Fertility New Zealand walks alongside all people facing fertility challenges.
Four myths about infertility
• Just relaxing or taking a holiday will ‘cure’ infertility
For 80% of infertile heterosexual couples there is a proven medical cause; just relaxing or taking a holiday will not cure the problem.
• Stress causes infertility
It is unproven that stress causes infertility (with the exception of stress related menstrual issues), but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that fertility problems cause stress.
• Reminding people of the difficulties of childrearing will help them feel better
Most people are aware of the challenges of parenting, such as sleepless nights and loss of leisure time, but have decided that becoming parents is more important. Suggesting that they are in some way ‘lucky’, though well-intentioned, can be seen as not understanding their distress, being patronising or even insulting.
• Adopt and you will conceive naturally
A number of research projects have looked into the phenomenon of couples having a naturally conceived baby following an adoption. It has been found that couples who don’t adopt have the same chance of conceiving naturally as couples who do adopt.
