Fact and fiction – Myths of infertility

How many times have you heard, “Just relax and you’ll get pregnant, it’ll happen when you least expect it”? This is one of the many myths of infertility. Many people who have not struggled with infertility don’t truly understand the magnitude of this statement. Relaxing can help everyone. However, stress is not a cause of infertility. Reducing your stress may not increase your chances of conceiving, but it may make the situation seem a lot better.

 Myths of infertility – People get pregnant easily

For me it seemed like everyone else around me was pregnant and yet I was unable to have a baby. Infertility affects 7.3 million people in the U.S. and 1 in every 8 couples have difficulty conceiving, so it is definitely not as easy as it seems.

Talking to many patients, a common thing I hear is I’ve had a baby before, so I shouldn’t have a problem getting pregnant this time. This is another of the myths of infertility.

Secondary infertility is a very common and over one million couples have difficulty conceiving a second child. There are many factors that can contribute to secondary infertility such as age (even if it has been only 1-2 years), scarring of uterus after birth, hormonal changes, irregular ovulation, or tubal disease.

There is a common misconception that you can wait until you are in your 40’s to start trying to conceive

I think a lot of this stems from celebrities’ success stories of how their fertility treatments were successful. While it is not impossible to get pregnant later in life, it is well known that at age 35, fertility begins to decline more rapidly. Women are born with the maximum number of eggs they will ever have. As women age the quantity/quality of eggs decrease, yielding a higher chance of abnormal eggs which causes lower pregnancy rates and a higher risk of miscarriage.

Many people believe that infertility is only a woman’s problem. Infertility is non selective and it affects men and women equally. A lot of times it can be a combination of both male and female factors that contribute to a couple having difficulty conceiving.

It is very important to know that there are many myths associated with infertility. Infertility is a disease, but is one of the few curable diseases. Don’t believe everything that you hear and make sure to follow up with your fertility specialist with any questions you may have. You have the ability to preserve your fertility and be successful in creating the family you always dreamed of.

For more information about the myths of infertility, please visit www.txfertility.com.