When you are thinking about having a baby or have decided to start to try, chances are you got on your laptop, tablet, or phone and started looking into ways to accomplish pregnancy quickly. The problem is there is so much misinformation out there, it can be hard to distinguish the truth from the myths. It seems like everyone and their mother have an input and know of some old wives tales to help you along the way! So today we are going to debunk five fertility myths and around getting pregnant.
Fertility Myth #1
You need to stop taking the pill 3 months before you can get pregnant. The truth is that the pill is out of your system within a few days. If your periods don’t come back normally, it has nothing to do with the pill. In the same way , Implanon and the IUD will also be immediately reversible. Some other forms of contraception need to be stopped earlier, like Depo-Provera. That may take months to clear form your system. So, no need to stop the pill until you are ready.
Fertility Myth #2
You don’t need any help until you have been trying to conceive for 12 months. The answer is that it doesn’t matter so much how long you have been trying, but more how long you have not used any contraception for. In general, we advise that you seek help if you have not used any contraception for 12 months. If you are over the age of 35, we would reduce that to 6 months. If you or your partner have a known problem, including irregular periods, you should seek help immediately.
Fertility Myth #3
As long as you are healthy, you will not have a problem. Unfortunately, that’s not true and age remains the greatest determinant of your chance of falling pregnant. It doesn’t matter how healthy you are, your chances of conceiving drop after 35. They chances obviously continue to decrease as we women get older. Just because our chances decrease, it doesn’t mean that it will be impossible to conceive!
Fertility Myth #4
You must only have sex every second day. The answer here is that you should have sex every other day around the time of ovulation, but feel free to have sex every day or several times per day if you want to. If a man ejaculates more frequently, the sperm count drops but the quality improves. So having sex more frequently doesn’t reduce your chances of falling pregnant – but it doesn’t increase them either. Similarly, if he ejaculates less frequently, the volume increases, but the quality goes down – so it really doesn’t matter.
Ovulation normally happens 14 days before your period is due. The first day of your period is the first day that you have full flow – so if the period comes before lunch, we call that the first day, Don’t count any spotting. So if you have a perfect 28 day cycle, ovulation is likely around day 14, and the best days to have sex are days 12, 14, and 16. Keep in mind that every woman’s body is different. You can read more about ovulation and how to track it here!
Fertility Myth #5
Certain sex position increase your chances of becoming pregnant. Fortunately, there is no evidence for this at all, regardless of which way your uterus is tilted. The same goes for lying on your back with a pillow under your bottom for half an hour or keeping your knees bent. It makes no difference to the chances of falling pregnant. However, it is a good idea to lay down for 10 to 15 minutes after sex, but no need to keep your legs in the air. In fact, your pelvis doesn’t move when you keep your legs up!
