Myths are something that becomes worse and worse as they spread, to a point that some of them could become outright dangerous. Let us not compromise your health and fertility to these myths, especially when you are about to bring a little precious life to your life. 

So here are some common myths that had been debunked for you, read on-

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• Myth 1: Having sex every day will increase the chances of conceiving

In order to maximize their chances of pregnancy, couples seeking to conceive are recommended to have frequent intercourse. However, having intercourse every day will probably wear you out, especially because it can take many couples 6 to 12 months to conceive. To increase the likelihood that sperm will still be available to fertilize an egg once ovulation takes place, most general practitioners advise having sex every two to three days. Sperm can live for up to five days after discharge, and predicting ovulation is an imperfect science.

• Myth 2: You can’t get pregnant when you are menstruating

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Women can conceive from intercourse during menstruation because they may ovulate early and sperm can survive for up to 5 days after release, despite the fact that the hormones that cause menstruation are the opposite of those needed for pregnancy to occur, pregnancy can happen at any moment throughout a cycle, according to research that indicates that women can become fertile as early as day 4 of their cycle (day one is considered the first day of bleeding).

• Myth 3: You can only conceive from sex on the day that you ovulate

While an egg can wait to be fertilized for a day after it is released from the ovaries, the sperm can survive up to 5 days after being released during intercourse. Technically, a woman can conceive 5 days prior to up to 2 days after the ovulation, meaning a week of the fertile window in her menstrual cycle. 

• Myth 4: A normal menstrual cycle is 28 days

This myth originated from the 28-day pills that regulate your menstrual cycle and makes the cycle length 28 days as well. Menstrual cycles may range between 24 to 36 days. It varies from woman to woman whereas the same woman may not have the same cycle length every month. 

• Myth 5: Lying down with legs raised after sex will increase the chances of getting pregnant

There is no scientific evidence to support this, some people claim it helps, and why not, it certainly isn’t harmful. But laying down immediately after intercourse could help.

• Myth 6: You can get everything you need from diet and don’t need to take supplements

Not true. Women are advised to take supplements such as Folic Acid daily for a period of time during pregnancy. Taking Folic Acid is extremely important for neural tube development in the baby. As far as diet is concerned, not all of us can have a perfectly balanced diet all the time, so taking supplements is specially made to help with conception and/or pregnancy. So make sure that you take your supplements. 

Let us make sure that we fact-check every piece of advice we get that is not from a medical professional. Myths are not worth our fertility.

References:

Fehring RJ, Schneider M, Raviele K (2006) Variability in phases of the menstrual cycle. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 35: 376-384

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