TOP FERTILITY MYTHS AND FACTS – INFO FROM A DENVER FERTILITY CLINIC

Everyone is more or less aware of what needs to be done to become pregnant. Once the baby is conceived, many couples read books and articles to ensure the baby is safe and healthy while in the uterus. However, in the fast paced world we live in, we often forget to focus on health and well-being in many of our daily choices before conception.  The male and female partner’s health plays a large role in the chance of a successful conception.

Myth: Age really doesn’t matter.

Myth: Weight and nutrition are not important.

Being unhealthy in terms of weight can and does have impact on pregnancy and conception. Being really thin or obese can both be problematic factors. Those who are underweight have a lower nutrition level, which interferes with the ability to ovulate normally.

Obese women are also at risk to have problems with infertility as high weight means issues in hormonal functioning, and hence, processes associated with getting pregnant and also conception.

Myth: Smoking is fine as long as you quit during pregnancy.

Smoking of any kind at any point in time is not healthy and may reduce fertility levels significantly. This is true in case of both assisted and normal conception. Whether you are considering pregnancy or not, for the purpose good health, consider quitting your smoking habit.

Myth: Specific food can increase or decrease fertility.

This is false. There is no proven research or statistics to support the belief that certain kinds of food like yam, soy, and others can help who couples who are trying to conceive become more fertile. Eat as much as you want of healthy food, which is definitely going to improve your levels of energy and fitness, but this will have little or no effect on your fertility.

Myth: Caffeine in moderation is detrimental to fertility.

This is a myth. Although research in mice supports this fact, it’s not likely to be an important factor in people trying to conceive. On the other hand, it is advisable to drink caffeine containing drinks in moderation and excesses of anything, including caffeine, will have an impact on your overall health.

Women who underwent stress reduction courses had better results when trying IVF.  Since stress does hurt our body in many ways, it would be natural to conclude that its effect on pregnancy is detrimental, so decreasing one’s stress to conceive is a good idea.

This statement is probably false. Studies have shown that IVF success is decreased if women drank more than 4 alcoholic beverages per month in the 4 months preceding an IVF attempt. While data has not evaluated the average person trying to conceive spontaneously, there is some data to suggest that alcohol may be detrimental in IVF treatment cycles.  Since its best not to drink in pregnancy just stop while trying to conceive.

Myth: Prescription drugs have no effects on conception.

You should discuss with your Colorado fertility doctor about the medication you are on and what can be done to ensure a good chance of conception. This is especially true if you are on anti-depressants, which can interfere with prolactin levels and subsequently conception.

Some medications may interfere with a partner’s sperm count, cause erectile dysfunction or alter menstrual cycles.

Myth: Chemicals can interfere with fertility and conception.

Certain studies show that chemicals like Bisphenol (BPA) are detrimental to conception and fertility.  Mixed evidence and controversies are there regarding fertility studies on this matter, but perflouronated chemicals present in Teflon have been shown to interfere with the menstrual cycle in people.