We\u2019ve compiled all the strangest fertility myths you\u2019ll hear. Learn whether they\u2019re true or false below.<\/p>\n
Some are actually true, but most aren’t. Take a look at which fertility myths were busted.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0The only way that sperm assists with fertility is when it\u2019s in your vaginal canal or your fallopian tubes, on a path to find your egg. It does contain protein, but there are far more efficient ways to get your daily nutritional intake than from oral sex. Keep in mind that oral sex, masturbation, and anything else that causes ejaculation is healthy while you\u2019re trying to conceive and won\u2019t drain or reduce a man\u2019s sperm count. See myth number 17 for more details.<\/p>\n
Unconfirmed, but probably false:\u00a0This fertility myth started when researchers discovered that the rate of twins was four times higher in West Africa than in the rest of the world. Researchers tried to determine what was causing the multiple births and examined the community\u2019s diet, noting that the people ate mostly cassava plants, which are a type of yam.<\/p>\n
Researchers have never conclusively linked a diet high in yams to having twins, though, and because yams are starchy and lack significant nutritional value, starting a yam-only diet in the hopes of conceiving multiples isn\u2019t a good idea.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0Infertile people are sick of being told that not getting pregnant is \u201call in your head,\u201d and for good reason: it’s not true. While staying relaxed and positive can provide some health boosts (and severe stress can affect your ability to ovulate in extreme cases), infertility is a medical condition with distinct causes. These causes require treatment, not just a smile.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0You can only conceive during the 5-6 days of your fertile window. That means that you can\u2019t get pregnant during the rest of the month. You should focus on having intercourse during the fertile window, even multiple times a day if you\u2019re feeling frisky, but sex during the rest of your cycle won\u2019t do anything to boost your fertility.<\/p>\n
If you want to have sex because you\u2019re in the mood and want to feel closer to your partner, great! Just keep in mind that you\u2019re doing it for other reasons besides making a baby.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0This myth may have arisen because society puts a lot of penis size pressure on men, leading many people to associate a larger package with \u201cmanly\u201d stereotypes like virility, sex drive, masculinity, and fertility. In reality, penis size has nothing to do with fertility. As long as a man is healthy and able to penetrate and ejaculate, size doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0This fertility myth stems from a false belief that a man somehow \u201csaves up\u201d a store of more sperm overnight when he\u2019s asleep, which morning sex then empties. Although there\u2019s some research to suggest that a man\u2019s sperm count is slightly higher in the morning, any difference is minor: it only takes one sperm to impregnate an egg, and sperm count might vary between 75 million and 76 million.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s more important to have sex during your fertile window, regardless of whether it\u2019s morning, afternoon, night, or all of the above.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0Have you heard any of these baby sex fertility myths? To conceive a girl, put a wooden spoon and a pair of scissors under your bed and a pink bow under your pillow. Your male partner\u2019s testicles should be warm if you want a son and cool if you want a daughter. If you have sex early in your fertile window, the baby will be a boy; have sex later to conceive a girl. Eat more calories and drink green tea to conceive a son. There are even mobile apps advertising that they let you pick your baby\u2019s sex.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there\u2019s no evidence that any of these methods have any effect on your baby\u2019s sex. Even the most well-known intercourse-timing strategies (the Shettles Method and the Whelan Method) contradict each other\u2019s advice. You\u2019re best off simply focusing on conceiving a healthy baby and learning his or her sex later.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0Sperm are incredibly good at their task of swimming to reach your eggs. They\u2019re chemically programmed to do it, millions of them at a time. That means they don\u2019t need your–or gravity\u2019s–help to get there. Don\u2019t worry about doing a shoulder-stand, raising your legs against a wall, or hanging upside down on an inversion table after sex; none of them sound very comfortable, and no research has ever found a link between them and conception.<\/p>\n
True:\u00a0Alcohol during conception and pregnancy is a controversial topic, but research suggests that drinking in moderation won\u2019t interfere with conception. The key here is \u201cin moderation,\u201d which means up to one drink a day for women or two drinks for men. That one drink is only 5 fluid ounces of wine or 12 fluid ounces of beer, so it\u2019s much less than you\u2019re probably used to. A glass of wine here and there might help you get in the mood for all that sex around ovulation, too.<\/p>\n
However, many people\u2019s reactions to alcohol vary, so listen to your body: if you\u2019re feeling that one drink the next morning with a headache and dehydration, avoid it. If one glass of wine makes you relax and feel great, then go for it.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0Although fertility drops as women get older, fertility problems can and do exist in women all the way from puberty to menopause. That includes twenty-somethings. Many women in their twenties struggle with PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, and other fertility-related conditions. Age is certainly a contributor to fertility, but so are lifestyle factors like weight, medications, diet, and athletic training. Just because a woman is in her twenties doesn\u2019t mean she hasn\u2019t experienced problems with fertility, so sensitivity is important.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0See myth number four above, but to reiterate here: a woman can only conceive during the 5-6 days surrounding ovulation, called the \u201cfertile window.\u201d<\/p>\n
Somewhat true:\u00a0Some kinds of lube are safe when you\u2019re trying to conceive, but others aren\u2019t. Avoid any lube that contains spermicide; it\u2019s designed to kill sperm, so it\u2019s the opposite of what you want when you\u2019re trying to conceive. Even though they don\u2019t contain spermicide, many of the most commonly-used lubricants, like KY Jelly, FemGlide, and Astroglide, can have damaging effects on sperm as well and change the PH balance inside your vagina. Don\u2019t use anything for lubrication that isn\u2019t specifically designed for use during sex, like petroleum jelly. Look for lubricants designed to assist in conception, including Pre-Seed, or baby oil, which previous research has found to be safe on sperm.<\/p>\n
However, the best lubricant for conception is your own body\u2019s. Many women don\u2019t produce enough natural lubrication to have comfortable sex until they have at least twenty minutes of foreplay, so warm up and make sure you\u2019re in the mood first. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help with hydration, too.<\/p>\n
False:\u00a0The causes of infertility<\/a> are evenly spaced among couples. Infertility conditions caused by women occur 40% of the time; infertility issues caused by men occur 40% of the time; and the remaining 20% of problems have unknown causes. If you\u2019re having problems conceiving, don\u2019t assume that it\u2019s your fault (or your partner\u2019s). Seeing a fertility specialist is the only way to know more about the cause.<\/p>\n False:\u00a0This myth comes from stories about couples who couldn\u2019t seem to conceive, so they adopted…and then suddenly found themselves pregnant when they weren\u2019t trying. Like most stories, it spreads because it\u2019s ironic and interesting, but there\u2019s no evidence that having another child in the house because of adoption provides a fertility boost to parents.<\/p>\n False:\u00a0The myth that women who spend a lot of time together get so close that their menstrual cycles happen at the same time (also called \u201cmenstrual synchrony\u201d) is a popular one because of a 1971 study claiming that it exists. More recent research, however, has failed to find evidence in support of it, and it seems to be more likely that periods simply overlap by chance. That means you don\u2019t have to worry that your close female friends getting their periods will influence you to get yours and hurt your chance of conceiving during that cycle.<\/p>\n Unconfirmed:\u00a0The research is split on whether caffeine can harm your fertility, but most experts agree that a moderate amount of caffeine is safe. There\u2019s far less caffeine in most teas than in a single cup of coffee, so switch to tea or limit yourself to a 12-ounce cup of coffee a day to be on the safe side. Also note that caffeine can be present in things you might not expect, including chocolate and supplements, so read your labels carefully.<\/p>\n False:\u00a0Myths that masturbation drains a man\u2019s sperm supplies and leaves him less fertile have existed throughout recorded history…and they\u2019re not true. Regular masturbation actually helps procreation by keeping a man\u2019s reproductive system flowing and functioning. It also cleans out older sperm and replaces it with newer cells, which research suggests are less damaged and have better motility.<\/p>\n False:* We\u2019re saying this fertility myth is false with an important caveat. Although you can\u2019t get pregnant during your menstrual phase–your period–you can get pregnant from sex during your period. It\u2019s a little confusing, but here\u2019s the difference: because sperm can survive in your vaginal tract for up to five days, it\u2019s possible for you to get pregnant if you have sex during the very end of your period, then have an early ovulation no more than five days later. It\u2019s very unlikely, though. In contrast, your body is incapable of having an egg be fertilized during your menstrual phase.<\/p>\n False:\u00a0A study in the 1980\u2019s identified one of the ingredients in cough syrup, guaifenesin, for its ability to thin cervical mucus. As you might know if you\u2019ve been studying your cycle science, thin, stretchy cervical mucus is your most fertile type and aids in sperm movement. However, there haven\u2019t been any studies finding that cough syrup actually boosts your chances of getting pregnant, so stay away from it unless you\u2019re truly sick.<\/p>\n False:\u00a0The process that leads to ovulation is a gradual increase of estrogen over several days; it\u2019s not related at all to orgasms. Orgasms are associated with release of the hormone oxytocin, which can cause minor uterine contractions that may assist in pulling sperm towards an egg. Orgasms don\u2019t cause the release of any eggs, though.<\/p>\n True:\u00a0It\u2019s rumored that breastfeeding is a form of birth control, and that it\u2019s impossible to get pregnant while you\u2019re nursing. Not true. It\u2019s less likely that you\u2019ll conceive while you\u2019re breastfeeding because it inhibits the hormones that cause ovulation, but it\u2019s not out of the question. Experts at La Leche League International say that your risk of pregnancy while breastfeeding is less than six percent if your baby\u2019s only food source is breast milk, your child is less than six months old, or your menstrual period has not returned yet.<\/p>\n False:\u00a0This rumor probably originates from a mistaken belief that gravity plays a big role in sperm movement (see myth number 8 above). It doesn\u2019t: you\u2019re just as likely to conceive from woman-on-top as you are from missionary, and missionary is not the only sex position<\/a> in which you can get pregnant. It\u2019s not even the best position in which to conceive, which is another common myth. No one position is proven to boost fertility over any other, so choose whatever you like best.<\/p>\n False:\u00a0Although your cycle may take a few weeks or months to get back to normal when you stop taking the birth control pill, you should be just as likely to conceive afterwards. Some studies have found that previously the pill increases a woman\u2019s fertility when she tries to get pregnant after.<\/p>\n14) People tend to get pregnant more easily after they adopt a child<\/h3>\n
15) You can \u201csync\u201d with other women\u2019s cycles and get your period when they do, hurting your chance of getting pregnant<\/h3>\n
16) Caffeine is bad when you\u2019re trying to conceive<\/h3>\n
17) Masturbation lowers a man\u2019s fertility<\/h3>\n
18) You can get pregnant during your period<\/h3>\n
19) Drink cough syrup to boost your fertility<\/h3>\n
20) Orgasms cause women to release eggs<\/h3>\n
21) A woman can get pregnant while she\u2019s breastfeeding<\/h3>\n
22) Missionary position is the only way you can get pregnant<\/h3>\n
23) Using the birth control pill makes it harder to conceive<\/h3>\n
24) You need to have an orgasm to conceive<\/h3>\n