Busted! Fertility misconceptions explained

Put your legs in the air after sex. You only need to worry if you’re 35. Being on the pill delays your fertility. True or false? We dispel the most common fertility myths – and tell you which ones are true.

If you’re trying for a baby, you’ve probably read and been given an overwhelming mountain of information about how to fall pregnant. But not all of it is accurate. Read on to discover what to believe and what to just roll your eyes at. Show these myths to your partner too, as many of the topics relate to the male side of infertility. Sharing facts about your journey will bring you closer.

MYTH #1: IT DOESN’T MATTER IF I DRINK AND SMOKE, AS LONG AS I GIVE UP WHEN I’M PREGNANT

BUSTED! Actually, this one couldn’t be further from the truth. Both smoking and drinking alcohol are proven to be detrimental to your chances of falling pregnant. “In women, smoking can delay pregnancy by up to a year. Smoking reduces the quantity and quality of a women’s eggs. And, it increases the risk of tubal pregnancies and miscarriages,” says specialist gynaecologist Dr Chris Venter of Vitalab Centre for Assisted Conception in Johannesburg. Not only does it impact your fertility, “Smoking also increases the risk of miscarriage four-fold,” he warns. It’s also a good idea to limit your alcohol intake when you’re trying to conceive – research shows it takes longer to conceive if you drink.

MYTH #2: INFERTILITY IS ALWAYS THE WOMAN’S PROBLEM

BUSTED! “In couples who present with infertility, 30 percent of those cases are due solely to male infertility factors,” says Dr Venter. When men don’t experience a problem with erection and think of their performance during intercourse as normal, it’s often measured as a sign that there’s no problem with their fertility, but this is not necessarily the case.

MYTH #3: FOODS AFFECT FERTILITY – AND A RUBBISH DIET WILL STOP YOU FALLING PREGNANT

TRUE! It’s likely that a poor diet will lead to being overweight or obese, both of which are proven to negatively affect your fertility. In particular, an unhealthy diet is usually associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome, which have a huge impact on fertility for both men and women. “Obesity in itself causes metabolic stress, which can affect sperm quality and motility and function, poor egg quality with subsequent poor embryos and decreased implantation. Equally, a lack of eating puts the body in shock and could shut down normal ovarian function,” cautions Dr Venter. “A healthy diet, rich in anti-oxidants, reduces the oxidative stress on sperm and oocytes. It also avoids obesity, which in itself causes oxidative stress on gametes,” he explains.

MYTH #4: YOU SHOULD HAVE SEX EVERY DAY IF YOU’RE TRYING TO FALL PREGNANT

TRUE. MOSTLY. You don’t have to have sex every day to fall pregnant, but it does increase your chances. “Daily intercourse has been shown to have the highest pregnancy rates per month,” says Dr Venter. “If intercourse is every alternate day, the fecundity, the chance to get pregnant per month, is slightly less, about 6 percent. So, the extra effort will give you a 6 percent higher chance of a pregnancy per month,” he explains. Regular intercourse is defined as intercourse twice a week.

MYTH #5: A NORMAL MENSTRUAL CYCLE IS 28 DAYS LONG

BUSTED! While the average menstrual cycle is 28 days long, it’s exactly that – an average. For some women, their cycle might be as short as 21 days or as long as 35 days, and there’s a broad range of what is considered normal, including pain or pain-free periods, a regular or somewhat irregular cycle and light or heavy periods. Keeping track of your menstrual cycle (when it’s not governed by birth control) will help you understand what’s normal for you.

MYTH #6: BEING ON THE PILL TOO LONG WILL DELAY CONCEPTION

BUSTED! The pill doesn’t have any delay in the return of fertility. It does, however, regulate the menstrual cycle well. If you experience irregular menstruation after stopping the pill, consult your gynaecologist or healthcare provider for advice. Other contraceptive methods like the injectable progestogen (Petogen, Nur-Isterate) may cause a delay in return of fertility of six to nine months, says Dr Jana Rossouw, specialist in gynaecology and obstetrics at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town.

MYTH #7: YOU SHOULD WAIT A YEAR BEFORE SEEING A FERTILITY CONSULTANT

TRUE/BUSTED. This depends on your age. If you’re younger than 30 and haven’t fallen pregnant after a year of unprotected sex, then you should consult a fertility specialist. However, if you’re older than 30, it’s not a good idea to wait that long, says Dr Venter. “We always advise couples above the age of 30 that if they haven’t conceived within six months, they should be aware and seek help earlier,” he recommends.

MYTH #8: ALL MEN ARE FERTILE, FOR THEIR WHOLE LIVES

AGAIN, BUSTED! While male fertility starts to decline long after a woman’s does, agerelated decline does happen – and there are plenty of other factors that have nothing to do with age, but that can influence male fertility. In simple terms, there are two types of problems with male fertility: problems with the production of sperm, and problems with transportation of the sperm. “Problems with the production of sperm are often genetic, such as microdeletions. With a very low sperm count, there is also about a 5 percent chance of genetic aberrations in the chromosomes,” Dr Venter explains. Other problems with production can relate to birth defects, such as testicles that were undescended prior to puberty, sports injuries with big trauma to the testes that have caused damage, as well as drug and anabolic steroid use, which can essentially wipe out the male’s sperm count in the short term (about 30 percent of steroid abusers will experience long-term damage to the sperm count). Varicose veins and chemotherapy treatment for cancer are also factors.

MYTH #9: IF YOU’RE A ‘TYPE A’ PERSON, YOU WILL STRUGGLE TO CONCEIVE

TRUE/BUSTED. There’s no hard and fast rule that says if you’re a

Type A person you’ll struggle to conceive, but stress caused by emotional issues, sleep deprivation, work or excessive exercise can have a negative impact on fertility via disrupted hormone secretion. “It’s important to understand these detrimental lifestyle factors cause oxidative stress to sperm and eggs, leading to poor fertilisation or poor-quality embryos with subsequent infertility or miscarriages,” explains Dr Venter. “The recommendation is that meditation, moderate exercise and yoga could reduce stress levels.”

MYTH #10: KEEP YOUR LEGS ELEVATED AFTER INTERCOURSE

BUSTED! Every ejaculation contains literally millions of sperm, so there’s a high chance that they’ll find their way in the right direction. “After ejaculation, sperm is found within the cervix within 90 seconds, and sperm that’s motile should reach the fallopian tube within five minutes. Therefore, prolonged periods of lying on your back after intercourse haven’t been shown to be necessary,” says Dr Venter.