Fertility Facts Not Fictions

Below are some points regarding common misconceptions that surround fertility issues:

A woman can not get pregnant during her period.
During her period of menstruation a woman will not get pregnant because her hormone levels are too low to initiate ovulation. However, having intercourse during her period could result in pregnancy. Remember that sperm can live inside a woman for up to five days and she may ovulate earlier than usual.

Adopting a child can help your own fertility.
Whilst adopting a child might take some of the pressure / stress that some couples feel under to be seen as a family, it will inevitably create other pressures and stresses. There is no statistical correlation between adoption and conception capability.

Coital position matters.
The position adopted during sexual intercourse does not affect the ability of sperm to reach the ovum. Neither does the length of time spent by the woman reclining post-coitally affect the chances of fertilization occurring. Providing sperm are ejaculated into the neck of the uterus they will begin their journey towards the ovum.

Getting pregnant is easy.
Well for some it is, but for many it isn't. If you’re finding conceiving a child to be difficult don’t allow insensitive comments from others to put you under stress.

Male potency is increased if he abstains from having sexual intercourse
Male potency is not improved by a period of sexual abstinence prior to a couple seeking to conceive a baby. The male body produces millions of new sperm every day which, if not ejaculated, then accumulate in the man’s epididymis. This could lead to old and inferior quality sperm actually acting as a barrier to newer sperm seeking the woman’s ovum.

Male virility equals fertility
Just because a man is sexually virile does not mean that he is fertile. Being virile is no guarantee of having fertile sperm. A man could have a relatively low sex drive and yet be far more fertile than a man with a very high libido.

A woman must have an orgasm to get pregnant
A woman's orgasm does not trigger the release of an ovum. Her eggs are released at a pre-ordained time by the gradual release of estrogen, not a sudden surge! Also, just in case you’ve been told this one as well, a woman does not have to have an orgasm in order to become pregnant.

Regular sex increases the chance of conception
Is not entirely untrue. However, it is more a question of timing than regularity. Generally the best chance of conception occurring is during the woman’s 11th to 17th days of her menstrual cycle. However, it should be noted that the ovum once released can only survive for twelve to twenty four hours! Please also read the item on sperm mortality.

Second and subsequent babies are easier to conceive.
Is simply not true. Whilst having had one child would indicate that a couple was fertile, unfortunately it is no guarantee of future fertility.

Sperm mortality is rapid.
The idea that if a sperm doesn’t fertilize an ovum within minutes of an ejaculation it will die, is quite simply wrong. If the woman has good fertile cervical fluids the sperm can live for up to five days in her reproductive system. This is important to remember if a woman is not sure when her ovulation time is!

Stress can cause infertility.
Whilst stress can certainly contribute to difficulties in conceiving it will not, in itself, prevent conception. Stress is known to impact on a woman’s menstrual cycle and could therefore disrupt the timing of her ovulation, which could in turn create difficulties in getting pregnant.