Truth Be Told

Common Infertility Myths

By Michele St. Martin

The issue of infertility is often misunderstood, even by well-educated people. Until recently, infertility was not often discussed publicly or even privately. Media reports about the topic have focused on sensational stories of multiple births, doing little to disseminate accurate information about a topic that affects so many people. The myths surrounding infertility are numerous; here are the most common statements, accompanied by their truths.

This is the most prevalent of all myths having to do with infertility, and it's long-standing – thousands of years old, back to Biblical times and perhaps earlier. If a couple was unable to have a child, the woman was thought to be "barren."

In fact, according to Resolve, a national infertility advocacy organization, men and women are about equally responsible when it comes to infertility. In the United States, about 35 percent of infertility cases are solely due to female-related problems. About the same number are solely male-related. Twenty percent are due to a combination of male and female factors, and about 10 percent are unexplained.

In the 1950s, technology to test a man's sperm and to collect and preserve donor sperm became available. The first commercial sperm bank opened in the early 1970s. Since then, hundreds of thousands of couples have taken quiet advantage of this important breakthrough in family building.

Infertility is defined as an inability to conceive a child within one year of well-timed and unprotected intercourse (or six months if the woman is older than 35) or an inability to carry a child to term. It is much more prevalent than commonly thought; one in six couples has a problem conceiving a child.

Most infertile couples have heard, at least once, "Relax and you'll conceive," "Don't try so hard" or "Maybe you should take a vacation." In reality, stress is not a cause of infertility, though it can frequently be a side effect of it. Infertility is a result of a problem or problems in the reproductive system, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Advising infertile couples that they should "just relax," when what they have is a medical problem, isn't helpful and may be hurtful. A vacation doesn't magically clear up blocked fallopian tubes or raise a low sperm count. Couples do tend to have more sex when they're away from their daily routines and responsibilities, and so if the couple in question is one of the (very rare) few for whom infertility is caused by infrequent intercourse, a vacation can be a boon.

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