Is Your Obstetritian Hiding Something From You, Or Are Your Friends And Family Members' Nuggets Of Advice False?

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Your obstetrician is educated in the science of reproduction, pregnancy, and postpartum care. You will come to depend on your obstetrician during your journey to conceive and have a baby, and you should.

As much as you trust your obstetrician from a firm like Women's Healthcare Associates LLC, your friends and family members will almost certainly bombard you with tried-and-true knowledge about your pregnancy, your baby's gender, and your ovulation cycle. Here is the truth about some of the myths you may have heard.

A Baby's Position in the Womb Dictates the Gender

An old wives' tale explains that if you carry your baby high in the womb, you will have a girl, and if you carry the baby low, you will have a boy. This is because boys are more independent than girls, who need to roost higher up in a woman's womb for extra protection. Curiously, a similar old wives' tale states the opposite.

Fact or Fiction? This myth finds its origins in old British folklore, and it is just that: a myth. No evidence supports that a fetus's location in a woman's tummy advertises the gender.

Educated Women Can Better Predict Their Baby's Gender Than Less Educated Women

Another rumor suggests that an educated woman has a sixth sense about her baby's gender that less-educated women do not have. Women have birthed babies for thousands of years, so what, if anything, makes educated women so much more gifted at predicting gender?

Fact or Fiction? Believe it or not, this one is statistically true! In the late 1990s, researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health set out to prove or disprove Myth #1. They dispelled that myth, and in the process, discovered that over 70% of women who had over 12 years of education accurately predicted their babies' genders. Furthermore, they also learned that only 43%--less than chance, even--of women with less than 12 years of education correctly guessed their babies' genders.

A Woman's Fertility Depends on the Moon Cycle

In the 1950s, a Czech doctor attributed fertility to the moon cycle. According to the theory, you are most fertile at the time in the moon cycle that you were also born. So, for example, if you were born on a full moon, you are more likely to conceive on a full moon. So, if you want a baby, schedule date night for an evening kissed by a round lunar presence.

Fact or Fiction? This one is definitely false. The menstrual cycle and the moon cycle are similar in length, which on the surface seems to suggest a link. Yet, no evidence connects your fertility with the ways of the moon.

Full Moons Induce Labor

The full moon gets blamed for a lot of things, including lunacy, bad luck, natural disasters, and werewolves. It is also accredited with inducing labor. If the moon cannot regulate your fertility, can it still have the power to bring a baby in the world?

Fact or Fiction? Researchers across the globe have come to the same conclusion: a full moon does not induce labor. The moon has absolutely no bearing on when you will go into labor, so sit back, relax if you can, and wait for the contractions!


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