The Truth About Conception: Telling baby-making facts from fiction

By Avanti Vadivelu
 
If you’re anything like most women who are trying to conceive, chances are you’ve read and tried just about every tip and piece of advice on how to make a baby. Many women may even find themselves in the odd predicament of desperately trying anything to get that positive reading on their home pregnancy test after years of doing everything possible to prevent pregnancy. 
 
We hear your frustration, and want to do our best in separating the fact from the fiction when it comes to baby-making. 
 
First off… here’s a quick and dirty science lesson on conception—beyond the birds and the bees stuff! Every month, one egg is released in the average woman’s body. Usually this happens on the fourteenth day of each menstrual cycle (a cycle is measured by counting the first day of menstruation as Day One), but is highly variable from one woman to the next. A more surefire way to know when you are ovulating is to use an ovulation calculator… plenty of them are available free of charge online like this one at BabyCenter.com: http://www.babycenter.com/ovulation-calculator. Once the egg is released the timer goes off… you have 24 hours to ‘introduce’ your egg to his sperm (sperm can survive in a woman’s reproductive tract for up to three days). Therefore, the best time to get pregnant is when the days are leading up to and into ovulation. 
 
Now that we got the basic stuff out of the way, let’s break down some of those age-old conception myths.
 
1.)    You may have a better chance at becoming pregnant if you make love during the day.
 
TRUE: Studies have shown that sperm levels are somewhat higher in the morning, thereby increasing the chance of pregnancy.
 
2.)    Making love more than once each day increases your chance at becoming pregnant.
 
FALSE: According to the New England Journal of Medicine, no difference was found in pregnancy rates between couples who had sex daily and those who had sex every other day.
 
3.)    Riding a bike or horse with reduce a male’s sperm count.
 
FALSE: According to Discovery Health, this is theoretically possible, but unlikely if only bicycling or riding a horse for recreation.
 
4.)    Keeping a man’s testes cool can help increase fertility.
 
TRUE: Men who are trying to conceive are advised to wear looser clothing, to avoid hot tubs and saunas, and to be mindful of keeping hot items on their laps (i.e. laptop computers).
 
5.)    Laying in bed for up to 30 minutes after making love can help increase chances of conception.
 
TRUE: According to BabyCenter.com, experts agree that lying down in bed for 20 to 30 minutes with a pillow under your pelvis helps keep the sperm inside and flowing toward your egg. Standing on your head has the same effect, but not necessary!
 
6.)    Taking cough syrup can increase your chances of getting pregnant.
 
MAYBE: BabyCenter.com reports that while there's not a lot of medical research to support this idea, anecdotal evidence suggests that cough syrup may help you conceive due to the fact that one ingredient in certain cough syrups — guaifenesin — can help you get pregnant by thinning your cervical fluid, which enables sperm to travel through your cervix and fertilize an egg.
7.)    Once you get off the pill you will become pregnant right away.
FALSE: It will take your body awhile to adjust once you stop taking birth control pills. The amount of time it takes your body to regulate itself again varies from woman to woman. Of course, you may be one of the lucky ones and find yourself pregnant the very month after you stop taking the pills!
8.)    Oral sex can hinder your chances at getting pregnant.
TRUE: Tests have shown that saliva, as well as certain types of lubrication, can actually kill off sperm. 
 
We hope we have clarified some of those old myths of conception. With science and a little bit of luck on your side, a little bundle of joy may be in your future! We wish you much luck! 
Have you heard of any pregnancy myths that you would like to prove or debunk? Please post your knowledge on MyHealthGate.com today!