Myths and realities about getting pregnant

No one questions that in order to get pregnant it is essential to have sex on fertile days. However, the chances of achieving a pregnancy depend on three factors: the age of the woman, the quality of the sperm and the degree of fertility of the couple. There are many false beliefs around this topic. Therefore, it is necessary to dismantle myths and solve the main pre-existing doubts that couples have while looking for a pregnancy.

The most practical is to time intercourse three days before and on the same day of ovulation. To find out when does ovulation occur, you have to consider the usual length of the menstrual cycles. If the cycle is 28 days long, ovulation is likely to occur on the 14th day of the cycle, but if it lasts 27 days, ovulation will probably take place on the 13th day. However, this calculation is not always accurate, so it is better not to restrict intercourse to a single day. We know that sperm remains vital in the tubes for three days while waiting to fertilise the oocyte during the following 24 hours after ovulation. The best is to have intercourse on these four days.

Folic acid should be taken before pregnancy since its intake helps to prevent serious alterations of the spinal cord and brain and also other defects such as cleft lip. The development of the neural tube of the embryo starts very early, before even knowing that you are pregnant, so it is good to start taking folic acid a month before trying.

The main food sources of folates are vegetables. However, these are sensitive to all culinary processes and their content is lost in cooking water, steam or oil. If taken raw, there are also differences in the degree of absorption of folic acid in the diet. Therefore, it is recommended to take pharmacological folic acid, which is better absorbed than food.

The chances of getting pregnant in each cycle are related to ovarian age, which does not necessarily have to coincide with the biological age of the woman. However, the best indicator is the level of Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in the blood. The Basal Antral Follicle Count by using ultrasound is also a good indicator. Women are born with a predetermined number of oocytes that they lose each month from puberty onward. Some are born with a smaller endowment and others lose more than the usual each cycle. That is why it is important to test the ovarian reserve when undergoing the gynaecological check-up.

Ejaculating more often improves the sperm quality. Indeed, the higher the frequency of ejaculations, the better is the quality of the semen. It is also a good stimulus for the formation of sperm in the testicles. As it happens with muscles, the function trains the organ.

For more information: