'Lifting your legs in the air or doing headstands gets sperm to your eggs faster'
'Stressing out will only decrease your chances'
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."
'You can only get pregnant on one day out of each month'
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.
'Most cases of infertility can be blamed on the woman'
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.
'Orgasms help you conceive'
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.
'The longer you were on The Pill, the harder it will be to conceive when you're off'
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.
'If your periods are regular, getting pregnant will be a cinch'
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.)
