It is not uncommon to hear this myth in the hospital. People seem to firmly believe that more babies are conceived when the moon is full and that more are born when the moon is full. Studies show absolutely no correlation between the moon and pregnancy. This is another one of those old wives’ tales that people just don’t want to relinquish.
In 2005, in an article appearing in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology entitled “Birth Rate and Its Correlation with the Lunar Cycle and Specific Atmospheric Conditions,” a group of doctors in Arizona once again tested this idea and found no correlation.
Should a man wait several days between sex to store up sperm if trying to impregnate his wife?
Having to go give a sample for semen analysis can be a strange experience. I (Dr. Billy) would be happy to share my own story. Typically, when you go to the doctor to give a semen specimen, you’re sent to small room with magazines and videos to help you along. When you finish your business, you place it in a door in the wall and off you go. I experienced several problems during this process. One difficulty was how long I needed to wait before giving them the sample. The process doesn’t really take that long, but isn’t it more respectable to wait awhile to, y’know, show some stamina? Then there’s the disappointment when you finally look at the end product. They will be measuring not only the quality, but also the quantity, and the amount can look pretty paltry. I left that day feeling dejected, as if I’d just failed an important test. Alas, the results were very good and I was able to do a little victory dance in the office when the results came in (that would be my Viable Sperm Dance, not to be confused with The Funky Chicken).
If you have to provide a sample for semen analysis, doctors ask you to abstain from ejaculation for two to five days. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that abstention is good for improving the odds of conception.
Studies agree that semen volume and sperm concentration increase with prolonged sexual abstinence. The issue of sperm motility is different. Sperm motility is believed to be one of the most important parameters in evaluating fertilizing ability. The percentage of normal sperm and the percentage of motile sperm decrease with infrequent ejaculation. Overall, studies find that ejaculating several times per week will give you the highest number of fully functional sperm.
