by Bre Woligroski

Ate Anna:

My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for months and so far have not been able to. I heard that if I eat French fries after we are intimate, that will increase the chances of me being pregnant. I have been eating so many French fries! Still not pregnant. Am I doing something wrong?

Signed,
Full on French Fries

Dear French Fries,

I am sorry to hear of your difficulties becoming pregnant. Before we talk about French fries, it would be good to talk first about how pregnancy happens. Pregnancy can happen when a sperm and an egg cell meet inside the reproductive system of a female body. This may sound very clinical – let me break it down.

Inside the female body is the reproductive system, made up of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, fallopian tubes and vagina. Egg cells are very small – so small you can’t see them – and are stored in the ovaries. About once a month, an egg cell is released. The egg cell travels through the fallopian tubes and into the uterus, where it attaches to the lining of the uterus. If sperm meets the egg cell during this process, the egg cell can become fertilized and pregnancy begins. If no sperm meets the egg cell, the egg cell is released via a process called menstruation, about once per month. Please keep in mind that every body is different, and different bodies may experience a different schedule than this.

Sperm are produced in the testes of male bodies. Testes (informally called “balls”) are part of the male reproductive system. When a male gets sexually excited, they may get an erection (their penis gets hard). When this happens, semen, which is the fluid containing sperm, can travel from the testes out of the penis in a process called ejaculation. If the penis is in or near a vagina, and if the sperm enter the vaginal canal, the sperm can then make a swimming motion to travel through the vagina, through the cervix and into the uterus area. If this sperm attaches to an egg cell, fertilization can happen and pregnancy may begin.

What you eat after sex has nothing to do with this process, and eating French fries does not increase your chances of getting pregnant.

If you are actively trying to become pregnant, Planned Parenthood suggests knowing and acting on your ovulation schedule in order to increase your chances. You can find more information on this at plannedparenthood.org, or you can talk to your health care practitioner. SERC also has a fact sheet on fertility awareness you can access on line at www.serc.mb.ca.

If you keep having difficulties getting pregnant, we recommend you talk to your health care practitioner. They may be able to assist by running tests or by offering services such as in vitro fertilization. Also, other parenting options are also available, including adoption. For more information on this you can go to this website https://www.gov.mb.ca/fs/childfam/adoption.html.

Ate Anna wishes you all the best!

Ate Anna welcomes your questions and comments. Please write to: Ate Anna, Suite 200- 226 Osborne St. N., Winnipeg, MB R3C 1V4 or e-mail: info@serc.mb.ca. Please visit us at www.serc.mb.ca. You will find reliable information and links for many resources on the subject of sexuality.

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