Do new moms experience an increase in fertility?

Q: Is there an increase in fertility in the first few weeks and months after giving birth? It seems like several friends of mine, and so many celebrities, have recently gotten accidentally pregnant, way earlier than planned?

A: There is no medical reason for a woman’s fertility to spike in the weeks or months following delivery. In fact, it’s rather unlikely that a woman would get pregnant in that time period as most women do not start ovulating again until three or four months after delivering a baby. You do, of course, get exceptions and surprises, and this is likely where these incidents come from. But I’m leery of anecdotes about celebrities as we seldom know the whole story.