We’ve all heard loud, awkward meowing coming from a cat before and thought, “Oh, well it must be in heat.” We think that instinctively, without even considering the fact that it’s in the midst of a very cyclical reproductive cycle.
So what about us? Are our preferences and fertility also cyclical in nature?
According to the Statistic Institute of Quebec, humans seem to have more fertile periods than animals in a year. Where we differ from our animal friends, however, is that more of those periods are opportunities for us to give birth.
|
Month |
Number |
|
January |
7,150 |
|
February |
6,500 |
|
March |
7,100 |
|
April |
7,200 |
|
May |
7,650 |
|
June |
7,450 |
|
July |
7,950 |
|
August |
7,900 |
|
September |
7,700 |
|
October |
7,800 |
|
November |
6,950 |
|
December |
7,250 |
|
Year |
1st place |
2nd place |
3rd place |
|
2003 |
July |
September |
May |
|
2004 |
July |
September |
August |
|
2005 |
August |
September |
July |
|
2006 |
September |
August |
July |
|
2007 |
August |
July |
September |
|
2008 |
July |
September |
October |
|
2009 |
July |
September |
August |
|
2010 |
September |
July |
August |
|
2011 |
August |
September |
July |
|
2012 |
August | September/October | May |
|
2013 |
July | August | October |
It’s interesting to note that, during these 10 years, July, August and September are most often in the top-three most popular birth months. Perhaps the cold weather causes couples to shack up, as November is when most babies are conceived in Quebec.
Meanwhile, children born in November and December tend to suffer from asthma, while those born in August suffer from rhinitis, and December and January births have conjunctivitis issues
On the contrary, it is in December that there are the fewest births in Quebec.
|
Year |
12th place |
11th place |
10th place |
|
2003 |
February |
November |
December |
|
2004 |
February |
December |
November |
|
2005 |
February |
December |
January |
|
2006 |
February |
December |
January |
|
2007 |
February |
December |
January |
|
2008 |
February |
January |
November |
|
2009 |
February |
December |
November / January |
|
2010 |
February |
December |
November / January |
|
2011 |
February |
January |
April |
| 2012 |
February |
April | December / January |
| 2013 |
February |
November | March |
February consistently sees the fewest children born, typically because it’s always the shortest month of the year. December, meanwhile, is almost always in the bottom-three, closely followed by November and January.
A quick calculation shows that we’re least fertile in April. Strange, considering that spring has always been considered mating season for humans. With nature reawakening, the days getting longer and our winter clothes shedding, it’s inexplicably weird that this would be the case.
Pros and cons
Every season has its advantages and disadvantages for both pregnancy and delivery. For example:
Pregnancy and birth during spring/summer
Pros
- Summer clothes are prettier and more feminine, even while pregnant—scratch that, especially while pregnant!;
- Visible bellies are very fashionable, even more so on warm days;
- Pregnant women are even more radiant in the summer sun;
- It’s nicer to be off work and outside the house (because there’s still lots of work inside it);
- It isn’t as cold when we get up at night to feed our babies and change their diapers;
- We’re proud to walk about with our strollers in tow, while passersby admire our babies;
- Our babies aren’t bundled up, so we get to see their chubby little legs jutting out of their rompers;
- We’re always more inclined to lose weight during the summer.
Cons
- It’s hot outside. And when you’re pregnant, the heat seems 100 times worse;
- Since many nurses and doctors are on holiday, you may end up giving birth without your doctor;
- Breastfeeding when it’s hot out quickly becomes uncomfortable for both mom and baby. If you can, freshen up in a lukewarm bath, shower or pool a few minutes before feeding. Also, keep a cool washcloth and a tall glass of water nearby.
- Children conveived during summer don't do as well in school
If you want your future children to perform well in school, apparently September and April are the months you should be conceiving between.
Research led by Dr. Paul Winchester and his team at the Medical University of Indiana gathered data from 1,667,391 school children to find out if there was a correlation between when children were conceived and how they performed in school.
The results, presented in Toronto during the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, showed that kids who were conceived between May and August are weaker in math and in languages than those who were conceived between September and April. These results, however, don’t take into account origin, gender or class.
So how do we make sense of these results? For Dr. Winchester, one obvious conclusion is that pesticides, used more frequently during summertime, play an important role. His team discovered a link between lower school grades and higher levels of pesticides and nitrates found in surface water during the summer period.
Although this study “strongly suggests” that pesticides and nitrates play an important role in the development of the brain, it doesn’t exactly prove it per se. Further investigation will be needed to conclusively understand the influence of this type of chemical environment on the development of fetuses.
Source: Le Journal Santé, May 3, 2007
Pregnancy and birth in fall/winter
Pros
- Sperm count is higher at the beginning of spring and end of fall, but their mobility is better at the beginning of fall. In other words, huddle up on those cold fall evenings;
- With all the layers of clothing you’re wearing, no one will be able to tell that you’ve put on pregnancy weight;
- Because we stay at home more often during the cold times of the year, we spend more time “preparing the nest.”
Cons
- Pregnant women often suffer from a vitamin-D deficiency towards the end of their pregnancy, especially in winter or at the beginning of spring;
- When it’s cold out, no one thinks about exercise, even if it’s necessary to stay in shape during and after pregnancy;
- It takes far more effort to put on boots, a coat, a hat, a scarf… (stops to catch breath)… than to wear sandals. You haven’t gotten around to dressing the baby yet either.
Water retention
Even if there were no direct link between water retention and ambient heat, suffering from it in the middle of a hot, humid summer would make it tough to bear. Eating lots of fruits and veggies is a good way to combat this as many of them have properties that help the passage of urine.
|
Focus on |
Avoid |
|
Asparagus |
Salty industrial foods |
|
Melon |
Cold cuts |
|
Cucumbers |
Smoked fish |
|
Celery |
Chips |
|
Leeks |
Snacks |
|
Garlic |
Pre-cooked meals |
|
Onion |
|
|
Artichokes |
|
|
Chicory |
|
|
Dandelion leaves |
|
|
Cabbage |
|
In vitro fertilization
Research has shown that spring is generally the best season for in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, the results remain to be confirmed.
According to a study of 657 Israeli women using IVF for four years, spring was shown to be the most successful season. Fertility would decrease in the summer, however, and reach its lowest rate in fall, before starting a significant incline over winter.
“If these results are confirmed by other studies, seasonal conditions will have to be taken into account and will have an impact on the daily practice of medically assisted procreation,” one of the researchers explained. (From Science et Vie)
