Can your Birthday Affect your Fertility?

The medics and researchers often have impressive findings hidden up their pristine white sleeves that make us sit up and take notice of the medical breakthroughs that inevitably spill over and  become dinner table conservation starters. For instance, we didn’t know until recently that the month you were born in could affect your fertility. Strange, but there seems to be some measure of truth in it...

The Study
According to a recent study, women born during summer tend to have fewer children than women born at other times of the year. Using birth statistics dating back to 1967, researchers from Vienna published a report that shows women who are born in July had 13 percent fewer children than those born in December. Switching hemispheres to New Zealand, the researchers found the exact same results. But the opposite holds true in other countries. For instance, in Vietnam, it was established that women born in July were more fertile than those born in dry January.

The Effect
According to Dr Aanchal Agarwal, Consultant, Moolchand Fertility & IVF, Moolchand Women’s Hospital, “How fertile you are can vary depeding upon outside temperature as well as change in eating habits of the mum-to-be. That said, in our clinical practice, we haven’t seen any significant difference. The evidence of the same happening here needs to be explored.” Dr Indira Hinduja, specialist in IVF, Jaslok Hospital, Hinduja, agrees, and adds that the study still needs to be substantiated in the Indian context. When that’ll happen is relative, but for the time being, we can use this ‘fertile info’ as a convo starter.

For your guy

•  The researchers also discovered that men who have the most children are born in spring, with those born in autumn being the least fertile. 
• However, studies have proved that there are other things like heavy drinking and smoking that can disrupt his cycle, affecting his fertilty in the long-term.