Women and fertility frequently appear in the news. Whether it’s about the latest miracle drug or the fact some celebrity has managed to have a child over the age of 40, it’s always popping up. There are some things you should know, though. Consider this your additional resource when you need to find out some of the surprising facts about fertility.
- Overall Health Doesn’t Always Win
General good health will increase the fertility levels of most women. For some people, it doesn’t matter how healthy they are. Age is something you can’t control. Genetic conditions and a history of previous medical problems are also things you can’t control. These are all things which could make you infertile.
- Weight Does Matter
Being underweight matters just as much as being overweight. If you don’t have at least 22 per cent body fat you physically can’t ovulate normally. If you’re overweight your hormones won’t be balanced and you won’t be able to ovulate normally. You don’t have to turn into a fitness freak, but a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) will go a long way to making you fertile.
- Position Doesn’t Matter
It doesn’t really matter which sexual position you use. No study has ever proven for sure whether standing on your head does increase your chances of conceiving. There might be some benefit from continuing to lie on your back so the sperm stays inside your body, but you shouldn’t give your sexual positioning any real thought.
- Biological Clocks
If you’re dating an older man just because you can’t conceive doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. Older men still have biological clocks which reduce the potency of their sperm. Once they reach a certain age they have a much lower chance of being able to conceive.
- Ovulation Day
Women are only fertile for six days during the menstrual cycle. This often means couples attempting to have a child aren’t timing intercourse correctly. Try having sex in the five days leading up to ovulation day. Sperm can live in a female for up to three days, so you don’t have to keep having sex either.
- Underwear Doesn’t Matter
We all remember the concern over whether briefs led to a lower chance of fertility. This is a complete myth. Studies which have been released since this original conclusion was concocted have completely disproved everything. You can wear what you want because the difference in temperature, caused by wearing certain types of underwear, won’t have a big enough impact to seriously influence your fertility chances.
- Foods and Diets
Fertility diets are nothing but a myth cooked up by people who want to make money off of people’s desperation. Whilst there are changes you can make to your diet, such as reducing your consumption of processed foods, there’s no magic bullet. There’s no specific diet which increases the chances of a sperm cell meeting an egg. The best thing you can do is to retain a healthy diet and cut down on things like caffeine and alcohol.