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Best Position to Get Pregnant: Mythbusting & Tips

Best Position To Get Pregnant - Mythbusting & Tips
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We use Advanced AI to translate our blog content. If the translation isn’t perfect, or if you have any queries about the content, our medical team is readily available to answer. Simply email [email protected]

Sex is a pretty large part of the baby-making equation – and it should be a very enjoyable one! However, we know that at the start of your fertility journey, the pressure to do it in a certain place, at a certain time, in a certain position can feel overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are our five simple tips on sex when trying for a baby.
Quick note: This blog is aimed at heterosexual couples who are still focused on conceiving naturally. There are a bunch of ways to become a father – and families aren’t always built by a man and a woman. We have other articles on assisted fertility and LGBTQ parenthood if this blog isn’t for you! 

Get your head around the fertile window

At school, teachers were charged with putting fear into the hearts of teenagers, that any sexual intercourse would result in pregnancy. The truth is, that there are only a few days each month that it’s really possible for a woman to get pregnant. These few days are called the fertile window. If there’s one thing you do need to think about when it comes to sex and conceiving, it’s this.
In a regular cycle, ovulation will occur once a month – usually in the middle of your partner’s cycle. The day of ovulation is technically the day you’re most likely to get pregnant. There are various ways to help pinpoint ovulation – from basal temperature to understanding cervical mucus – and we recently partnered with ovulation tracker Ovusense, which helps women understand their fertile window by measuring their core body temperature from the vagina. However, it can still be difficult to predict the exact moment it’s going to happen – as cycles can fluctuate for various reasons.
The thing is, sperm can live inside a woman’s reproductive system for a few days. So you could have sex on Tuesday and your partner might ovulate Thursday.  Your swimmers could hang out in there, waiting for the egg to arrive, and fertilise it a few days later. Another thing to bear in mind is that the egg will die around 24 hours after ovulation, if not fertilised by sperm, so you don’t want to miss your spot! Our advice –  have sex every day in the days leading up to ovulation, the predicted day of ovulation itself, and the day after, to maximise your chances of conceiving.

Advice from Dr. Fatin Willendrup, ExSeed Head of Medical Affairs

“There’s no real science to support theories connecting sexual positions with conception chances. Most important is to have intercourse on and around the fertile window which in most cases are about 14 days before expected period”

But make sure you’re still having sex the rest of the month

Just because you can only get pregnant during a set period of time, doesn’t mean that you need to limit your sex life to just that window! Firstly – making love to your partner, when you’re not focused on conceiving, will strengthen your connection and remind both of you that sex is about more than making a baby, it can also just be a really fun thing to do.
Secondly – there’s science behind it. If sperm is stored in your testicles for too long, it could start to damage the quality, specifically your sperm motility. Ideally, you should be aiming for 2-3 ejaculations a week to keep your swimmers fighting fit – ready to hit the road when you reach that all-important fertile window.
One word of advice – don’t go overboard. If you’re having sex every day – or multiple times a day – it could lead to burnout. It’s possible to have too much of a good thing, and the last thing you want is for you or your partner to start feeling like sex is a chore rather than a fun and exciting activity. Keep it fresh (both your sex life and your sperm) and your chances of conceiving – and enjoyment levels – should stay high.

Forget worrying about positions

This is a myth that drives us crazy. The internet is awash with theories that certain sexual positions increase your chances of conceiving. There’s even claims that doing it in a certain way can help you control what gender your baby is! Whilst most of these theories come from well-meaning parents, wanting to offer advice to people at the start of the fertility journey – it can actually make the whole process more stressful than it needs to be. How are you supposed to enjoy being intimate with your partner if you’re worried about pulling a muscle, bending into some awkward position that should belong in Cirque de Soleil?
The truth is, there’s no real science to support theories connecting sexual positions with conception chances. Likewise, the idea that your partner needs to lie down with her legs elevated after sex is hearsay too. The truth is that healthy sperm travel really fast and can be found in the female reproductive trace seconds after ejaculating.
When it comes to positions, do what feels right for you and what brings you and your partner the most pleasure. It’s really as simple as that.

…But don’t forget about her pleasure

When it comes to baby-making lovemaking, male ejaculation tends to take centre stage. Whilst it’s true that your orgasm is delivering the ‘goods’ – that doesn’t mean all the focus should be on your enjoyment. Female pleasure is often sidelined (have you heard of the gender pleasure gap?) and forgotten about during sex, and that’s not cool. Satisfying your partner has a whole bunch of benefits – including a stronger emotional bond and heightened mental wellbeing – both of which are great allies on your road to parenthood.
There are also many other internet-fueled rumours that if your partner has an orgasm, it increases the chance of conceiving. The theory goes that the pelvic contractions experienced during an orgasm can help draw sperm into the reproductive tract faster. There’s also talk of increased oxytocin levels (the hormone that floods your brain when you climax) being helpful for speeding up sperm.
There are a couple of very small studies that indicate there could be some truth in these rumours, but to honest – the scientific jury is still out. That said, this is one myth that there is no harm in leaning in to – and your partner will probably be very happy if you do!

Make sure you enjoy it!

With all this talk or hormones and sperm health, we know that trying for a baby can start to feel a little scientific. But ultimately you have to remember that at the heart of it, sex is an expression of the fact you love each other – which is probably the reason you quite like the idea of starting a family together.
Sex can be many things – fun, sensual, kinky, romantic – but it shouldn’t feel tiresome or robotic. If it feels like you’re losing the spark and focusing too much on conceiving over lovemaking, talk to your partner about how you’re feeling. It might be that you need to take a step back and reconnect as a couple – it might be that you need to grab the fluffy handcuffs and whipped cream. Whatever you’re in to as a couple, is down to you – and at his stage of a fertility journey, you should be enjoying this process of trying.

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Wearing tight pants and underwear

Studies show that men who wear looser underwear have higher sperm concentration and total sperm count compared to men who wear tighter underwear. So, lose the tight clothes and wear something loose to give your testicles some air.

CONCLUSION: learn more about how heat can affect sperm quality here.

Stress

Besides higher mortality rate and various diseases, stress is associated with low sperm quality. Stress is known to be associated with lower testosterone levels and oxidative stress with both playing an essential role in producing and maintaining healthy sperm cells.

CONCLUSION: If you feel stressed, we recommend you get some help so you can have a balanced mental health. For a stress management guide, download the ExSeed app for free and start your personalized action plan today.

Physical activity

Scientific studies show that men who are physically active have better semen parameters than men who are inactive. Fertility specialists also state that regular physical activity has beneficial impact on sperm fertility parameters and such a lifestyle can enhance the fertility status of men.

Prioritizing exercise can help improve your overall health and result in healthy, fast swimming sperm cells that have good chances of fertilizing an egg.

CONCLUSION: Try incorporating exercise in your weekly schedule to you ensure exercising at least twice weekly. We recommend a combination of cardio training and strength exercise. Read more about exercise and male fertility on our blog.

Nutrition

Fast Food
Processed foods damage the health of sperm-producing cells and cause oxidative stress, which lead to poorer sperm quality. Heavy consumption of junk food (every week) can increase the likelihood of infertility since men who consume vast amounts of unhealthy food are at risk of having poor sperm quality. Besides harming your fertility, junk food enlarges your waistline, harms your cardiovascular system, kidneys, and more.

Vegetables
Eating more fruit and vegetables can increase your sperm concentration and motility. It’s important that you consume a healthy diet filled with antioxidants and that you eat vegetables every day. Foods such as apricots and red bell peppers are high in vitamin A, which improves male fertility by nurturing healthier sperm. Men who are deficient in this vitamin tend to have slow and sluggish sperm.

Sugary snacks/beverages: several times a week Excessive consumption of high sugar items can lead to oxidative stress, which negatively impacts testosterone levels and sperm motility. Sugary snacks and beverages are also highly associated with obesity and low fertility.
CONCLUSION: To boost sperm quality, stay away from fast food, processed food, and sugary snacks or beverages. You need to implement a healthy prudent diet filled with necessary superfoods needed for good sperm production. Check out our guide to Male Fertility Superfoods. For personalized guidance and support on how you can start improving your sperm health, check out the Bootcamp.

Heat

Direct heat can inhibit optimal sperm production and cause Sperm DNA damage. Sperm cells like environments that are a couple of degrees lower than body temperature. Avoid overheating from warm blankets, seat warmers, heat from your laptop, hot showers, and saunas.

Cigarette smoking

The exposure to tobacco smoke has significant negative effects on semen quality. The damage of cigarettes and nicotine of course depends on how many cigarettes you smoke per day and for how long, but even low usage (up to 10 cigarettes / day) can inhibit healthy sperm production.  

CONCLUSION: Stay as far away from cigarette smoking as possible if you care about your general health and your fertility. Read more here.

Cell phone

When you have your cell phone in your front pocket, your testicles are exposed to electromagnetic radiation, which studies have shown to damage the sperm cells. Put your phone in the back pocket of your pants or in your jacket pocket.

BMI

There is a clear association between obesity and reduced sperm quality. At least part of the reason for this is that obese men may have abnormal reproductive hormonal profiles, which can impair sperm production and lead to infertility. 

A BMI higher than 30 can lead to several processes in the body (overheating, increase in oxidative stress in the testes, sperm DNA damage, erectile dysfunction) that can have a negative impact on male fertility. This can result in problems when trying to conceive.  

CONCLUSION: BMI is one of the risk factors that influence semen quality and, for example, sperm motility.  

Alcohol

A beer or glass of wine now and then do not really harm sperm quality. But excess alcohol drinking (more than 20 units per week) can reduce the production of normally formed sperm needed for a successful pregnancy.

CONCLUSION: If you want to stay safe, stay under 14 units of alcohol per week. For more information on how alcohol can affect male fertility, take a look at our blog: “Alcohol and Sperm Quality”.

Age

Studies show that women younger than 35 and men younger than 40 have a better chance of getting pregnant. Men can produce sperm cells almost through their entire life, but the sperm cell DNA is more fragile and prone to damage after the age of 40.

As men age, their testes tend to get smaller and softer resulting in a decline in sperm quality and production. These changes are partly because of an age-related decrease in testosterone level, which plays a very important role in sperm

production. Higher male age (>40 years) is not only associated with a decline in sperm production but also with increased sperm DNA fragmentation and worsened morphology (shape) and motility (movement). These negative effects make the sperm cells less qualified for egg fertilization.

CONCLUSION: with an age under 40, you shouldn’t have to worry much about age as a factor in itself. However, studies have shown a slow decline after the age of 30-35 years

and if you are above 40 years of age, your sperm quality can be affected due to increased sperm DNA damage resulting in a decrease of sperm motility and concentration. Remember that you cannot evaluate the quality of a sperm sample by just looking at it – this requires a sperm analysis.