Sex is lots of fun and something to be enjoyed, right up until you start trying for a baby. Or at least that’s how it feels, then all of a sudden you’re obsessing over when to have sex and what position to do it in to give you the best chance of falling pregnant. Many couples wonder how they can make the sex count. Luckily for you, lots of research has been carried out into how babies are made, so there’s lots of information out there to help you on your way. It’s important to know fact from fiction and make sure you’re increasing your likelihood of falling pregnant each time you have sex
Is there such a thing as too little sex?
Simply put, yes. If you don’t have sex during your fertile period, you’re not going to get pregnant. If you don’t know when your fertile period is, you should aim to have sex two or three times each week, this way you’re likely to have sex on at least one of your fertile days by chance.
Even if you track your fertility and are able to predict when ovulation will occur, you should still aim to have sex regularly throughout the month. Limiting your sex life to your predicted fertile days could be problematic if your calculations are wrong, or if your cycle is irregular. By making sex a regular occurrence, you can reduce the risk of missing those fertile days.
Is there such a thing as too much sex?
There’s an old wives’ tale that having too much sex could decrease the potency of your partner’s sperm. In reality, this rule applies only to couples facing specific male fertility issues. If this is you, then every second day is recommended. For most couples, there is no need to hold back on sex. In fact, you should be aiming to have sex once a day on your fertile days. There’s no need to have sex more than that though. Sex is something that should be enjoyed, and can quickly lose its appeal if it feels like a chore to be ticked off a baby-making to-do list.
When to have sex?
There are no hard and fast rules. What works for one couple, may not work for another. Sex is an important part of your relationship, so try not to focus too much on the ‘rules’. It’s hard not to let ‘trying to conceive’ take over your life, but do try to keep sex about pleasure, and not just about making babies.
You should aim to have sex around three times each week throughout your cycle. Your fertile period is likely to be four to six days long. It ends on the day of ovulation, and starts three to five days before. During this period, you should aim to have sex once a day.
