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Questions about sex when TTC can be one thing that you hate to have to discuss with your doctor…right? And if you’ve never dealt with infertility, some of these questions might seem ridiculous (I can just imagine my fertile myrtle friends reading this post). However, these are valid questions! (Who hasn’t googled “does putting your legs up after help you get pregnant?”)
The truth is, there’s a lot of misinformation out there (amongst your friends, too), so here is the research-backed, evidence-based information:
(By the way, all information is from the 2017 research study from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, if you are interested in reading the research directly, which actually I would recommend…otherwise I have paraphrased the results for you.)
When is the best time to have sex to maximize your chances of pregnancy?
Your fertile window is the five days before ovulation, and the day of ovulation itself. Studies have shown that you maximize your chances of pregnancy by having sex the two days before ovulation, as well as on the day of ovulation itself. The absolute best day is the day before ovulation. To figure out exactly when you ovulate, I recommend using ovulation strips. Find out how they work from my post here.
How often should you have sex to maximize your chances of pregnancy?
Studies have shown that the best chances of conception are having sex every day (37% of couples pregnant in the study got pregnant when having sex every day). Sex every other day was 33%, and once a week was 15%. The study notes that every day and every other day seem to be so statistically similar to not be worth stressing over. The article notes, “A widely held misperception is that frequent ejaculations decrease male fertility.” In men with a normal sperm evaluation, sperm quality remained normal even with daily intercourse.
However, refraining from sex for more than 5 days may negatively affect sperm counts, the study says.
But what if my husband has low sperm count, motility, etc?
I think that may depend on the specific issue — ask your doctor on that. However, the study did note that for men with oligozoospermia, sperm concentration and motility were actually the highest with daily intercourse.
What about lube?
Studies have shown that lubes DO negatively affect sperm. The one that has consistently been shown to not harm sperm is Preseed. I have not personally tried it (studies have not shown that it helps; only that it doesn’t hurt).
What about positions, laying down after, legs in the air…?
Another misconception. Positions don’t matter, nor does anything you do after. Studies have even been done to determine whether lying down for 15 minutes after IUI helps — some studies have found that it increases your chances, while other studies have found that it actually decreases your chances.
I would encourage you to read all of the research from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.
