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FERTILITY BELIEFS - FACT OR FICTION

Trying for a baby may be fun but it's not always easy. If you're worried that one of you may be infertile, it's best to get your facts straight. The issue of fertility is surrounded by myths and we've looked at the ten most common beliefs to make sure you know fact from fiction.

1) Hot baths can make men infertile: fact

Recent research from the University of California has proved that men should avoid overheating their sperm. The study, which involved avoiding hot baths, found that after three to six months half of the men's sperm counts had increased by five times. What's more their sperm mobility had improved - a quality vital for natural conception.

And it's not just baths that are a problem; anything that increases the temperature in the groin can affect sperm production, including using a laptop or sitting down (for instance driving) for a long time. Testicles hang outside the body for an important reason: to keep them cooler than the rest of the body.

2) Urinating after sex stops a woman getting pregnant: fiction

Sitting on the loo after sex doesn't mean you're flushing the sperm away; healthy cervical mucus catches sperm and hangs on to them.

But it's a common myth, recently exposed by a poll carried out by the Family Planning Association. They found that a third of people incorrectly thought that urinating after sex, douching (washing the vagina) or even exercising after sex, could prevent pregnancy, and 89 per cent did not realise that sperm could live inside a woman's body for up to seven days.

3) Your weight affects your fertility: fact

One in 10 infertility problems can be weight-related. For men, excess body fat affects the production of a hormone essential for successful sperm production. A man's Body Mass Index when the couple are trying to conceive ideally needs to be between 20 and 25.

For women, weight is more likely to cause problems, such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, during pregnancy. Obesity could soon affect a woman's chances of receiving fertility treatments such as IVF. The British Fertility Society is recommending that women with a body mass index of over 36 (obese is classed as having a BMI of over 29) should not be allowed access to fertility treatment.

4) Mobile phones kill sperm: fact

A number of recent research projects have found a link between mobile phone usage and male fertility. Findings from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine showed that men who made calls on a mobile for more than four hours a day had the worst sperm count and the worst quality sperm.

In another study, American researchers and doctors in Mumbai, India looked at 360 men who attended a fertility clinic and classified them into groups according to their sperm count. The results showed that the men who used a mobile for four hours a day had a 25 per cent lower sperm count than those who'd never used a mobile.

And don't think you're ok if you're just carrying your phone around with you all day. Hungarian scientists claim that just having your phone in your pocket can cause damage.

5) Fertility drugs mean multiple pregnancies: fiction

Scared that IVF with leave you with triplets? When IVF was in its early stages, multiple births were fairly common as many embryos were placed into the womb in order to increase chances of success.

However these days the process is much more advanced and generally only two embryos are placed into the womb; there's currently discussion about reducing it to just one depending on the age of the woman.

Statistics show that nearly 15 births in every 1000 in the UK are multiple - and this includes those conceived naturally as well as via IVF.

6) All women ovulate on day 14: fiction

If only it were this simple. Even though most women are only able to conceive for a few days around the day they ovulate, finding that time is a tricky business. All women are different and so are our menstrual cycles - day 14 is just an average.

Try using an ovulation test (Clearblue do one, available from Boots) to really get to grips with your cycle.

7) Sperm only live a few days: fiction

Sperm can live for up to seven days inside a woman. A woman's egg can live for between 12 and 24 hours, so put the two together and you've got one week a month where you should be having a LOT of sex!

8) Women are more prone to infertility than men: fiction

This myth's origins probably lie in pure sexism. In reality, infertility is about 40 per cent men, 40 per cent women and 20 per cent both.

9) If you've had one baby, you'll be able to have another: fiction

Having one child does not mean you can't experience a fertility problem when you try to have another. This is called secondary infertility and it can be due to a number of factors including your increased age, and changes in your weight, diet and general health.

10) Stress causes infertility: false

There's no denying that stress gets in the way of baby-making; for one thing if you're stressed you probably don't have the time or inclination to have much sex.

However the direct cause of infertility is more likely to be a clinical, rather than psychological problem. This doesn't mean it's not worth tackling the stress in your life in order to boost your chances of conceiving - you'll be more relaxed, healthier and have more time for each other.