Fertility: Facts Vs Myths

Studies show that about 40% of infertility cases are caused by female factors, 40% by male factors and 20% by a combination of both.

Every woman has a different menstrual cycle. The normal range for a woman's menstrual cycle is anywhere between 24 to 36 days in length.

Ovulation generally, NOT necessarily occurs 14 days before the next expected menses. Therefore, it is crucial for you to note your cycle length, because you cannot calculate your fertile period from day 1 of current menses. Therefore, if you have regular cycles of 28 days, you will ovulate on Day 14; if your cycle is of 30 days, you will ovulate on Day 16. If you have a cycle length of 28- 30 days you will ovulate anytime between Day 14 to Day 16. However, even in women with absolutely regular cycles, the ovulation can occasionally occur 1- 2days earlier or later than the calculated day of ovulation.

Stress cannot delay your menstrual period, however it can delay ovulation. The number of days in your luteal phase (time between ovulation and your period) typically will remain constant with each cycle.

Although a woman's egg is only viable for 12 to 24 hours, she can actually get pregnant from an act of intercourse that occurs anytime from about five days prior to ovulation to as much as two days after, for a total of about seven possible days to get pregnant.

Birth control pills work by preventing a woman from ovulating through increased hormone levels. The hormone levels start to return to normal almost immediately once you quit taking them and you should begin to ovulate with the very next cycle.

Sometimes, men with normal sex drives may have no sperm at all and vice versa as there is no correlation between virility and fertility.

In fertile quality cervical fluid, sperm can survive for up to five days in a woman's reproductive system.

Although fertility drugs can increase the chances of having a multiple pregnancy, the majority of women taking them have single births.

Wish it was true! But infertility is a medical condition, which requires treatment. Although infertility can result in stress, stress cannot cause infertility.