Busting 27 Fertility Myths
Myth 1: I WILL GET PREGNANT AS SOON AS WE STOP USING BIRTH CONTROL
You just stopped using your birth control and your period started immediately coming month after month. This, however, is not a guarantee that you will get pregnant right away. For the majority of couples, getting pregnant doesn’t happen the first month they try to conceive. Studies show that healthy couples only have a 1 in 4 chance of conceiving in any given cycle. Still, our little trick can make this happen.
Myth 2: I NEVER USED A HORMONAL BIRTH CONTROL METHOD. WE SHOULD GET PREGNANT AS SOON AS WE START TRYING
All right, your hormones weren’t under influence from the pill. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you will conceive easier than a woman who has used contraceptives. Your fertility can be influenced by factors other than birth control, and can be problematic for no apparent reason.
Myth 3: BOTH OF US ARE VERY HEALTHY. NO WAY THAT WE CAN HAVE ANY INFERTILITY PROBLEMS!
Sadly, feeling healthy doesn’t mean you are immunized against infertility. Although you both may feel in a great shape, this is no 100% indicator of your fertility. Many men and women have fertility problems without showing any outward signs. On the other hand, being unhealthy can be a risk factor for infertility.
Myth 4. I HAVE A REGULAR PERIOD, SO I SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM TO CONCEIVE
Getting your period around the same day every month indicates that you're ovulating regularly, but it doesn't ensure that the eggs are good quality, explain doctors. Many factors determine your fertility, including the health of your reproductive system. "Your fallopian tubes could be blocked, and you'll still get regular monthly periods," says Dr. Leondires. Again, that means not just eating right and exercising but keeping your sexual health in top form.
A visit to your ob-gyn yearly for a Pap smear, STD screening, and cervical exam would not harm but just the opposite All of those will show potentially existing irregularities and infections so you can get treated for them before they affect your fertility.
Myth 5: IF WE DON’T CONCEIVE IN THE FIRST MONTHS OF TRYING, THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG
Calm down. According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, a couple isn’t considered infertile until they have been trying to conceive for 1 year. That’s a long time to keep trying without worrying, and 80% of healthy couples will conceive by this time. Of course, to speed up the process and make it more fun, just get your Conceive Plus and leave the rest to the nature!
Myth 6: IF WE HAVE SEX EVERY DAY, WE WILL GET PREGNANT QUICKER
We all like having a lot of fun but sex everyday won’t speed up the process of conceiving. Conceive Plus on the other hand will increase your chances. It is important to realize that you only need to make love during a few crucial days of each month. These are your ovulation days, and unfortunately, you could have sex 29 days out for a 30-day cycle and still miss ovulation. Timing, not repetitiveness, is important. We, however, believe that fun as well is crucial in every step of the way.
Myth 7: AS LONG AS I AM YOUNGER THAN 35, I WILL HAVE NO FERTILITY PROBLEMS
At birth, a woman has 7 million eggs, which slims down to 400,000 at the onset of puberty. During a woman's lifetime, approximately 400 to 500 eggs will be released. As a woman ages, the ovarian reserve declines. A woman's egg supply takes a rapid decline in the late 20s, again in the 30s and then most notably after age 35.
In others words, fertility changes throughout a woman’s life and doesn’t suddenly decline when she turns 35. Rather, many women reach their fertile peak in their early twenties, says Dr. Shari Brasner, author of Advice From a Pregnant Obstetrician: An Inside Guide. This is an age when most women aren’t even considering having children yet, says Dr. Brasner.
But just because you’re not thinking about children doesn’t mean your biological clock isn’t ticking. Knowing and understanding this from early adulthood can prevent a lot of heartbreak later on and give you realistic expectations about your chances of conceiving. Still! While it is true that a woman’s fertility dramatically decreases once she is older than age 35, women in their 20s can also have fertility problems.
Myth 8: I WILL GET PREGNANT IF WE HAVE SEX 14 DAYS AFTER MY PERIOD
This is one of the biggest misconceptions. Unless you have a perfect, consistent, 28-day cycle you’re not always most fertile on day 14. While the typical menstrual cycle is 28 days, not every woman is typical. In fact, many women have a 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 day 14, or day 12, or day 20. While counting helps, tracking your fertility signs and patterns will help you determine better when your ovulation period is. Try tracking your basal body temperature, watching for changes in your cervical fluid, or testing your saliva or urine for the presence of chemicals indicating ovulation is near.
Myth 9: WE DON’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT SEXUALLY TO CONCEIVE
Well, you don’t have to change the basics of sex. But you should make some quick updates in your choice of lubricant for one.
Replace your standard SASMAR Personal Lubricant with Conceive Plus. Our fertility lubricant has a special formula stimulating for the best conditions for natural conceiving.
Myth 10: FERTILITY PROBLEMS ARE VERY RARE
According to the Arizona Center for Fertility Studies, 1 of 6 couples has trouble getting pregnant.
Infertility is often a painful issue that many couples won’t bring up, and because many suffer in silence, you may not have realized that many couples you talk to may have had (or are still having) problems conceiving.
Myth 11: I HAD AN ABORTION AND THIS WILL AFFECT MY ABILITY TO GET PREGNANT
An abortion affects fertility only if you had a complication during or after the procedure. An infection, for example, can leave scar tissue on the uterus that could then interfere with egg implantation.
Myth 12: I'VE ALREADY CONCEIVED ONCE WITH A HEALTHY BABY, GETTING PREGNANT AGAIN WILL BE EASY
"This is one of the biggest misconceptions my patients have," says Dr. Morris. "You're older the second time, and your reproductive system changes over the years," he says. Not only women but also men should consider the effect of ageing: researchers found out that a man’s sperm quality also declines with age.
A study of about 2,000 couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) found that pregnancy attempts were 70% more likely to fail if the man was 40 or older. So if you do plan on having more children, don't wait forever. If you're approaching age 35 - or you're older - consider getting started on baby number two sooner rather than later and add Conceive Plus in your fun formula to get your good news quicker.
Myth 13: I HAD A MISCARRIAGE BEFORE, THIS WILL MAKE IT HARDER TO CONCEIVE
Miscarriage, which occurs in 20% of all pregnancies, doesn't affect a woman's ability to get pregnant, says Dr. Lerner, author of Miscarriage: Why It Happens and How Best to Reduce Your Risks.
In fact, experts say that in many cases, you can start trying to conceive again as soon as one month after the miscarriage. If you have three miscarriages in a row, however, it may be a sign of an underlying medical problem and your doctor should make thorough examinations to determine if something's wrong.
Myth 14: I NEED TO ORGASM IN ORDER TO CONCEIVE
We all love orgasming. It most certainly is an amazing bonus, but when it comes to conceiving, it’s not actually a must.
What it does aid in doing is contracting the uterus - which definitely helps sperm travel toward the fallopian tubes faster. But even if this doesn’t happen, your baby-making efforts won’t be for naught.
Myth 15: LIFTING MY LEGS IN THE AIR FOR 20 MINUTES AFTER HAVING SEX WILL HELP ME GETTING PREGNANT
It certainly sounds like a good idea in theory - the logic being that this will tip your pelvis and help your partner’s little swimmers get a direct route to your eggs. In practice however it is not necessary to torture yourself. Sperm are chemically programmed to travel directly to your baby-maker following ejaculation, regardless of what position you’re in. (Yes, those mighty sperm defy gravity.)
Skeptical? Consider this: Each time your guy ejaculates, he lets out about 2 to 3 cubic centimeters of ejaculation, with about 20 to 80 million sperm in each cc - in other words, if a little leaks out after you’ve had sex, there’s plenty more where that came from.
Myth 16: DRINKING ALCOHOL WILL HARM YOUR FERTILITY
This one is actually rooted in some truth. You definitely shouldn’t feel guilty about having a glass or two of wine or even an occasional couple of beers while trying to conceive. However binge drinking or drinking to excess could put your body through the ringer and affect your fertility.
Reason? Drinking too much and too often can lead to irregular cycles, cutting down your chances of conceiving each month even further, and making it nearly impossible to chart or temp accurately. Just keep any drinking on the light side and you should be fine.
Myth 17: DOING IT MISSIONARY STYLE IS THE ONLY WAY TO CONCEIVE
Good news: Just because you’re trying to conceive doesn’t mean sex can’t be fun. The truth is, at the end of the day, the actual position you do it in doesn’t matter much - as long as there’s deep penetration going on and, of course, your man ejaculates, it’s all the same. Let your fantasy run wild. Do it in every room of the house, make up new positions - whatever floats your boat.
You two will be at it a lot these days anyway, so there will be plenty of chances to run the gamut when it comes to trying out new positions and bringing back old favorites. Just remember: Whatever you do, don’t use your regular lube but switch to the fertility friendly Conceive Plus!
Myth 18: BIKE RIDING WILL REDUCE MY HUSBAND’S SPERM COUNT
If your partner is an Olympic-level, long-distance pro cyclist, it is theoretically possible (although not clinically proven) that the extra heat, jostling, and grinding on the testicular region will affect sperm count.
If you’re biking to work and back or for otherwise put just for fun - you don’t have any reason to worry.
Myth 19: EATING NON-ORGANIC BANANAS CAN MAKE MY HUSBAND STERILE
This claim is based on a report that chemicals used in growing bananas had a negative effect on the sperm of farm workers. There is no clinical proof that men who eat the bananas could be similarly affected.
Myth 20: COOLING MY MAN’S “JETS” WITH AN ICE PACK WILL INCREASE HIS FERTILITY
Like many conception myths, this one has a basis in fact: Sperm counts tend to rise in cooler temperatures. For this reason, men who are trying to conceive are advised to wear loose underwear (boxers instead of briefs), and avoid long, hot baths, saunas, and hot tubs. However, since it takes at least two months for a man's sperm count to be positively affected by cooler temperatures, using an ice pack on his genital area is hardly a practical solution.
Myth 21: INFERTILITY IS MORE OFTEN 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. Real stats: 40% of infertility problems are attributed to men. Another 40% is attributed to women, and about 20% of infertility problems can be attributed to both parties.
Myth 22: I CAN’T GET PREGNANT DURING MY PERIOD
Since ovulation time varies in women, it is possible to get pregnant during your period. Although unlikely, says Dr. Singh, some women ovulate as early as the 7th 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.
Myth 23: I SMOKE, BUT I DON’T HAVE TO GIVE IT UP UNTIL I’M PREGNANT
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine estimates that up to 13% of female infertility diagnoses are due to smoking. Believe it or not, smoking as few as five cigarettes a day each has been associated with lower fertility rates in both men and women. So sorry about that, but now you have one more good reason to stop the bad habit.
Myth 24: LOSING WEIGHT WON’T HELP US GETTING PREGNANT EASIER
Extra weight comes with extra problems for both sexes. When carrying extra weight, hormonal shifts occur in the body that can affect ovulation and semen production. The great news is that sports can be not only a good couple exercise but also a fertility boost.
Although it is estimated that 70% of women with infertility are also obese, losing as little as 5% to 10% of body weight can boost fertility in men and women.
Myth 25: ONLY WOMEN NEED TO TAKE SUPPLEMENTS BEFORE A PREGNANCY
It has long been known that women should take folic acid to prevent certain birth defects, but folic acid is now known to be an important supplement in male fertility.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that men had a higher rate of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm when their diet was low in folic acid. Coenzyme Q10 has also been found to increase sperm count and sperm motility, and vitamin E also improves low sperm count.
Myth 26. I CAN DRINK AS MUCH COFFEE AS I WANT
Believe it or not, your favorite latte might be playing tricks on you. A study found that "women who consumed more than the equivalent of one cup of coffee per day were half as likely to become pregnant, per cycle, as women who drank less."
Caffeine can decrease fertility, so be sure to limit intake. It's better to opt for decaffeinated or half-caffeinated coffee, and remember there is caffeine in tea, colas and chocolate.
Myth 27: CONCEPTION OCCURS IN THE UTERUS
Conception actually occurs in the outer third of the fallopian tubes, and not in the uterus, as many people think. The reason for this is that an egg can only live 12-24 hours, so by the time 24 hours have passed, the egg has only traveled as far as the outer third of the tubes.
Implantation on the other hand, does occur in the uterus.