Myths And Misconceptions

Fertility or the lack of it has over the years, led to many myths and misconceptions. These often come from hearsay, old wives tales or poor advice.

Most often, these myths and misconceptions either cause a delay in getting appropriate treatment for infertility which mayn be corrected with timely diagnosis or can lead to other physical, psychological or social complications.

Some popular (and a few not so popular) myths are discussed below. For the reader's benefit, these are categorized by gender, with a few of them common to both sexes.

For Men

Bigger the guy, bigger the moon. The size and shape of the penis in no way contributes to or takes away the chances of getting your partner pregnant.

Virility = Fertility. This is not necessarily so. Infertility disorders could affect men with totally normal sex drives. Abnormal sperm, lifestyle factors and age can impact a man's fertility without affecting his virility.

Sperm count will be the same each time you check it. A man's sperm count can vary. Sperm numbers and motility can be affected by factors such as time gap between ejaculations, illness, and/or medications.

Excessive masturbation leads to Azoospermia (no sperm). Masturbation is a normal activity that most boys and men indulge in. It does not affect the sperm count. You cannot run out of sperm, because these are constantly being produced in the testes.

For Women

No known history of pelvic infections means no blocked tubes. Many pelvic infections have no symptoms at all, but can cause damage to the tubes. This damage can in cases be irreversible.

Infertility is caused by painful, long or irregular menstruation. The fact is painful periods do not affect fertility at all. For most women, timely, yet painful periods is a sign of healthy ovulatory cycles. A woman's menstruation cycle can often vary from month to month. As long as a woman can count on a period at regular intervals every month, this is normal. Some healthy women may even have cycles as far apart as 40 days. Longer cycles do mean that the women are fertile for lesser time in a year and hence need to be more cautious and aware of their cycle and fertility phases.

Sperm leaking out of the vagina after intercourse may be the reason why a woman isn't getting pregnant. Most women notice some amount of discharge post intercourse and this is quite normal. Many infertile couples often think that this outflow prevents fertilization taking place and may be the cause of their inability to conceive. If your partner has ejaculated inside you, then you can be certain that in spite of some of the seminal fluid leaking out, sufficient sperm are present in the cervical mucus and heading up the cervix to the fallopian tubes for up to 72 hours after intercourse. This debunks another popular myth, that pillows under the hips during and after intercourse prevents the seminal fluid from leaking out and therefore enhances fertility as raising the hips doesn’t really aid or inhibit fertilization.

A regular internal examination that says you’re fine means that you should have no problem getting pregnant. A routine internal examination only reveals any obvious problems that could lead to infertility. If after regular, unprotected sex over a prolonged period still does not result in pregnancy, you may need to undergo further tests to determine possible causes of infertility.

If a woman takes fertility medication, she'll have a multiple pregnancy. Although fertility drugs do increase the chances of having a multiple pregnancy (because they stimulate the ovaries to produce several eggs) the majority of women taking them give birth to a single baby.

For Both Sexes

Different blood group of both partners can cause infertility. There is no relation between blood groups and fertility.

Infertility is not necessarily hereditary. If your parents, grand parents or siblings have had difficulty becoming pregnant, this does not necessarily mean you will have the same problem! Most infertility problems are not hereditary, and you need a complete evaluation to determine the possible cause of your infertility.

If you want it enough and work hard enough at it, you'll get pregnant. Unlike many other parts of your life, infertility may be beyond your control. While newer infertility treatments have improved the chances of most couples conceiving, some problems are presently, not treatable.

We should be having intercourse every day to achieve pregnancy. Sperm remain alive and active in the woman's cervical mucus for up to 72 hours following sexual intercourse; therefore, it isn't necessary to plan your lovemaking on a rigid schedule. Although having sexual intercourse near the time of ovulation is important, no single day is critical. So, don't be unduly concerned if intercourse is not possible or practical on the ‘ovulation’ day.

Myths and misconceptions on the subject of fertility or the absence of it are truly plentiful. To get the real picture, consult your health provider.