It’s unfortunate that in our scientific day and age, where modern technology has unlocked so many of the riddles of how our bodies actually work, that there are still so many “old wives’ tales” that abound when it comes to health. And of course infertility is no exception. Folk remedies and treatments, rumor and innuendo, are all common when it comes to dealing with problems getting pregnant.
So let’s take a look at some of the most common myths aroundinfertility, and more importantly what is the real truth behind them? Here are the top three:
Myth #1: It’s always the woman’s fault.
Not true! As we discussed in the article on male factor infertility, pregnancy may rely solely on the woman and her system, but conception is a 50/50 split between the man and the woman. It’s their responsibility equally, and most studies have shown that in cases of infertility, the problem is as often the man’s as it is the woman’s, or it’s a combination of both of them.
For generations, it was always thought that a woman’s identity was wrapped up in her ability to produce children, but hopefully modern methods of understanding the human body can set those thoughts aside. It’s also helpful to get away from this myth because if the problem is due to something in the man’s system, the solutions are obviously very different to those relating to problems with the woman’s system.
Myth #2: You can’t conceive after 35 without medical intervention.
There’s probably a lot of moms who had babies over 35 and even into their 40’s who would challenge this myth loudly and clearly! Yes, it’s true that a woman’s reproductive system slows down as she ages, as does so many other parts of her system, but there is no magic “cut off age” of when conception can no longer occur.
As long as she is ovulating and her uterus is in a condition where it can receive a fertilized egg, and she is with a man who has healthy sperm, then she has a chance to get pregnant.
Myth #3: It’s all in your head.
Stress does take a great toll on the body, not just mentally and emotionally, but physically as well. It saps your energy and upsets your balance of hormones. It’s also a great distraction that can cause your muscles to go tense and your breathing to become labored.
But it’s also shortsighted to think that all fertility problems are stress related. Modern science has given us a window into the human body like never before. We can see in a lab how there are physical issues that result in infertility, including low sperm count, poor sperm motility, malformed sperm, lack of ovulation, and damage to the uterus, among so many other causes.
Thinking that infertility is just a mental or emotional problem is dangerous because it can cause someone to waste valuable and precious time when they should be seeing their physician.
The following video offers some more insights into infertility myths…
So if you are able to set aside the common myths surrounding infertility, then you can better see how you will be able to address this problem correctly.
