Yes, seriously. Making a woman laugh increases her chances that she will conceive. This finding comes from a unique study which was conducted at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel. The results of the study were released in 2006. Researchers, led by Dr Shevach Friedler, an expert in the field of human fertility and reproduction, accidentally discovered that using humor and laughter almost doubled the conception rate, probably due to an alleviation of stress experienced by women undergoing IVF treatment. In setting out to conduct this study the researchers had little inkling about the connection between laughter and fertility, but when the results were in, the conclusions from this small study were inescapable. The researchers did not expect it and were astounded and delighted by it. This study is a first in the field of laughter and human fertility. Taking charge of your fertility is perhaps possible with the power of therapeutic clowning and laughter.

The study involved 186 women between the ages of 25 and 40. All were undergoing IVF treatment. Half the women were visited by a “clown doctor” during the critical period after embryo transfer whilst recuperating in bed. The other half of the women got nothing (the “control” group). In other words, this was a real experiment.

For the women in the clown therapy group, after their embryo transfer had taken place, and whilst lying in bed, a clown came in to interact with them with the aim of getting them to smile and laugh. Humor and laughter was used as an antidote to stress. And according to Dr Shevach, the women responded wonderfully.

The clown doctor, dressed as a hospital chef, connected with patients and got them to see the funny side during the session which lasted 10 – 15 minutes. (Just talking about hospital food gets me laughing). The clown (who didn’t wear the usual clown outfit to avoid the association with children) not only tried to make patients laugh, they also related to them and tuned into their feelings. The clown was professionally trained in therapeutic clowning. The aim of the clown therapy was to decrease the anxiety levels of the patients undergoing IVF treatment, which can be a stressful event for any women undertaking this procedure and for whom such paramount importance is placed on conceiving.

The results were striking. Of the women who had the clown treatment, 33 became pregnant versus only 18 women in the control group. That’s almost double the success rate. Dr Friedler admits he has no scientifically proven explanation for the result and intends to conduct a larger scale study in the future. Knowing laughter can increase conception rates is another way of taking charge of your fertility.

Regardless of the lack of an explanation, an important take away lesson from this study is for husbands to support their wives after intimacy by way of creating a stress free environment, particularly one that induces laughter. After sex, lighten up, watch a funny movie, be with friends who make you laugh. This is another way of taking charge of your fertility. Yes, laughter can make you pregnant. What was the saying? Laughter promotes life, literally.