Do You Have Any Favorite OB Myths?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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I was wondering if anyone had a favorite OB myth that you've come across in work.

I'll start with a few of my favorites:

When I worked at a maternity home, the lead houseparent told the girls that if their baby was a girl, it proved that the young lady had participated in a lot of sexual activity at conception. If it was a boy, the young lady had intercourse only once or twice. I couldn't think of any biological basis for that one. Of course if the young lady had a baby girl, then she would really have been read the riot act about her sexual activity from the housemother.

This one I heard rather recently. A woman went in for an u/s to determine the baby's sex, and baby had it's legs crossed. The woman asked the u/s tech to count the fetal ribs because men have one less rib than women do - the "Adam's Rib Theory."

Anyone heard of other interesting OB myths that are brought into the doctor's office or hospital?

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Garlic is supposed to have antibacterial properties, so who knows....

Still, I just don't think I could do it.

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I've heard some OB myths about redheads (on this very board, I think). I don't remember exactly what they were, but they pertained to redheads having more trouble with labor and delivery.

So what do you all think. Myth or truth?

I actually had a CRNA say the other night that because the woman in labor was a redhead she shouldn't get certain medications (can't remember the name of the med) because she was more likely to have an allergic reaction to it. I'm just an extern, so I'm not sure how true that is, but she's been a CRNA for >20 years.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

No such problems for this redhead. I do know, however, pain control is a big issue for me. I seem to need a lot of anesthesia and post-op pain control compared to others. Don't know why, if it's that I am a redhead or just wimpy, or both.

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Specializes in OB.
No such problems for this redhead. I do know, however, pain control is a big issue for me. I seem to need a lot of anesthesia and post-op pain control compared to others. Don't know why, if it's that I am a redhead or just wimpy, or both.

SBE - I'm trying to remember where (will have to do some searching) but I do remember reading something about a study indicating that redheads do have a different response to anesthesia/pain meds and frequently require larger doses. Will get back to you with links when I find the source for this.

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the redhead/bleeding thing has to do with clotting factors that are different or less in red heads.

Also, the myth of heartburn and hair---proven true. Something about hormones released when hair develops on baby's head and same hormones raising gastric acid in mother.

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SBE - I'm trying to remember where (will have to do some searching) but I do remember reading something about a study indicating that redheads do have a different response to anesthesia/pain meds and frequently require larger doses. Will get back to you with links when I find the source for this.

Here's one - a website intended for kids, but it works:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/redh.html

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Specializes in OB.

Thanks Eric - I knew I had read something to this effect!

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Specializes in Dialysis, Oncology.
When I worked at a maternity home, the lead houseparent told the girls that if their baby was a girl, it proved that the young lady had participated in a lot of sexual activity at conception. If it was a boy, the young lady had intercourse only once or twice. I couldn't think of any biological basis for that one. Of course if the young lady had a baby girl, then she would really have been read the riot act about her sexual activity from the housemother.

I hope nobody has explained this because then I will feel like a fool. I'm guilty of not wishing to sift through several pages of replies. Basically male sperm swims quicker but dies faster while female sperm lives longer and swims slower. So if you conceive a boy you would have had sex on the day of conception while if you conceive a female you would have had sex a few days before. So if you have sex every day you run a higher chance of having a girl, but if you were fertility monitoring you increase boy chances.

Nothing to do with promiscuity however.

I heard from my OB/GYN that he thinks redheads smell funny. What do you think? (I'm a redhead btw)

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
I heard from my OB/GYN that he thinks redheads smell funny. What do you think? (I'm a redhead btw)

I think you need a new OB/GYN.

(Ginger and proud!)

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Specializes in PERI OPERATIVE.

That heartburn thing can't be true. I had really horrible heartburn to the point of almost vomiting with both of my babies. They were both born little fuzz heads.

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Had a nurse tell me once that a woman couldn't get pregnant unless she... um... climaxed during the act. You think an RN would have known better.

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Specializes in Dialysis, Oncology.
Had a nurse tell me once that a woman couldn't get pregnant unless she... um... climaxed during the act. You think an RN would have known better.

Yeah there wouldn't be very many children if that were the case :yeah::yeah::yeah:

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