Common Fertility Myths

Although women have been con­ceiving babies since the beginning of time, false presumptions and myths about fertility abound. What causes so many misconceptions about conception? Some are old wives' tales, others just hearsay or distorted science. They've either been around so long or they fit well enough into anecdotal experience that they aren't questioned as they should be. What it comes down to is that a lot of people have the wrong idea about humans' repro­ductive systems and how they work. We've compiled some of the most common fertility myths and paired them up with the facts to set the record straight.

MYTH-01:   FERTILITY PROBLEMS BEGIN AT 35

Facts show that fertility changes throughout a woman's life and does suddenly decline when she turns 35. Rather, many women reach their fer­tile peak in their early twenties. This is an age when most women aren't even considering having children yet. But just because you're not thinking about children doesn't mean your bio­logical clock isn't ticking.

MYTH-02:   INFERTILITY IS A FEMALE PROBLEM

For some reason, when a problem with fertility arises with a couple, the party responsible is often as­sumed to be the woman—yet this couldn't be further from the truth. 40 percent of infertility problems are attributed to men. Another 40 percent is attributed to women, and about 20 percent to both.

MYTH-03:   DAILY INTERCOURSE HELPS CONCEPTION

Although it may be fun, having inter course more frequently than normal will not necessarily increase a woman's chances of conception. Ev­idence shows that the potency of a man's sperm may not be depleted upon frequent intercourse, but having intercourse every other day at the time of ovulation (most often be­tween days 12 and 16 of a woman's cycle) is sufficient as sperm can sur­vive an average of two days.

MYTH-04:   THE PILL REDUCES FERTILITY

No evidence shows that the consis­tent use of birth control pills affects future fertility, because they remain in a woman's system for around 24 hours at a time. Birth control pills never make much of an impact on the body's ability to reproduce. If anything, using the pill or one of its hormonal counterparts such as the patch or the ring can actually help fertility in some women.

MYTH-05:   CONCEPTION OCCURS ONLY DURING INTERCOURSE

It can take up to several days from the moment of intercourse for con­ception to occur, say experts. This is where birth control measures such as the rhythm method go awry. Since sperm can live in a woman's repro­ductive tract for days, a woman could have sex a few days before ovulation and still get pregnant.

MYTH-06:   STRESS CAUSES INFERTILITY

While stress can delay ovulation by suppressing hormones, it holds no bearing over a couple's ability to procreate. The actual meeting of sperm and egg isn't affected by nor­mal stress at all. Of course, if stress is affecting a couple's ability to have intercourse, then that's an entirely different story.

MYTH-07:   CONCEPTION IS EASY AFTER BABY NUMBER

While it is slightly more likely y will be able to conceive another child after having one, there are guarantees. A first pregnancy can make the uterus unsuitable for conception. If you are close to the age of 40 ovarian reserves may have become limited. Secondary infertility, that is trouble conceiving a second or sub sequent child, is a very common phenomenon.

MYTH-08:   OVULATION OCCURS ON DAY 14

While the typical menstrual cycle is 28 days, not every woman is typical. In fact, many women have cycle that lasts from 21 days up to as many as 35 days. To calculate| your day of ovulation, count back­wards 14 days from the last day of your cycle. It very well could be J day 14, or day 12, or day 20.

MYTH-09:   YOU CAN'T GET PREGNANT DURING YOUR PERIOD

Since ovulation time varies in women, it is possible to get preg­nant during your period. Although unlikely some women ovulate as early as the seventh day or have an extended period of menstruation that lasts until ovulation. Likewise, since sperm can live in the cervical mucus for an average of two days! Anything is possible. We hope fertility is no longer such a fog of conflicting data points to you. It can seem complex to under-f stand what with monitoring you temperature, ovulation, and the like, but once you get past the false-l hoods, you'll have a clearer view of the path to conception.

Dr. Mrs. Neeraj Pahlajani

Obstetrician & IVF Specialist

(MS, DNB, FMAS, DRM - Germany)

Pahlajani Test Tube Baby Centre

(Mata Laxmi Nursing Home)

Anupam Nagar, Near T.V. Tower, Raipur (Chhattisgarh) India

Phone:  +91- 771- 4052967, +91- 771- 4053285

Mobile:  +91- 9300511044, +91- 9329630455

Email - contact@raipurivf.com, sameerp5000@hotmail.com

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