Fact check: 7 common pregnancy myths you can stop believing now - HerFamily

Pregnant or about to start trying for a baby?

Now just wait for all the advice and warnings and suggestions to start being hurled in your direction! The good news? Some of it you can take with a big aul' pinch of salt. Like the following: Myth: You can't drink coffee If the thoughts of having to give up that morning latte have you shaking with fear, we have some good news for you: According to the experts, you can safely have one to two eight-ounce cups of coffee (or several cups of tea) per day and still come in under the 200-milligram limit suggested as a guideline for pregnancy.

Myth: Carrying high means you are having a girl (or the other way around)

Listen, girls, this is one myth you really should pay no attention too, according to expert. Gender has apparently nothing at all to do with the shape and size of your bump. Your pregnancy profile depends more on how tall you are and maybe even how toned your abs are.

Myth: If your skin is breaking out, it means you are having a girl

The old saying goes that girls steal their mothers beauty, but is there any truth to the claim? Nope. When you are pregnant, your body produces more progesterone, something that causes many women to break out, regardless of the sex of the baby they are carrying.

Myth: Turned 35? You better get your skates on

Feeling the baby panic set in? Don't take all the scaremongering too seriously, says experts. As it turns out, healthy women in their late 30s are almost as fertile as they were in their late 20s, according to several panic-calming recent studies. (Apparently; women doing the deed twice a week, 82 percent of women age 35 to 39 get pregnant in a year, says one.) Fertility drops notably after 40, but even then, many women still have a good chance of conceiving. Myth: You can't colour your hair

Many stay away from touching up their roots or getting their highlights on when they are pregnant in fear that it can harm their babies, but according to the American Pregnancy Association, the chemicals used in coloring, bleaching, relaxing or perming your hair are absorbed by your skin in such small amounts that they’re unlikely to reach the fetus or do any harm.

Myth: You can't fly in your third trimester Last year, Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released some new advice for expectant mums. For the majority of pregnant women with low-risk pregnancies, flying is fine at any time, but many airlines operate with a 37-week cutoff, as you could technically go into labour at any moment now. Note that if you are going to fly late into your pregnancy, some airlines will require that you present a letter from your GP confirming that you are having a healthy and low-risk pregnancy before they will let your board. Myth: You can't eat sushi Actually, according to many experts, most sushi is permissible, but stay away from mackerel, shark and swordfish. And don’t eat too much tuna — no more than 12. oz (about two maki, or rolls) per week.