The Truth About Trying to Conceive

Maybe you heard that bananas boost fertility or yams make you more likely to have twins. But there isn't enough science that shows that any particular food helps their sperm meet your egg faster. Instead, aim to eat more fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy fats, and different kinds of protein to keep your body healthy.

It's true that some men can become new fathers in their 60s or later. But research shows their biological clocks tick, too. Women become less fertile after age 35. The reason: As they get older, they have fewer eggs, and the eggs become less healthy. Fertility changes in men don't happen as suddenly, but age can still affect a man's ability to have sex and the health of their sperm.

You might have heard these rumors. Some websites claim that an ingredient called guaifenesin in these medicines improves your cervical mucus, so it's easier for sperm to reach an egg. But there's no scientific evidence to back up that idea.

That means for every 100 healthy 30-year-old women who try to make a baby this month, 20 will conceive. The other 80 can try again. Women are the most fertile in their 20s. More women are having babies later in life, compared with past decades, but the odds do drop after age 30. A pregnancy could still happen right up until you go into menopause, but with age, you might be more likely to need fertility treatment. 

Most women ovulate again about 2 weeks after they stop the pill. As soon as your body releases an egg, you can get pregnant. One study looked at a large group of women who got off the pill to try to get pregnant. About 20% conceived in their first fertile month. That's about the same odds as women who didn't take the pill.

Also, if you're worried you have a higher chance of miscarriage, don't be -- that's another myth.

If you weigh too little, your menstrual cycle may become irregular. Or your body just may stop ovulating.

Being overweight can have the same effect. Obesity is also linked to other issues that affect pregnancy, such as thyroid disease and diabetes.

Not sure what you should weigh? Your doctor can help you figure that out at a preconception checkup.

Go ahead and exercise, but not too much or too hard. If you do intense workouts more than 5 hours a week, you may ovulate less often. And as nice as it would be to orgasm every time you have sex, it won't help you get pregnant. What we know for sure: Smoking makes fertility problems more likely, makes you lose eggs faster, and can make sperm unhealthy. Quit today to better your chances of conceiving.

You have a 50/50 chance of having a boy or a girl, no matter when in your cycle you have sex. The dad's sperm decides the gender. About half of their sperm will make a boy, and the other half will make a girl. The gender of your baby depends on which sperm reaches your egg first.

You can keep your chai latte or cappuccino. It's OK to have less than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day. That's equal to about one to two cups of coffee a day. (One cup is 8 ounces.) What you should stop drinking is alcohol. Having one or more drinks a day may make it harder to get pregnant.

That's what the experts recommend if you're younger than 35 and you and your partner are healthy. Give baby-making your best effort for 12 months before seeing a doctor. Healthy women older than 35 should talk with their doctor after trying for 6 months. Infertility affects both men and women, and treatment can help.

In infertile couples, the odds that infertility has something to do with the woman are the same as for the man. It's a physical condition, and stress doesn't cause it. Adoption doesn't solve it. Couples who adopt aren't more likely to get pregnant later on than those who don't.

Hopefully, you'll be able to have a successful pregnancy again, if you choose. But infertility can happen after your first or second child. Doctors call it secondary infertility -- it may be surprising, but it's also common. Age could be a cause, and so could damaged fallopian tubes, problems with ovulation or the making of sperm, or other issues.