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Myth or fact: If a couple is having trouble conceiving a child, the man should try wearing loose underwear? That's a fact, according to a study on "Tight-fitting Underwear and Sperm Quality" published June 29, 1996, in the scientific journal The Lancet. Tight-fitting underwear--as well as hot tubs and saunas--is not recommended for men trying to father a child because it may raise testes temperature to a point where it interferes with sperm production.
But couples having difficulty getting pregnant can tell you the solution is almost never as simple as wearing boxers instead of briefs. Lisa (who asked that her last name not be used) tried for more than two years to get pregnant without success. "Everyone gave me advice," she says. "My mother said I should just go to church and pray more. My friends said, 'Try to relax and not think about it' or 'You're just overstressed. You work too much.'
"Actually, psychological stress is more likely a result of infertility than the cause, according to Resolve, a nonprofit consumer organization specializing in infertility.
"Fertility problems are a huge psychological stressor, a huge relationship stressor," says Lisa Rarick, M.D., director of the Food and Drug Administration's division of reproductive and urologic drug products.
So, while going on a relaxing vacation may temporarily relieve the stress that comes with fertility problems, a solution may require treatment by a health-care professional. Treatment with drugs such as Clomid or Serophene (both clomiphene citrate) or Pergonal, Humegon or Metrodin (all menotropins) are used in some cases to correct a woman's hormone imbalance. Surgery is sometimes used to repair damaged reproductive organs. And in about 10 percent of cases, less conventional, high-tech options like in vitro
fertilization are used.
Will the therapies work? "Talking about the success rate for fertility treatments is like saying, 'What's the chance of curing a headache?'" according to Benjamin Younger, M.D., executive director of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. "It depends on many things, including the cause of the problem and the severity." Overall, Younger says, about half of couples that seek fertility treatment will be able to have babies.
See also:
© Basic Conception Guide
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