Believe it or not, many people have myths about pregnancy, even your own family might have pregnancy myths. Once you've spread the news that you're pregnant, don't be surprised if family, friends and even strangers start giving you homespun advice based on their own myths about pregnancy.

The truth is, pregnancy is rife with Old Wives' tales that have been passed from generation to generation.

Here are some of the most common myths which, while entertaining, are not at all true, say Drs. Joanne Stone and Keith Eddleman, partners in the division of maternal-fetal medicine at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, and authors of the book Pregnancy For Dummies.™

• The Spicy Food Fraud
  Spicy food will bring on labor. "For the most part, pregnant women can eat just about anything, but there are certain foods that we tell them to look out for, or to try and avoid," says Dr. Stone. Those include very soft cheeses, unpasteurized cheeses and raw-milk cheese. Though rare, they may contain a bacteria called lysteria that has been associated with miscarriage or pre-term labor.
• The Fetal Heart Rate Fallacy
  If your baby's heart is low, you're carrying a boy. If it's high, it's a girl.
• The You-Can't-Be-Too Careful Yarn
  If a pregnant woman raises her hands above her head, she'll choke her baby.
• The Steamy Sex Superstition
  Making mad, passionate love will induce labor. "Sex is not going to cause you to go into labor, but we tell people to go ahead anyway," says Dr. Stone. "It's worth trying."
• The Old Heartburn Harangue
  If a pregnant woman has frequent heartburn, her baby will have a full head of hair.
• The Sty-in-the-Eye-Lie
  Those who deny a pregnant woman the food she craves will get a sty in their eye.