Usually, when we make videos about myths, mistakes, or advice about pregnancy, nutrition, fibroids, or cancer, we choose only 10 of the most important elements. But in the case of fertility, the truth is we received so many questions that it was impossible to narrow it down to less than 20. So we split it into two versions: one for women and one for men. Today, I want to explain 10 myths about getting pregnant, or myths about female fertility. Some are 100% false, and others are true under certain conditions. Remember, knowledge is success.

It’s going to take a long time to get pregnant because I took birth control pills… No, that’s completely false. Normally, a woman regains her fertility within one or two months at most after taking birth control pills. At Creafam, we have patients who have become pregnant within a week of stopping the pill.

Now, birth control pills are an excellent treatment for:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Irregular periods
• Thickened endometrium (Endometrial hyperplasia)
• Thin endometrium (Endometrial atrophy)
• and other hormonal disorders

So, we often see patients who have likely had one of these conditions since childhood, but since they take birth control pills, it’s almost as if they’ve been self-medicating for years, and when they stop taking the pill, all these hidden problems manifest. Whether before or after taking birth control pills, I would recommend a gynecological consultation, at least to determine whether or not there is an underlying condition that could appear in the medium term.

You can’t get pregnant while breastfeeding… This myth is a lie. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Why? Because a breastfeeding mother secretes a hormone called prolactin, and high prolactin levels tend to disrupt ovulation.

However, every woman is unique, and some women produce so much prolactin that it’s impossible for them to get pregnant. However, you may not produce that much, and you could get pregnant three or four months after giving birth.

If you want to avoid another pregnancy, I would recommend using condoms and not relying solely on prolactin.

Since I rarely menstruate or I’m very irregular, I can’t get pregnant… Most commonly, ovulation goes hand in hand with menstruation, but this isn’t always the case. Nutritional or hormonal imbalances, taking medications, or taking certain chemicals can alter your body’s functioning, and they don’t have to be extraordinary or out of the ordinary circumstances.

In theory, it’s possible for an intense orgasm to trigger ovulation. We have patients who haven’t had a period for one or two years and suddenly become pregnant due to lack of care. There are even cases in which menopause arrives and eggs are released for a couple of months, either naturally or with treatment.

In short, this myth is false. Irregular periods can make pregnancy difficult, but it is not synonymous with infertility.

As I just mentioned, a female orgasm can trigger the release of an egg, although this doesn’t mean that an orgasm must necessarily occur for ovulation to occur. It’s a good thing; it helps, but it’s not essential.

On the other hand, a male orgasm is practically obligatory for ejaculation to occur, but sperm can still be retained in the pre-seminal fluid and deposited in the vagina without an orgasm.

Within this category, we must also include cases such as coitus interruptus, that is, when the man ejaculates outside the woman, because there is still a possibility that some sperm could be deposited in the vagina. It’s unlikely, but it is possible.

So, to say that without an orgasm, there is no pregnancy is false.

It’s easy to untie the tubes… This myth is false and arises because, at least in Mexico, one in five births is a teenage pregnancy, between the ages of 15 and 19.

When this happens, it’s very common for doctors, parents, or partners to try to convince the woman to have her tubes tying, and the first thing they tell her is, “Don’t worry, we’ll just tie your tubes so that when you really want to get pregnant, they can untie them and that’s it.”

But the truth is that tying the fallopian tubes cuts off blood circulation, and part of the tube dies or atrophies, meaning it stops functioning. Therefore, to repair the tubes, a complex surgery must be performed to cut the atrophied part and reconnect the healthy segments.

I should elevate my legs after sex… Most of us think that sperm literally swim by themselves and make their way to the egg on their own, but in reality, there’s a whole series of events and processes that transport the semen to the egg.

After ejaculation, the semen is deposited in the vagina. No matter how virile the man is and how powerful his ejaculation is, the semen stays in the vagina and doesn’t pass beyond that. Then the muscles of the vagina begin to pull the semen toward the cervix, which is normally closed, covered by mucus and protected by a low pH.

Low pH is acidic, and this acidity is harmful to sperm and any invading microbes. But for a few minutes during intercourse, the cervix opens, the mucus dissolves, and the pH rises to allow the semen to pass through. All this happens very quickly, huh! 5, 10 minutes at the most, and then the cervix closes again, becomes coated, and becomes acidic.

This whole process is known as the rapid transport stage, and then comes the slow transport stage, in which the sperm now swim while being aided by the hairs or cilia that line the fallopian tubes. This journey can take a couple of days, and neither the sperm nor the fallopian tubes need the help of gravity to function.

But anyway, going back to the minutes of rapid transport, once the cervix closes, there’s little point in a woman elevating her legs or standing on her head. The sperm that remained in the vagina will no longer survive and will no longer be able to enter the uterus.

The fertility or conception cup is super effective… For the same reason that it’s pointless to stand on your head or elevate your legs, it’s also pointless to use a cup to retain sperm outside the cervix. In fact, they can be counterproductive, because if you’re having sex and the uterus begins to contract and produce movements to retain sperm, and just after your partner’s orgasm you stop intercourse to insert the cup, the uterus will stop contracting, and you yourself will ensure that fewer sperm reach the fallopian tubes.

As I mentioned in my video on methods for choosing your baby’s sex, in general, it’s a very bad idea to insert objects or chemicals into the vagina and expect that to improve fertility. Please don’t do that.

Stress causes infertility… No, stress does not cause infertility.

However, if stress prevents you from having a good relationship with your partner, if it prevents you from exercising and eating well, if stress keeps you from sleeping, or if it leads you to smoke, drink alcohol, or indulge in other vices, then yes, stress definitely affects your fertility.

If necessary, at Creafam we offer psychological support, either in person or online. In the meantime, try to maintain your daily routine, exercise, eat a balanced diet, sleep well, and maintain a harmonious relationship with your partner. This should improve your fertility.

It’s best to have sex as often as possible… In the vast majority of cases, women ovulate only once a month, around day 14 of their cycle. If you’d like, we have a fertility calculator at creafam.com/calculadora to help you find out which days are most fertile.

On the other hand, men produce new sperm all the time, but it can take up to 90 days for sperm to fully mature. While they mature, they remain stored in the testicles and epididymis. Having sex every day, or even several times a day, reduces the number of mature sperm.

In theory, a young, healthy man can produce more sperm more quickly than an older man with health problems and certain vices. But traditionally, the recommendation would be to have sex within the fertile days and alternate every other day. This way, the quantity and quality of mature sperm is maximized.

In vitro fertilization is the best method for achieving pregnancy… In vitro fertilization is the most effective treatment for achieving pregnancy, but it’s not necessarily the best for you.

For example, for a young, newlywed couple aged 25 and over, who were stressed because they didn’t achieve pregnancy on the first try, I definitely wouldn’t recommend in vitro fertilization. Although we know of several clinics that do exactly that: they come in for their first consultation, have one or two filler studies done, and then want to go straight to in vitro fertilization… No!

When it comes to fertility, there are dozens of options, such as timed intercourse, medications, insemination, or surgery reversals. At Creafam, we primarily perform in vitro fertilization for cases involving tubal ligation, vasectomy, if they want to choose their sex with certainty, or when there are almost no eggs or sperm. In other words, complicated cases in which the ideal is to play it safe and achieve pregnancy as soon as possible. When they are young or there is time, other options can be explored.