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
