Let’s talk about sex and some of the misconceptions around TTC.
If you have sex around the 14th day of your cycle you will automatically get pregnant. Well we know this is not true, lots of women do not even have a 28-day cycle to start with.
Even if you have a super-regular, 28-day cycle, there’s a chance you might ovulate one or two days before or after the day you think you will.
You need to have sex at the right time to get pregnant. If you have sex when there is no fertile cervical fluid, or too long after ovulation has taken place, the sperm and egg will be like ships in the night, and you won’t get pregnant.
Sperm can live inside your body between 24-48 hours (and in some cases, up to a week!) after sex. If you’re hoping to up your fertility odds, starting to have sex 4 to 6 days before ovulation and then 4 to 6 days after.
But if you have sex at the right time, the perfect storm of Egg, Cervical Fluid and Sperm all singing off the same songsheet and bingo…BABYTIME.
Too much sex?? (Is there such a thing?)
Now for those who are wondering what I am on about, here’s the big news: more isn’t always better and in this case, it tends to do more harm than good.
That’s right because experts suggest that having sex on an everyday basis has the potential to decrease your partner’s sperm count rather significantly. The worst part is that his sperm count can take a couple days to rebound, so your chances of conceiving a baby are going to decrease as well.
If you think you are doing your conception chances a bit of a favour by having lots of sex, you’re wrong. Instead of helping yourself, you are only making things worse. So how much sex should you have to increase your chances of conception? Well, once you time it all down, experts recommend you to have sex on every alternate day, (so every other day). So instead of having sex every single day in the week leading up to your ovulation and in the week after it, get into the act every other day.
The use of lubrication
Did you know most lubrication is spermicidal, meaning it kills off sperm before it even enters your uterus? This is not to say that getting pregnant with lubrication is impossible (as it should not be used as a method of birth control), but it definitely decreases your chances. So if you want to use lubrication then look for fertility-friendly options at the pharmacy or at a fertility centre.
Business instead of pleasure
By taking all the fun out of sex and making it just about the business of baby-making, you could be doing yourself a disservice. Interestingly enough, a female orgasm may actually increase a woman’s chance of getting pregnant. After a female orgasm, the uterine wall contracts and (in theory) helps pull the sperm up toward the Fallopian tubes.
Also, some males get “stage fright” when sex is timed and preplanned, and his orgasm is definitely needed.