10 Common Fertility Myths – Debunked

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Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting..

Belief is a strange thing! You seem to believe something as true all your life, then one day you find they are nothing but illusions! Okay, today is one of those days because in the following sections, the fertility myths will be totally revealed in their truth. Get to know what is real, and you will obviously have a better understanding of your own body and how it works.

Top 10 Fertility Myths – DEBUNKED!

Here is a list of 10 fertility myths that we have debunked for you in this article:

1. Want to Get Pregnant? Swallow the Cough Syrup

Now this little rumor has been around for quite some time now, from the 80’s. Believed that guaifenesin, the common ingredient found in cough syrups will help the sperms to travel and meet the eggs easily, many women have taken to having cough syrup to get pregnant. The theory rests on the fact that since guaifenesin thins out the mucus and clear the nasal passages, the same way it will thin the cervical mucus and and help the sperm reach the eggs easily. That sounds absurd, though many swear by its success. Alas, no studies accentuate this claim, and we’d say you stay away from cough syrups, well, unless you have a cough.

2. Foods and Sex Positions Will Help

No, any aphrodisiac food you take or the position of coitus does not determine your baby’s gender. Whether it is missionary sex or any other position neither can help you choose your baby’s sex nor guarantee pregnancy. Just because you are trying for a baby, does not mean sex can no longer be fun! Have it as and how you like it, and have a fulfilling time. The bottom-line – penetrate deep, ejaculate and let the sperm take the course. In other words, leave the internal genetic engineering to Nature/God/Goddess whomever you believe in. Just do not meddle the nature and spoil your intimate time with each other.

[Read : Lifestyle Changes When Trying To Conceive]

3. You Should Have Sex Every Day

couple laughing in bed

This is boring actually. Sex has been made too easy these days just to oversimplify the highly complicated interaction between couples. When you are trying to conceive, having sex around 3 times a week would be good, to keep the sparks flying and not to miss the days when you are ovulating. Sex is to be enjoyed, do not make it a chore.

4. Adopt a Baby and You Will Get Pregnant

Lots of hearsay follows this, many women have been reported to get pregnant once they adopt a baby. What has fertility got to do with adopting a baby? But there are many others who adopt and never get pregnant. We say, it has to be a coincidence, and nothing more.

5. A Previous Father Can Father Again Imperatively

Just because your partner has been a father before, it does not guarantee that this time also he can be similarly potent. Bodies change, minds change, everything changes! some harmful habits like smoking and use of drugs can render a man impotent. In fact, many women also happen to find out that the previous issue of her current partner (with another woman) did not happen because of him. You know, girls confide and verify facts from each other!

6. Alcohol is the Ultimate of Aphrodisiacs

couple drinking coffee in bed

This is a marketing concept largely. Although alcohol does numb your cautions and make you feel horny, but if you cross the limit, you pass out. Is that conducive to sex? You have bad breath and the worst hangover the next day when you wake up. These are turn-offs.

If drunk driving is an offense for lack of physical coordination, then obviously the same applies to sex. After heavy drinking, you may not actually have much of energy for a passionate night. You try to force it, and then it gets abusive to an extent. The moral of the story: enjoy the aphrodisiac qualities in limits. It’s no competition to show how much you can stand your drink. A glass of alcohol may not be bad once in a while, but having too much and too often of it will actually reduce your capacity of getting pregnant with each month.

7. Do Not Wait For the Temperature to Rise

Many women track their body temperature to identify the right time to conceive. There is of course a scientific basis to this because the temperature only rises when the egg is released. Gynecologists say that after the release, chances of conceiving are actually less. The best window is the fragile phase when the egg is just about to release (or the day before ovulation). However, there is no fail-safe guarantee in that either because pregnancy is still largely a mysterious subject.

8. The Second Baby is Easier to Conceive

This is a conditioned approach to the issue. Since you have had your first child, you are conditioned to believe that the same pattern would repeat. It may not be the case at all because body works in mysterious ways. You can have trouble conceiving the second time, and there is nothing to frustrate over it as ‘abnormal’.

9. Infertility is a Woman’s Problem

happy couple in bed

Sometimes, women beat themselves up in frustration thinking they are ‘inadequate’ on being unable to conceive. It is indeed a very downing feeling but do consider the fact that the problem may be in the sperm giver! A couple’s inability to conceive is as much a problem of the sperm as it is for an egg. The situation becomes complex when men do not want to undertake potency tests, for whatever reasons. It can be a social stigma, a perceived threat to masculinity, or a fear of being diagnosed with a sexual disease. You need to dig it out and resolve it. A couple struggling with infertility will need to keep an open mind and get the necessary tests done.

[Read : Infertility in Men and Women]

10. The Mind Has No Role

Surprisingly. Most doctors treat infertility only as an issue of the body. They identify the bodily hindrances and rectify them. While it is a very efficient approach no doubt, but one should always consider the role played by the mind during sex. The mind is powerful. It can happen that your body is not consenting to fertilization because subconsciously you are not ready to mother this child.

So ignore these fertility myths and go ahead, have enjoyable, mind blowing sex, maintain a healthy lifestyle, stay away from smoking and alcohol and stay certain that good news is on the way!

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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