Search icon

Health

30th Dec 2018

The festive period is prime baby conceiving time – but why?

Jade Hayden

It’s December, and that can only mean one thing.

A load of babies are getting conceived.

In fact, as you read this article it’s incredibly likely that several babies are getting conceived right now.

Good for them.

But what is the actual reason behind so many infants being conceived around the festive period and subsequently being born in August and September?

Surely there must be a scientific logic that doesn’t simply rely on the fact that people are bored and drunk and cold and probably going to have a lot more sex, right?

Surprising yeah, there actually is.

According to a study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, couples might just have more luck conceiving in the winter than they would during the summer months in general.

There are a couple of reasons for this.

The first is because men produce higher quality sperm during the winter, and the second is because the changes in daylight length allow for a better environment for a woman’s eggs.

Who knew, eh?

Despite this though, the study’s authors did admit that people were likely to have a lot more sex around this time of year too, so that probably has a massive effect on the amount of babies being made.

Makes sense.