If you are trying to get pregnant and searched a bit on fertility or infertility, you have probably been bombarded with information, advice and tips. You might still only be trying to figure out when your ovulation happens, but getting pregnant seems quite a lot mor complicated these days.
Don't believe everything you hear or read, while some is amusing there are plenty of myths around fertility and infertility.
“Most women get pregnant easily”
While some women seem to get pregnant with no effort, there are many couple that struggle. While age in todays modern society is a big factor, there are many other issues that can hinder a pregnancy. One in six Irish couples have problems getting pregnant.“Infertility is something that only happens to women”
A heartbreaking myth that has followed women for centuries. Women are naturally the focus of a successful pregnancy, but equally under scrunity when it fails. While women are the main cause of infertility, as many as 30% of cases are only due to male infertility issues, in 20% of cases the cause is unknown, according to Professor Robert F Harrison, former head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. While 50% of infertility issues lie with women, in most cases it is a combination of many factors in both male and female that causes the infertility.“Infertility is a psychological, not a physical problem”
Caring friends and family will comment that it's all in your head, that as soon as you stop worrying or stressing about it, it will happen. While stress and worry does have a part to play, infertility is caused by physical issues. It is not stress that causes infertility, its infertility that causes stress.“Once you've had a baby, you won't have trouble getting pregnant again”
While hormonal changes in a woman can facilitate a second pregnancy, many can develop complications such as endometriosis. If the cause for infertility was due to a man's sperm production, the problems will persist when trying to get pregnant again.“You can't have blocked tubes if you've never had symptoms of a pelvic infection”
Pelvic infections do not always cause symptoms you notice, but they can still cause damage to your fallopian tubes. While you might otherwise be healthy, scarring on the fallopian tubes can cause infertility or ectopic pregnancies.“When a couple gives up or adopts, they usually get pregnant”
A painful statement for most couples suffering of infertility. According to statistics from the US only 5% of couples that adopt get pregnant.“If you try long enough it will happen”
If there is a problem it will have to be addressed, no amount of positive thinking is going to solve it. It is important to remember that infertility is a medical problem that at times cannot be treated. It is true that, depending slightly on you age, you should at least try for a year before year before starting to worry about fertility.“You are more likely to have twins when you take fertility drugs”
When a woman gets any of the more modern fertility medications available, her hormone leveles are closely monitored. The medication is adapted as to avoid multiple pregnancies. With IVF couples are consulted and given a choice of how many embryos are reintroduced, in most ethical clinics the limit would be a maximum of two embryos. It depends on the quality of the embryos, age of the mother and other health issues.
“As long as the woman is strong and healthy, age will not make a difference”
While a healthy lifestyle will improve your fertility, many women are having children later in life, regardless how healthy you are age does play a role in your fertility. Fertility declines with a woman's age, and the decline starts as early as when a woman is aged 20. According to the Merrion Fertility Clinic in Dublin, 6% of women will experience infertility y the age of 30 and as many as 33% at the age of 40.
Do you have any great tips to share?