Common Myths about Fertility Often Misleading

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to be a mom. Chances are that if you’re reading this, that’s been part of your plan. Some women know from a very early age that having children is right for them while others are pretty sure it’s not going to be a part of their life plan.

But for those who want to get pregnant but are struggling to do so, questions might remain about how much you really know about your body, it’s ability to conceive, and what other factors might – or might not – determine whether or not you get pregnant.

There are a lot of myths about fertility and infertility and, sometimes, those myths can do us plenty of harm. So, it’s important to debunk them so that those who are indeed facing issues with fertility can better understand the hurdles and proceed in a sensible direction. Here are some of the most common myths we hear about fertility:

Getting pregnant isn’t that hard!

Maybe you’ve had friends who got pregnant as soon as they decided it was the thing to do. They were fortunate.

It truly doesn’t happen like that for everyone. There are many simple reasons why not everyone is quick to get pregnant – like long stretches on being on birth control pills – and other reasons that are much more complicated.

In reality, women under age 32 only have about a 25 percent chance of getting pregnant each month. The numbers decrease as age increases.

I’m healthy and exercise regularly so I won’t have a problem getting pregnant!

Nada! Being in good shape and overall good health doesn’t mean pregnancy will come easy for you. There are many other factors to take into consideration and there are many physically fit women who have difficulties becoming pregnant.

My mother (sisters, aunts, etc.) got pregnant quickly so I will, too!

While many things in life are hereditary or otherwise connected with one’s genetic make-up, fertility isn’t one of them. Just because your mother was easily able to have 2 children in 4 years, that doesn’t mean you will.

I started puberty late, so I’ll be fertile for longer!

Not true. The age of your first period doesn’t determine until what age you’ll be able to get pregnant or when you’ll enter menopause. Even if you didn’t get your period until age 15, it’s likely that you’ll have the same window of fertility as someone who started menstruating much earlier. Don’t use this myth as a reason to wait.

Older men can still make babies!

While it’s true that age impacts the fertility of women more than that of men, it’s also true that fertility levels do decrease as men age and it becomes harder to get pregnant. If your husband/partner, is significantly older than you, waiting to try to conceive might not be a wise idea.

If I decide on IVF, I’ll have more than one baby at a time!

If you’re having fertility issues, you’ll likely at, one time or another, consider IVF treatments. However, there’s a common misconception that IVF almost always produces twins…or triplets…or more. Of course it’s a possibility, but – these days – most couples transfer one embryo and not multiple embryos at one time, as was the MO for many years.

So multiple births is much less common.

And finally…

If I can’t get pregnant, it’s all my fault!

No, it’s not! Women are not solely to blame for infertility problems. As a matter of fact, studies show that about 35 percent of the time, the problem lies with the male partner.

Still have questions about infertility? Talk to a specialist, who can explore all the avenues necessary to identify the reason you’re not getting pregnant.

The process is not as intimidating as you might think, and fertility doctors are eager to work hard to help you find the right solution(s) to make your parenthood dreams come true.