10 Conception Misconceptions

If you've taken to doing handstands or headstands after sex (because your mom's-neighbor's-sister's-dog walker once tried it and then had triplets)—let us stop you right there. Turns out that hoisting your legs up, propping pillows under your butt and other awkward post-sex maneuverings do nothing to get those sperm cells any closer to your egg. So return to cuddling!

According to Jean Twenge, fertility researcher and author of "The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant," those little swimmers get there pretty darn fast. In one study Twenge cites, researchers put small, sperm-sized particles in the back of women's vaginas during their most fertile times. And guess what? Some found their way right to the fallopian tubes within one minute.

Those "perilous" baby-making years after 35 we've all been taught to fear are actually not so scary. In fact, Twenge points out that somewhere around 80 percent of women from ages 35 to 39 get pregnant naturally within a year—and that percentage is even higher for those who already have kids.

So what about those studies everyone's been citing for years now? The ones that have us imagining our eggs suddenly disappearing on the eve of our 35th birthdays? Apparently, there's really only been one such study so far. And it's way outdated. "The commonly cited statistic saying that 1 out of 3 women over 35 is infertile comes from a study of birth records from the 1700s in France," says Twenge. As for fertility after 40, it does dip; but only one study's explored this to-date, as well, and it revealed some promising stats: 60 percent of women between the ages of 40 and 43 became pregnant naturally, and all within six months.

When you're trying to conceive, there's nothing more annoying than constantly hearing, "Stop stressing; it will happen once you stop thinking about it!" Because, hey—you're trying to make a baby here! This stuff's kind of a big deal!

But there's no need to stress about getting stressed: "Normal, everyday stress such as worrying over getting pregnant does not decrease your chances of conceiving," says Twenge. "Being depressed or experiencing major stress might; but even studies with IVF patients have found that those who were more anxious weren't any less likely to get pregnant."

This one's kinda true. An egg is really only viable for 12 to 24 hours after being released, but you can release two or more eggs at various times within a 24-hour period. So it doesn't mean you can only get pregnant on one magical day.

And consider this: Sperm can live on in the body for up to five days. Still, there are a few days in particular you may want to zero in on. According to Twenge, your two most fertile ones are actually the two days before ovulation—not the day of.

While nobody should really be "getting the blame" in a matter like this, you can take comfort in knowing that most infertility cases are evenly split. The numbers do vary, but lots of studies have shown that somewhere between 20 and 40 percent of fertility problems are actually caused by male factors, while another 20 percent are a combo of both parties.

So how come women catch all the grief? Twenge says it's probably because we talk about infertility way more than men do, giving off the impression that it's our issue alone. But also, most male infertility cases can actually be solved more easily through simple procedures like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (or ICSI). In contrast, women with fertility problems usually turn to IVF, which hinges on a slew of factors that are more difficult to solve, like age.

Hey, orgasms are awesome. And they have been tied to some pretty amazing physiological perks like boosting your overall health and even making you look younger. But as far as helping you conceive? Only one recent study has been done to explore this—and it's pretty much squashed the possibility of it being true at all.

The theory behind this whole little mistruth stems from the notion that, during an orgasm, the mouth of the cervix lowers itself in the vagina, bringing the sperm back up with it. But according to Twenge, there just doesn't seem to be enough evidence to support it.

It seems to make sense: You've been suppressing ovulation for so long and getting a regular dose of hormones your body isn't producing itself. Naturally, this should throw your cycle way out of whack once you stop taking it, right? Not necessarily, says Twenge.

While a few studies have found it could take a few months to get back to normal ovulation cycles post-Pill, that isn't always the case. And one thing's for sure: The Pill definitely doesn't have any long-term effects on your fertility. So fear not.

It's always a good thing to be regular when it comes to your period. But Aunt Flo doesn't have to arrive like clockwork each month to make a baby happen. "A woman can have the most perfect cycles in the world and not get pregnant if her tubes are blocked or her husband has a low sperm count," says Twenge.

Still, an on-time period has one major perk you should thank your lucky stars for: It makes it a lot easier to pinpoint when you're ovulating. (Though those at-home ovulation kits are pretty helpful, too.)

Antioxidants have gotten a lot of praise over the last decade or so. They've been rumored to help fight against everything from cancer to Alzheimer's. But unfortunately, recent research has proven it's been a whole lot of hype. Same goes for the claims that it's a serious fertility booster. A recent study did show that taking 750 mg of antioxidant-rich vitamin C a day helped some women with shorter periods; but according to Twenge it wasn't conclusive, and a lot more studies need to be done before we know for sure.

If you really want to do your body a favor when it comes to staying fertile, eat a healthy and clean diet. According to Twenge, there may not be any "magic fertility foods" out there, but there are some anti-fertility boosters we know about. Here's one biggie: anything with trans fats. Apparently, they cause ovulatory disorders, so you may want to lay off those french fries.

Testes like to be cool (hence their whole hanging low, away from the body thing), since sperm need to be kept at lower temperatures than the rest of the body. Lifting them up closer to the body actually causes them to be warmer, thereby leading some sperm to overheat and die off.

According to Twenge, a recent study that "looked a scrotal temperatures, sperm count and lots of other variables … showed that sperm count wasn't affected by underwear type." Another thing to keep in mind about sperm: There are a ton of 'em to go around. In just one ejaculation, somewhere between 40 million and 1.2 billion sperm are released. (Yes—seriously.) And while only a small portion of them survive ejaculation (thanks to the semi-hostile environment that is your vagina), there are still lots left over to make the journey to your egg.