1: Other than condoms, birth control methods like the oral contraceptive pill (above) and the intra-uterine system (IUS) are not recommended as women have to wait months before they are able to become pregnant again.

NOT TRUE: The oral pill and the IUS do not delay fertility return, said DrChristopher Ng, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Camden Medical Centre. Dr Ng said that once women stop taking the pill or once the IUS is removed, they should be able to conceive again without delay.

2: Women who are breastfeeding cannot get pregnant.

NOT TRUE: Unless they practise exclusive breastfeeding, said Dr Beh Suan Tiong, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Thomson Medical Centre.

This means that the infant is fed only breastmilk for the first six months. Even so, it is not a very reliable guard against pregnancy, he warned.

3: Abortion is a safe form of birth control.

NOT TRUE: Some women think that having one abortion is not as injurious as multiple abortions. This, said Dr Ng, is not true.

'Every abortion has its risks,' he said. 'It doesn't mean that the more abortions you have, the more complications you will get.' Possible dangers that can occur during an abortion procedure include bleeding and infection of the womb and damage to the cervix.

4: Pregnant women should not sleep on their stomachs.

YES AND NO: It is safe in the early stages of pregnancy, said Dr Beh.

However, as the baby bump grows, lying face down on the abdomen may put pressure on the womb and foetus.

Dr Beh recommends women in the second half of pregnancy - after 20 weeks - to sleep on their sides, in particular, on the left side.

'The left lateral position avoids compression of the enlarged womb on blood vessels,' he said.

5: Exercising can harm the baby.

NOT TRUE: The baby will be harmed only if one is not careful. Dr Ng said that exercise is generally good, but women should moderate exercise routines accordingly.

'You may have to cut down on the distance or jog at a slower pace,' he said.

Women can also change the type of exercises as the pregnancy progresses, from more vigorous ones like jogging to lower-impact ones like swimming.

6: A pregnant woman should eat for two for sufficient nourishment.

NOT TRUE: Just keep to your normal diet, recommends Dr Beh.

'Women should eat according to their appetites,' he said. 'They don't have to consciously try to eat more.'

7: Having sexual intercourse during pregnancy can induce miscarriages.

NOT TRUE: However, Dr Ng said that if there is bleeding early in the pregnancy, women should avoid sex as it may be a sign of possible pre-term labour.

8: Pregnant women should stay away from chemicals like hair dye and nail polish.

NOT TRUE: The placenta acts like a filter, allowing some substances to pass, while blocking others, said Dr Beh. It is therefore unlikely that chemicals like hair dye will reach the foetus in toxic amounts.

9: Epidurals are dangerous for the mother, who can suffer long-term damage like paralysis, rheumatism and backache.

NOT TRUE: According to Dr Beh, the use of epidural remains one of the biggest misconceptions people have.

Its use has been widely debated, but adverse consequences have not yet been proven, he said.

On the other hand, the effectiveness of the epidural outweighs other options like the pethidine injection. Pethidine is a drug used to relieve severe pain during labour or after a surgery, providing pain relief for about five to six hours.

'The epidural can last for up to 16hours, so it's good not just for reducing pain during birth, but also after birth,' said Dr Beh.

This is because some women may have to bear with episiotomies (surgical incisions to enlarge the vagina to facilitate childbirth) or vaginal tears during delivery, he said.

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on Jan 22, 2009.