We’re all busy during the holiday season. There are parties to host and attend, presents to wrap and unwrap, shopping, cooking, cleaning and procreating.
Yes, you read correctly. According to a new study, a large number of parents are busy getting busy between the sheets during the height of the holiday season.
Researchers at the University of Texas found that most babies born in the United States are conceived between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Do the math and you’ll discover what the study’s authors did: The most popular birthday in America is September 16th.
September 16th! That’s my brother’s birthday. No lie; though the thought of my parents getting busy during the holidays—or any time of the year—is somewhat disturbing, but I digress.
University of Texas researchers found that “cconception rates reach their annual peak in December, with 9 percent of all U.S. conceptions occurring during that month.” Conversely, the study found that August yields the fewest number of conceptions. Those affiliated with the study attribute this to the deterioration of sperm quality during summer and “increased sexual activity associated with end-of-year holiday festivities.”
Translation: More couples are giving their partners their holiday gifts in bed.
The study’s authors put it more eloquently, writing that the surge in sexual activity during late December “has been interpreted largely in the context of merrymaking. The period from Christmas to the New Year is associated with increased opportunities for socializing and a generally more hedonistic approach to life.”
If that’s not TMI for you, consider that another study published in the Journal of Circadian Rhythms found that the vast majority of couples get it on between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., especially parents of young children, who say their opportunity to have sex is limited to times when their offspring are sleeping.
Were any of your children conceived during the holidays?
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