Myths and 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.