The weeks before Christmas sure are busy.
Most of us have a whole list of things we have to sort out, buy or make. And if you are dreaming of the pitter patter of little feet, you might want to add 'make a baby' on to your to-do list for December.
Yep, really.
Because both in the US and here in Ireland and Britain too, the Thanksgiving weekend (end of November) marks the start of what is, statistically, baby making season for young families – and the reason why September remains one of the busiest times for maternity hospitals.
What this means is that most babies are conceived in the weeks between the end of November and the start of January – and there are actually a lot of really good reasons for this. And it's not because Turkey dinners and tins of Roses are such great aphrodisiacs.
The most important factor as to why most babies are made this time of year is for the really simple reasons that at Christmas time we all spend a lot of time at home, cozied up and away from the stresses of work. Meaning that opportunity is more likely to present itself. (In Ireland, March is also, statistically, a popular month to give birth – and these babies would have been conceived slap bang in the middle of summer holidays – when, of course, people are off from work and have time to get down to baby making business).
Another factor experts deem important when it comes to figuring out why so many babies are conceived this time a year, is that winter and the cold weather actually improve sperm and egg quality.
A study exploring the correlation between seasonal changes and conception concluded that sperm quality is often deteriorated during the summer, with changes in daylight length also affecting the anterior pituitary-ovarian function, the variation in quality of the ovum or endometrial receptivity.
A drop in temperature has also been proven to result in more couples getting frisky under the mistletoe, thus increasing the likelihood of conception.
“Increased sexual activity associated with end-of-year holiday festivities has also been postulated as a possible behavioural explanation for the December peak in conceptions,”
the study stated.
Oh – and it seems
Christmas parties and other festivities play their part too:
Some research point out that many people will inevitably engage in unprotected sex around this time of year, with the report revealing:
“These data highlight the fact that seasonally related social events may increase levels of sexual activity, decrease the likelihood that it will be protected, and limit access to services.”
