# German couple unaware of how to have children. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009 "2004-05-19T18:47:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/1 "2004-05-19T18:47:24Z")
> [@](#): > > [Ananova](http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_957945.html) > Doctors subjected them to a series of examinations and found they were both apparently fertile, and should have had no trouble conceiving. > > A clinic spokesman said: "When we asked them how often they had had sex, they looked blank, and said: “What do you mean?”. > > “We are not talking retarded people here, but a couple who were brought up in a religious environment who were simply unaware, after eight years of marriage, of the physical requirements necessary to procreate.” I thought Margaret White was fiction. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/2 "2004-05-19T19:04:48Z")
Um. Interesting. You’d think that even in light of strict religious upbringing, at least HE would have an instinctive need to do what needs to be done…? Wouldn’t “night wood” and the inevitable reaction to stimulus at least give him a clue? ---
**Author:** ![lachesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lachesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lachesis)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/3 "2004-05-19T19:11:54Z")
you all need to get out and explore a bit more around here. i couldn’t get the link to work, but i strongly suspect this is the same story that’s already been debunked as an UL [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=256667) in IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/4 "2004-05-19T19:16:44Z")
> [@TroubleAgain](#): > > Um. Interesting. You’d think that even in light of strict religious upbringing, at least HE would have an instinctive need to do what needs to be done…? Wouldn’t “night wood” and the inevitable reaction to stimulus at least give him a clue? Something about that report doesn’t sit right with me. They did all sorts of fertility tests _before_ they went over basic stuff like “how often do you have sex?” You’d think that would be a part of their initial interview – part of determining their relevent history. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/5 "2004-05-19T19:22:27Z")
Er, sorry **TroubleAgain**. Didn’t mean to quote you. Must’ve done so out of habit. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/6 "2004-05-19T19:28:07Z")
Still, talk about a nice surprise… “We get to start doing what?” ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/7 "2004-05-19T19:33:28Z")
Also, I don’t see how they could do a fertility test on him without him providing… stuff. And I only know one way to get it out. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/8 "2004-05-19T19:47:53Z")
> [@lachesis](#): > > you all need to get out and explore a bit more around here. i couldn’t get the link to work, but i strongly suspect this is the same story that’s already been debunked as an UL [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=256667) in IMHO. Yep, same story. Damn impotent search function couldn’t find the earlier thread. Any passing Mod is welcome to close this one. BTW: I didn’t see anything really debunked there, not even the subsequent [story about the misuse of a spermacide](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4869083&postcount=24). All we have at this point are two stories of questionable veracity. I have a feeling that the Mikkelsons are right now speaking with the University Clinic of Lubek, assuming there really is such a place. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/9 "2004-05-19T21:02:30Z")
The city would probably be \*\*Lübeck[b/], which [does](http://www.luebeck.de/) exist. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/10 "2004-05-19T22:57:00Z")
Looks like I was right about [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/pregnant/nosex.asp) trying to get to the bottom of this. Also, turns out there really is a [Lübeck University Hospital](http://www.committee-german-medicine.de/cms/front_content.php?idcat=90&idart=483) but no fertility clinic there. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/11 "2004-05-20T15:38:35Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > Yep, same story. Damn impotent search function couldn’t find the earlier thread. Actually, there are at least 2 other threads on this subject. Only one of them is still going though. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-couple-unaware-of-how-to-have-children/246009/12 "2004-05-20T16:07:20Z")
Proof yet again that Ananova shouldn’t get their news from the Popbitch mailout.