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I Should Do What to Get Pregnant?

Crazy Fertility Advice: Fact vs. Fiction

By Kelly Burgess

Ever heard of drinking Robitussin cough syrup to increase your chances of getting pregnant? How about sniffing the head of a newborn baby, standing on your head after intercourse or putting a frozen bag of vegetables on your partner's testicles (always a hit in the bedroom)?

These are some of the so-called "suggestions" that researchers for Fertility LifeLines heard from women in focus groups as they were developing their service, which is aimed at education and support for people with fertility health concerns. Barri Falk, vice president of marketing for reproductive health for Serono, the biotechnology company that sponsors the service, says they were surprised at the number of crazy things people heard from friends, family and acquaintances – especially in an age when we think of ourselves as better informed than ever.

Pamela Madsen of New York, N.Y., is a bit of an expert on crazy fertility advice. Both of her sons were born via IVF (in vitro fertilization), and she says she really hasn't seen much in the way of attitude changes toward people with fertility problems in the 17 years since her oldest was born. As far as advice is concerned, her pet peeves are "just relax" and "why don't you just adopt?"

While these may not rise to the level of "crazy," she feels that the first indicates a "blame the victim" mentality, and the second insults adoptive children, as if they're just a means to a "better" end. Not to mention the fact that both are misleading for people who need high-tech help, not platitudes and anecdotes.

"If [infertility] were that easy to solve, there wouldn't be any fertility problems," Madsen says. "Bad advice is like [a cockroach]: you can't kill it, and the Internet has just given it all new life, because you can find all of these suggestions on sites that may seem to know what they're talking about."

Want to see more?

• Cold Medications and Conception: Can Treating Your Cold Affect Early Pregnancy or Conception?
• Acupuncture and Infertility: The Basics of Acupuncture for Fertility
• Fertility and Flexibility: Yoga When You're Trying to Conceive
• 10 Myths About Conceiving: Falsehoods That Could Hold You Up
• Join the discussion on our Family.com community!

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