SEXUAL INTERCOURSE, OVULATION AND CONCEPTION

Many women who are trying to conceive want to learn when ovulation and implantation occur and what are usual miscarriage or pregnancy loss rates. Quite often the numbers women are given are based on averages, theoretical numbers and sometimes just plain guesses because it is such a difficult topic to scientifically investigate. New data comes available periodically but it is not always promptly and widely disseminated even on the Net.

When does implantation take place?

One such relatively recent study tells us that implantation does not always take place on day 7 after ovulation. In fact it very rarely does. This study by AJ Wilcox accurately determined the day of implantation by very sensitive pregnancy test (HCG) measurement compared to ovulation.

HCG hormone starts being produced when the pregnancy implants into the uterine lining. The findings in normal women trying to conceive included:

• first appearance of HCG (implantation) occurred 6-12 days after ovulation
• 84% of the pregnancies implanted on days 8-10 after ovulation
• early pregnancy loss increased with later implantation -
  implantation early pregnancy loss rate
  • 13% by day 9
  • 26% on day 10
  • 52% on day 11
  • 86% on day 12 or more

Overall the total pregnancy loss up to 6 weeks was 25%. Now that seems very high to most people but keep in mind many of these pregnancy losses occurred so early that women often were not aware they were even pregnant. The normal early pregnancy loss rate that most women know about is 15-18% of clinically recognized pregnancies so almost 40% of all pregnancy loss is unrecognized.

When is the best time to have intercourse in order to get pregnant?

Wilcox had also performed previous work in 1995 (2) which demonstrated that pregnancy only occurs if intercourse occurs within the 6 days prior to and including ovulation. Intercourse after the day of ovulation does not result in pregnancy. The probability of conception ranged from 10% when intercourse occurred five days before ovulation to 33% when it occurred on the day of ovulation itself.

This is the data that suggests the best timing of intercourse in order to conceive is day 10, 12, 14 and 16 (in case of late ovulation) of a 28 day cycle or days -4, -2, 0, +2 in relation to expected ovulation in the case of cycles different than 28 days.

When should I begin testing with home urine tests?

Most home pregnancy tests that check urine beta-HCG are sensitive to 20-25 mIU/ml of HCG. The general rule-of thumb is to test at the time when you are a day late for your menses or about 15 days after ovulation. The test can be positive anywhere from about 2-3 days prior to a missed menses to 4-5 days after.

Testing really does depend upon how regular your menses are or in other words how regular ovulation occurs. If you tend to be late (longer than 28 days) with your periods or the timing of menses varies by several days each cycle, then it is better not to waste pregnancy tests by testing at day 28-29 after the last period starts.

Are ovulation prediction tests worth doing?

Pelvic ultrasound looking at the ovaries is considered the gold standard in ovulation prediction in a research setting but obviously in a practical application of a woman trying to conceive, ultrasound is not used. Urinary LH testing has been shown to have a 100% correlation with ultrasound as far as predicting the timing of ovulation. In that same study, they looked at cervical mucous changes, basal body temperatur (BBT) charts and salivary ferning. Cervical mucous changes only had a correlation of 48%, salivary ferning correlated 37% and BBT has a 30% correlation.

For the home tests that measure LH surge that immediately precedes ovulation, detection of LH occurs at above 30 mIU/ml. This means that women with polycyctic ovarian syndrome who have slightly higher resting LH values are still not falsely detected as ovulating. The urinary LH spike occurs about 24-36 hours prior to ovulation so it is very useful for women trying to conceive because it gives them a window of warning. The test will show positive for one or two days and rarely 3 days if you catch a spike right at the beginning and it is a large release of LH.

What Should You Do After Intercourse To Increase Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant?

What should you do after intercourse to increase your chances of getting pregnant? Well, ask your grandma! There are a lot of tips and tricks that suggest that you can increase your odds of getting pregnant, even after intercourse, by following certain routines. These may work with some women and might not work with the rest. Though not completely scientific, they have shown marked results in some women who swear by them. Douching for example was once a popular method to increase your chances of getting pregnant, but today it has been shrugged off as a myth.

Will having intercourse in the morning help?

Some studies claim that a man’s sperm count may be higher in the morning as compared to other times of the day. But other studies also show that the differences in sperm count are so minimal that it does not matter much in terms of getting pregnant. For example, assume that your sperm count goes from 87 million in the evening to 88 million in the morning. This may sound significant in numbers. But understand that it doesn’t change much if you are talking about a tough conception history. That’s so because, after all, it only takes one sperm to do the job.

One of the surest ways is to have intercourse as often as you can! So stop worrying about the clock and have sex whenever the mood strikes you — day or night.

Will timing intercourse during the monthly cycles help?

Yes, definitely. If you really want to swing the odds of getting pregnant in your favor, you should try and start timing sex sessions as close to ovulation as you can. For most women that’s about halfway between periods and the most fertile period in the month. Our article on ovulation will help you better understand the process and give you an idea of when you’ll ovulate.

It also helps to keep in mind that while it’s important to understand your cycle and the changing patterns of cervical mucus and basal temperature, it’s equally important to try to relax, enjoy sex and the warm feeling of being parents soon. Believe it or not, the more relaxed you are, the better your chances of conceiving.

What can we do after intercourse to increase our odds?

For most healthy couples, getting pregnant isn’t difficult, and no special arrangements need to be made beyond depositing the man’s semen into the woman’s vagina. Generally, the sperm reach the cervix within seconds of ejaculation. But if you have been trying hard and long enough, here’s a secret. Lie flat after intercourse and raise your legs to 30 degrees. This helps the cervical and vaginal muscles to relax and facilitates the movement of cervical mucus. If your man has enough sperm count and you have the right consistency of cervical mucus, this method will greatly help to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Even doctors recommend that a woman should lie down with her legs slightly raised after intercourse to increase her chances of conception. This greatly helps in women who are trying to get pregnant because the sperm doesn’t have to fight gravity as they make their way to the egg. There is no scientific evidence of this improving the chances of getting pregnant, but many people have tried it to aid conception. It is a harmless technique and worth a shot.

Even after trying various techniques and therapies, if you still encounter trouble in conceiving, you must consult a doctor for advice on how to proceed.