Five fertility myths demystified
Most women have probably received a tip or two from well-meaning friends or
family on how to get pregnant. Unfortunately, not every piece of advice is useful.
Here are five of our favourite fertility myths:
1.
You need to orgasm to conceive. While it’s always nice, it’s not necessary. A
contracting uterus can help the sperm travel to the egg faster in theory, but this
has not been proven.
2.
According to Chinese customs, a husband should carry his bride over a pan of
burning coals when entering his home for the first time to ensure that his new wife
will pass through labour successfully. While it is a great way to torture your new
husband, this has not been scientifically proven.
3.
Eating yams will cause you to conceive twins. While researchers were looking
into why the African village of Igbo-Ora had a high rate of twins, their only link
was that the people of Igbo-Ora ate a lot of yams. While this research gave
yams the reputation for causing twins, it would not be unreasonable to question
the findings.
4.
Avoid dampness if you are trying to conceive. It is a traditional Chinese belief
that women trying to conceive should avoid “damp foods” such as dairy
products and greasy foods, and avoid wearing damp clothing because it
causes blockages that make conception difficult. However, dairy products
are a good source of calcium and other essential vitamins that may improve
fertility.
5.
Save your energy! Traditional belief is that if you are constantly expending your
energy working out and dieting, you may not have enough energy to support
a new life. Fortunately, that is not true: having a healthy lifestyle and eating
healthily are important aspects of conceiving.
pregnant within three months,
compared to ten per cent of women
taking a placebo.
•
Make healthy lifestyle choices:
maintain a healthy body weight,
take regular exercise and maintain
good eating habits. Alcohol
consumption and high doses
of caffeine have been linked to
problems with conceiving.
•
Men are not exempt from making
healthy lifestyle changes to improve
their chances of fathering a child:
maintaining an optimal weight,
cutting out recreational drug use,
and quitting smoking can reduce
erectile dysfunction and improve
sperm quality.
For most people who are below
the age of 35, nature will prevail if
you allow it. That is, persuade your
partner to put aside his tight pants,
relax and enjoy regular sex. Even if
that doesn’t work, all is not lost as
there are still medical solutions for
the small percentage of people where
medical intervention is required.
The bad news is that time is against
us and medicine doesn’t yet have the
cure for that.
February 2013
45