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Published in General on Apr 13th 2020

Debunked Myths About Infertility That Need to Go Away

According to Resolve, the National Infertility Association, approximately one in eight couples will struggle with infertility and have trouble conceiving or carrying a baby to full term. In spite of infertility’s prevalence as well as the astounding amount of easily accessible information available about it online, the perception of infertility is often overshadowed by myths and fallacies, many of which have been debunked by experts over the years.

Whether you’re thinking about your fertility health or know someone who is struggling with infertility, it’s time for all of us to officially put these myths to rest. Here are some of the most common infertility myths that continue to persist and need to go away.

1. Infertility Affects Only Women

While female infertility certainly gets more coverage in the media, the fact is that male infertility can also play a role in a couple’s inability to conceive. There are many medical, lifestyle, and environmental factors that can cause male factor infertility, including:

• Low sperm count
• Abnormal sperm
• Sperm with low motility
• Hormonal imbalances
• Chromosomal defects
• Smoking
• Exposure to industrial chemicals
• Obesity

However, male infertility continues to be a poorly understood medical topic. We need to be more proactive in raising awareness about male infertility.

2. “Just Relax and You’ll Get Pregnant”

Although stress can definitely have an impact on your overall health, including fertility, it’s damaging and insensitive to tell someone to “just relax” when they are trying to get pregnant. While there are countless anecdotes about people who got pregnant by accident or after they stopped trying, these stories aren’t representative of every person’s fertility journey. There are a myriad of medical reasons why someone is unable to achieve pregnancy naturally, no matter how much they relax.

3. Young Women Don’t Have to Worry About Their Fertility Health

It’s a well-known fact that getting pregnant becomes more difficult as you get older. However, that doesn’t mean that being young will automatically guarantee that you will experience perfect fertility health. Not only are there medical conditions, such as endometriosis, that can affect your fertility, but there are also specific lifestyle factors that younger women in particular should be mindful of.

For younger women looking to be proactive about their fertility or overall health now, it’s important to make healthy lifestyle choices, including:

• Eating a healthy diet
• Exercising regularly
• Practicing safe sex and using protection
• Not smoking
• Limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption

Most of all, in order to be really empowered in terms of fertility health, younger women should be diligent in scheduling and attending their annual well-woman exams. Doing so will not only give you more control over your overall health, but it will also give you an early insight into any issues that may impact your fertility later on down the road.

To bust these pervasive myths, it’s important that we all inject the social conversation with facts. To learn more about infertility, contact Pacific Women’s Obstetrics & Gynecology today.