PREGNANCY Why you should try for a baby this Christmas

If you've been trying (without success) to have a baby, then you might want to think about adding it to your Christmas to-do list.

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Why? Because new research has actually found evidence that pregnancies conceived in December have the best chance of success. Aha, so that explains the birth spike in September then!

The research, conducted by American scientists, reportedly analysed around 52 million pregnancies over the course of 12 years. It found that December conceptions resulted in the highest birth rates.

It's an interesting discovery and certainly explains the fact that hospitals brace themselves for a spike in deliveries in September, nine months on from the Christmas holidays.

Some experts already believe that evidence is growing that timing of pregnancy has a big impact on the health of babies and this research will certainly add weight to their beliefs.

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Paediatrician Dr Paul Winchester, who led the research team at Indiana University, explained that mothers who conceive in December or January receive high levels of sunshine at a late stage of their pregnancy. This means they are exposed to high levels of vitamin D, believed to contribute towards a healthy pregnancy and birth.

Of course, the flipside of the research that suggests conceiving in December, or even January, has the best chance of a healthy pregnancy is the discovery that certain times of the year could have a lesser chance.

Dr Winchester interprets his findings and offers his suggestions on when to try, or not to try, for a baby:

"We have seen significant seasonal differences in reproduction.

Valentine's Day is one of the least likely times to conceive a baby, whereas Christmas seems a very positive time.

June is a toxic month. The June effect was something that we saw develop at a very early stage. White mothers have lowest survival rates in June and significantly shorter pregnancies, with premature babies.

It has been my suspicion that this is not accidental but may have some biological basis. Vitamin D levels and pesticides might be relevant factors.

If you want to avoid a birth defect or a premature birth then it might be worth avoiding June. Other studies have shown that spina bifida incidence and sudden infant death peaks in June."

The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Baltimore.