By Andy Blackett, www.ovuline.com
 
Rumors and stories and myths and urban legends are all good fun, but when it comes to your fertility, you’d rather know for sure. With all of the misinformation that appears on the internet (and comes out of our friends’ and sisters’ mouths), it can be tough to separate fact from fiction, so let’s set the record straight on a few of the more common fertility myths:
 
Myth: The more sex you have, the more likely you are to conceive.

Truth: According to our 3rd-grade nieces and nephews with older siblings, and confirmed by top reproductive scientists, babies are made when a mommy and a daddy have sex. So while, yes, without assisted reproductive technologies, sex is a biological requirement for baby, it’s really more about when the sex is rather than how much you have.
 
Studies show that the chances of conceiving by having sex everyday during the “fertile window” (the day of ovulation and the five or so days prior to it) are virtually identical to the chances of conceiving by having sex just once every other day during the fertile window. Although it’s unlikely that having more sex will hurt your chances of conceiving, most women are able to conceive by tracking their cycles to hone in on the ovulation days and having sex every other day within the fertile window.
 
Myth: Fertility declines drastically after you turn 35.

Truth: Although it is certainly true that fertility declines as you get older, and 35 is a pretty good average age that many invoke when talking about this drop, it’s important to understand that every woman is different – some may have trouble conceiving in their 20s, while others have no problem getting pregnant either naturally or through assisted reproductive technologies like in-vitro fertilization (IVF) well into their 40s. It really depends from woman-to-woman, and couple-to-couple, so while you do probably have a better chance of getting pregnant the younger you are, don’t feel like your last cycle as a 34-year old is your final chance to conceive.

Consider asking your siblings or friends to support you at this time by finding ways to minimize stress and developing healthy habits or exercise routines that are paramount to fertility. Even nieces and nephews can join in during fun physical activities!
 
Myth: Infertility is always the woman’s fault.

Truth: There seems to be a widespread belief that when a couple is having trouble conceiving, responsibility always lies with the woman, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. According to the Mayo Clinic, cases of infertility are equally likely to solely involve a man as a woman (about ? of instances for each), while the remaining cases are either due to a combination of male and female issues, or remain unclear.
 
Much like instances of female infertility, male infertility can result from a number of factors, whether medical (varicocele, chromosome defects), lifestyle (overweight or high-stress), environmental, or a simple case of bad luck.
 
Myth: Ovulation occurs on the 14th day of the menstrual cycle.

Truth: Ranking among the most popular fertility myths, and probably the one that most commonly inhibits couples from conceiving, this story goes that ovulation occurs on Day 14 of every woman’s cycle, therefore making it the best time to conceive. This misguided myth assumes that every woman has a perfectly regular 28-day cycle, which is just simply not the case. While ovulation will usually occur about 12 to 14 days prior to your next expected period, “regular” cycles can last between 21-35 days depending on the woman, and many women have longer, shorter, or inconsistent cycles, meaning the day of ovulation within a cycle can vary greatly. Your body may naturally signal when ovulation might occur through fluctuating basal body temperature, cervical fluid color and consistency, physical symptoms and more, so it’s better to track your body’s signals than rely on an overly generalized “rule.”
 
Myth: It’s hard to get pregnant if you’ve used birth control in the past.

Truth: Trying to conceive can be an odd transition for some women, particularly if they’ve spent most of the past trying to NOT get pregnant! Some may worry that birth control can have lasting effects, and prevent pregnancy long-term, but this is just not the case. Although it may take a few cycles for women coming off “The Pill” to resume their regular ovulations, rest assured that it will happen, and once it does, you’ll have the same chance of conceiving as somebody who never used birth control.
 
Women who received a Depo-Provera shot may notice a bit more lag in the return of their ovulation (something like 3-6 months), but it may take some women up to nine months or a year for their ovulation and menstrual cycle to get back to pre-Depo regularity, and accordingly another year or so behind that to conceive.
 
Your doctor will be able to answer any questions you may have about getting pregnant after birth control, especially if you’re worried, or haven’t noticed your ovulation return.

Andy creates and manages content for Ovuline, drawing on his past experience as the product of a pregnancy. Andy graduated from Bates College with a BA in Classics.

Published: August 20, 2013