Common Fertility Myths Busted

Fertility Problems Begin at 35

Facts show that fertility changes throughout a woman's life and doesn't suddenly decline when she turns 35. Rather, many women reach their fertile peak in their early twenties, says Dr. Shari Brasner, author of Advice From a Pregnant Obstetrician: An Inside Guide. This is an age when most women aren't even considering having children yet, says Dr. Brasner. But just because you're not thinking about children doesn't mean your biological clock isn't ticking. Knowing and understanding this from early adulthood can prevent a lot of heartbreak later on and give you realistic expectations about your chances of conceiving.

Infertility Is a Female Problem

For some reason, when a problem with fertility arises with a couple, the party responsible is often assumed to be the woman—yet this couldn't be further from the truth. According to Dr. Benjamin Rivnay, vice president of research and development at Repromedix, a specialty infertility testing lab in Woburn, Massachusetts, 40 percent of infertility problems are attributed to men. Another 40 percent is attributed to women, and about 20 percent of infertility problems can be attributed to both parties.

Good Health = Good
Although women have been conceiving babies since the beginning of time, false presumptions and myths about fertility abound. In a 15-question survey concerning basic fertility facts conducted by the American Fertility Association, only one out of 12,382 respondents answered all of the questions correctly! Just one!

What causes so many misconceptions about conception? Some are old wives' tales, others just hearsay or distorted science. They've either been around so long or they fit well enough into anecdotal experience that they aren't questioned as they should be. What it comes down to is that a lot of people have the wrong idea about humans' reproductive systems and how they work.

One of the most common myths about fertility—that being in good health means conception is more likely—is believed by many women, according to Dr. M. Singh, a reproductive endocrinologist at the William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan. "They feel that as long as they take care of themselves by eating properly and exercising, that fertility will not decline," says Dr. Singh. Yet this simply is not the case. Fertility declines as we age, regardless of health—and even though not smoking extends fertility, it does not prevent a decline altogether.

We've compiled some of the most common fertility myths and paired them up with the facts to set the record straight.

Daily Sex Helps Conception

Although it may be fun, having intercourse more frequently than normal will not necessarily increase a woman's chances of conception. Evidence shows that the potency of a man's sperm may not be depleted upon frequent intercourse, says Dr. Singh, but having sex every other day at the time of ovulation (most often between days 12 and 16 of a woman's menstrual cycle) is sufficient as "sperm can survive an average of two days."