It looks like for several Aussies, Christmas is no longer the time to be naughty. Babies born in the month of October, which corresponds with conception on the Christmas holiday, is no longer a trend.

Late September and early October have been busy seasons in maternity hospitals. But it appears fewer babies are being conceived in the joy of the yuletide season.

March is now the most popular month for births in Australia, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It is believed that the stress brought by Christmas preparations make Australian couples too busy or tired to make love. It could also mean couples were not having conception success.

Some couples in Down Under might not have time for love-making. Even if they have such, having a baby is not always a guarantee. Michael Gannon, the Australian Medical Association president, said that stress lessens the chances of ovulation, which has an impact on conception success. “There is no question that psychological stress can reduce the chances of ovulation and it might reduce the chances of conceiving,” Herald Sun reports Gannon as saying. He added that several people find Christmas an extremely busy time; it is perhaps becoming more stressful and is affecting conception or intercourse.

Medibank chief medical officer Linda Swan agreed that Christmas has become more stressful, saying there was a “MasterChef effect” nowadays. She added that Christmases are becoming busier with the added financial stress.

The updated figures present a trend over three years towards March being the highest month when babies are born. Last year, 20,640 births were listed in October. The figure was 26,301 for March. It was comparable with 26,600 births in October and 26,174 in March, which the ABS recorded in 2012.

The new ABS data was complemented by figures from Medibank, one of the country’s largest health insurers. Medibank had 2,455 claims for childbirths in October 2013, with 2,356 claims in March of the same year. In 2016, it recorded 2,144 claims for births in October and 2,258 for March.

And since Christmas is currently not the best time for sex in Australia, “winter romances” save the day. More babies born in March have confirmed June/July winter conception.

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