Fertility and conception myths busted
With so much material written on the subject of fertility and conception, many inevitably contain misinformation. These misconceptions can be confusing – leading people to make their own conclusions, and it is important for people searching for answers to understand that opinions do not equate to facts, says leading gynaecologist at King’s Fertility Clinic, Dr. Ippokratis Sarris. Here, he dispels some myths surrounding fertility and conception to arm those trying for a baby with the plain facts.
Diet changes
"There are several myths involving specific diets and following exercises that allegedly have been 'proven' to increase your chances of fertility. Yet, there are very few studies and hardly any evidence to support or dispute any of these claims.
"In order to improve your chances of fertility, it is common sense to have a healthy lifestyle and a non-sedentary life, as well as having a balanced diet, and possibly taking a simple multivitamin supplementation, which can include folic acid and vitamin D.
"When it comes to supplementing with herbal remedies, some Chinese herbs, for example, do have active ingredients within them and there is a lot of interest and work surrounding these. But, as it is still not fully understood how these work, it is impossible to predict how they are going to interact with conventional medication if taken concurrently. Occasionally, these may directly interfere with the medication that a fertility doctor prescribes. It is important, therefore, to speak to a medical practitioner before embarking on any kind of alternative course of treatment at the same time."
Seeking alternative therapies
"Claims that reflexology or energy healing, for example, improve fertility are often made by alternative therapists and practitioners which are not based on factual evidence.
"It is true to say that lack of evidence does not always equate to lack of efficacy, meaning that just because you don’t have evidence for something it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work – but what you can’t do is claim that something works when there is no proper scientific evidence to support this claim. Even when studies are quoted as proof of efficacy, when you break these down, they are more often than not poorly designed and poorly executed, riddled with bias and lack of control groups. If we subjected many of these claims to the same scientific rigour and scrutiny required by regulatory bodies to approve modern conventional medicine treatments, they would not be approved.
"I do not routinely recommend any alternative therapies to my patients. Nevertheless, if people think that a particular course of treatment or an alternative therapy might help their general wellbeing and mental state of mind, if it doesn’t interfere with the treatment I plan to provide as a fertility doctor, I do not actively dissuade the patient from trying them. However, I am duty bound to at least inform them of the lack of evidence surrounding these.
"As long as the patient is aware of the financial cost and the actual benefit of the treatment rather than the perceived benefit, I think that alternatives therapies might play a role in helping my patients achieve a better state of mental wellbeing. A positive frame of mind can only be helpful for those trying to conceive."
The contraceptive pill
"Something that people often assume a myth is that of contraception medication reducing your chances of fertility. When on the contraceptive pill, it will prevent one from getting pregnant, but between 80-to-90 per cent of people who stop taking the pill are able to conceive within a year. For the vast majority of women that come off the pill, their periods will resume fairly quickly. However, for a minority, it might take some time become the menstrual cycle return to normal.
"Conversely, another common misconception regarding the contraceptive pill is that because it stops eggs being released it means that there will be more eggs remaining for use later in life. In fact, a woman’s egg reserve decreases with time regardless of if the ovaries release an egg monthly or not.
"Although the pill does not cause fertility problems, it can sometimes mask what otherwise would have been recognised as a menstrual abnormality – amongst other conditions that can go unrecognised for example are: premature menopause; polycystic ovarian syndrome; endometriosis and heavy periods due to fibroids."
Use of other contraceptive methods
"There are some contraceptive methods that when discontinued can cause a delay in your fertility returning – such as the Depo-Provera, or contraception injection [this releases the hormone progestogen into your bloodstream to prevent pregnancy]. But most forms of contraceptive methods, once discontinued, should lead to a rapid restoration of once’s levels of fertility."
Your sexual health history
"It’s really important for both women and men to be conscious of their sexual health. For women, some sexual transmitted disease can cause problems with fertility. If these go untreated – the most common example being chlamydia, or any infection that causes pelvic inflammatory disease for that matter – it can lead to blocking of the fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes connect the ovaries (where eggs are released from) to the inside of the womb (through which the sperm will ascend to meet the egg). It’s vital to be wary of this, as any tubal damage can lead to infertility. The trouble is that chlamydia is often asymptomatic, and can also lead to male infertility. Epididymitis is an inflammation of the epididymis, a tube located at the top of the testicles that stores and carries sperm.
"Condoms only partially protect from sexually transmitted diseases, which is why both men and women should consider being regularly tested, and if found to carry an infection follow through with treatment and follow advice concerning contacting tracing is important."
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