletes and officials soon found themselves trapped at...
Hong Kong give Yang, Sham honour of carrying city’s flag at Asian Games opening ceremony
The 20th Asian Games officially get under way in Japan on Saturday, and the honour of leading the Hong Kong delegation into the opening ceremony has been handed to Ivan Yang and Lydia Sham. At a welcome event on Thursday, Wong Po-kee, the chef de mission for Hong Kong’s more than 800-strong delegation, said the pair would be the city’s flag bearers for the event at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. Officials and some of the city’s athletes attended a flag-raising at Nagoya Port...
Hyrox Beijing athletes get full refund, new hygiene rule will allow competitors to be axed
Hyrox China has given full refunds to competitors affected by last weekend’s incident in Beijing, while the global governing body has updated its rule book to allow race directors to remove athletes if they pose a risk to the hygiene of the event. The commercial fitness competition has faced intense public backlash since elite Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk suffered incontinence during the solo women’s event but was allowed to carry on and win. Her mid-race left track surfaces and shared...
Chinese runner becomes first athlete to complete 330km Tor des Géants in under 66 hours
Chinese runner Zhao Jiaju became the first athlete to complete the 330km Tor des Géants in under 66 hours on Wednesday, breaking the course record to claim victory in Italy using a “fragmented sleep” strategy. Wearing bib No 1, he crossed the finish line in Courmayeur at 9.55am with a winning time of 65 hours, 55 minutes and 22 seconds, making history as the first Asian competitor to win the event. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most gruelling ultra-trail races, the flagship event offers...
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.