Is There Any Truth to Old Wives Tales, Myths and Superstitions About Conceiving ?

Old wives tales are called such because in past days, grandmother and aged aunts passed down ideas, methods and cures from their elders to the younger generations around them. The elder females of the family attended a woman in the family way. Often a midwife was called in, the most respected and trusted of which would be a woman of at least middle age.

Any woman considering becoming a mother seeks advice. Some speak with mothers, grandmothers or aunts. Most look to female friends who already have children. The question, of course is, "How can I get pregnant?" One would think that this would be a no-brainer, especially if the woman in question has a man (or more) in her life.

The maternal yearning that can drive a woman to distraction can sometimes suspend logic. Logic has very little to do with this primordial ache, as I am personally aware. However, I am one of those females who can conceive walking by a men's locker room. I know it isn't that easy for most.

GettingPregnant.co.uk offers a list of conception myths and the truth (as we now it) behind them.

Many believe frequent sex will increase their chances of conception. Quantity doesn't equal success. Each woman has a cycle, or rhythm. Some have a 28 day cycle, others are on a 21 day cycle. In the past, women marked their cycles by moon phases. This proved difficult, as many wives were kept pregnant for years at a time. From early teens to late 40s, women were expected to bear as many children as they could. This seems to stem from high mortality rates of women and children. More pregnancies meant more children had a chance to survive to adulthood.

GettingPregnant.co.uk states "Timing is way more important in getting pregnant than frequency." Take a few months to pay attention to your cycle. You are most fertile is during ovulation. Estronaut.com suggests counting the days of your cycle to determine when ovulation occurs. The timing is approximately 14 days before your actual cycle, plus or minus a day or two.

Another method involves noting any excessive vaginal mucus discharge and tracking body temperature with a basal thermometer. All of these suggestions are part of the rhythm method. The rhythm is used also to prevent conception. You must be meticulous (obsessive?) in your counting and calculations. I'm personally acquainted with women who keep up with their cycles, and can predict their period within days.

Another unproven idea for using the rhythm is having sex exactly 14 days before your period. According to GettingPregnant.co.uk "Unless you have a perfect 28-day cycle... you won't necessarily ovulate on day 14". However, sex during the 12-14 days before your cycle, during ovulation, can and does increase the chance of conception.

When can be far more important than how. During ovulation, the mucus on the cervix is thicker, making capturing sperm easier. This happens no matter where you (and he) are when he ejaculates. Some is bound to leak out (as many of us have found come laundry day) but that extra bit of mucus on the cervix can increase your chances of holding on to enough sperm to make getting pregnant that much more likely.

GettingPregnant.co.uk

Estronaut.com