Myths & Facts
MYTH:
A woman’s menstrual cycle is 28 days.
FACT:
Normal cycle lasts anywhere from 21 to 36 days.
MYTH:
A woman can get pregnant on only one day of her cycle.
FACT:
Once the egg is released, it is viable for 12 to 24 hours, but a woman can get pregnant from having intercourse five days prior and two days after ovulation.
MYTH:
Stress causes infertility.
FACT:
Stress does not cause infertility, but may delay ovulation by the suppression of hormones.
MYTH:
Sperm live for only several hours.
FACT:
In fertile cervical liquid, sperm can live up to five days.
MYTH:
A man with a high sex drive will have normal sperm count.
FACT:
There is no correction between virility and fertility for men and some men with a normal sex drive may have no sperm at all.
MYTH:
A woman should wait three months to conceive after stopping use of the pill.
FACT:
Birth control pills reduce hormone levels and suppresses ovulation. Once a woman stops taking the pill, hormone levels return to normal almost immediately and ovulation should begin the very next cycle.
MYTH:
Infertility is primarily caused by females.
FACT:
Studies have shown that infertility problems are caused by men and women equally, with 20% of infertility problems being a combination of both.
MYTH:
Women ovulate on day 14 of their cycle.
FACT:
If this were true it would be easy to conceive or avoid pregnancy. To calculate ovulation, count backward 14 days from the last day of the last menstrual cycle.
MYTH:
Having sex daily increases the chances of conceiving.
FACT:
Having sex every other day at the time of ovulation, most often between days 12 and 16 of a woman’s cycle, is sufficient since sperm live an average of two days.
MYTH:
Fertility problems begin at 35.
FACT:
While women reach their fertile peak in their 20’s, fertility changes throughout a woman’s life. Some women remain fertile into their late 30’s, others experience fertility problems at a younger age. Experts say that chances of conceiving decline with age, particularly after the age of 35.
MYTH:
Single embryo transfer lowers the success rate of pregnancy.
FACT:
Women have a limited number of eggs. When they run out, the menopause occurs.
MYTH:
Cycling can make men infertile.
FACT:
Diabetes cause genetic damage to a man’s sperm that might affect his fertility.