Baby Making Sex Are you doing it right?

 

Baby-making sex is fabled by veteran couples to be the most open, enjoyable sex possible. There are no birth control failures to worry about, men feel more macho as they send their soldiers into action, and women happily anticipate the opportunity to become a mother. After trying to conceive without success, a couple may come to fear that one or both of them has a fertility problem.

Some couples who are unable to conceive have simple problems such as infrequency of sex at the appropriate time in the ovulation cycle or poor positioning during sexual intercourse. Couple these problems with fertility concerns such as a male with a low sperm count or a woman with irregular ovulation and the chances of achieving pregnancy are lowered even more.

All women have a 20% chance of becoming pregnant in any given month .Couples can unknowingly decrease their chances due to certain behaviors, preferences, or techniques before, during, and after sexual intercourse. For some couples, improving their timing and techniques of sexual intercourse, in addition to eliminating certain behaviors all together, may be sufficient to allow pregnancy without fancy medical intervention and therapy .

On Your Mark! Get Set! Copulate!

Most couples who are trying to conceive have some cursory knowledge about the best time to have sex in order to achieve pregnancy. Depending on the woman, experts say she is most fertile during days 12 to 14 of her menstrual cycle. This is a very small window of opportunity to have an egg fertilized. Although sperm can survive in the womans body for as long as four days, an egg only stays viable for 12 to 24 hours after ovulation. The simplest advice is to have sex every other day around the middle of the womans cycle . For instance, the midpoint of a 28-day cycle is between days 9 and 15. Therefore, to maximize a womans chance to become pregnant, she and her partner should have intercourse on days 9, 11, 13 and 15 of her cycle.

A schedule of sex every other day helps to ensure that the males sperm count has the opportunity to rebuild to maximum capacity. Men should refrain from ejaculating (either via sex or masturbation) for 48 hours between each session of baby-making sex. Another factor that may help men with a low sperm count is that sperm levels are usually higher in the morning, provided that the male has not ejaculated the night before. Having sex in the morning may be the key to providing enough sperm to ensure fertilization.

Knowing what days in a cycle to have sex is usually not the problem for many couples. Actually having sex on those days seems to be the obstacle that must be overcome. Work schedules, family responsibilities, and social obligations can put a damper on even the best of sex lives. The anxiety of having to perform on a particular day may create tension between the couple and add unnecessary stress to the situation. Stress can prevent pregnancy from occurring.

The hypothalamus, the gland that controls the flow and timing of all your reproductive hormones, is sensitive to both emotional and physical tensions. Any type of stress has an immediate effect on the function of the hypothalamus. A couple must take time to examine their lives and eliminate stressful situations, be they major or minor stresses. Couples should also incorporate relaxing activities, such as exercise, reading, or gardening, into their schedules to keep the stress level in check at all times, but especially before trying to conceive.

The Missionary Man

After determining the best time to have sexual intercourse, couples must also examine how they have sex to ensure their practices encourage conception. Although some sexual positions heighten arousal, encourage sexual stimulation, and are preferred for achieving orgasms by one or both partners, many of these positions do not allow proper positioning of the vagina.

Positions that increase the natural tilt of the vagina are helpful because they allow the sperm to get a good head start in the right direction. Some of the better positions are:

• Male dominant or missionary style a better angle can be achieved by placing a pillow or cushion under the womans bottom during intercourse.
• Knee to chest or rear entry style (also known as doggy style) allows the male to deposit his sperm closer to the womans cervix; can be effective for males with a marginal or low sperm count; is also effective for a woman with a retroverted uterus.
• Lying on your side helpful if either partner suffers from back problems or if the man is overweight; eliminates pressure at the base of the spine for the woman.

Some sexual positions that are not conducive to conception are:

• Sitting
• Standing
• Female dominant (woman on top)
• Bending over

Although achieving pregnancy is not impossible using these positions, they do not encourage the flow of sperm into the uterus and, ultimately, the fallopian tubes

 

Lovin From Head to Toe

Although sexual intercourse is usually used by a couple to bond with one another and to give pleasure to their partners and themselves, the primary biological purpose of sexual intercourse is to achieve pregnancy. When a couple decides to make babies, their usual lovemaking preferences may need to undergo some changes to maximize their chances of becoming pregnant.

Some practices to modify or eliminate in your lovemaking are:

Oral Sex

Either given or received, oral sex does not have a long-term adverse effect on male or female reproductive health. However, some bacteria that are normally found in saliva can have a degrading effect on semen and reduce its ability to fertilize an egg. Due to this reason, it is recommended that the male not perform oral sex on his female partner at the time they are trying to conceive .

Anal Sex

During any lovemaking session that includes anal sex, extreme care must be taken for the man to wash his penis with soap and water after engaging in anal sex. This must be done before introducing the penis into the vagina. Washing the penis eliminates the transfer of harmful bacteria that live in the anus to the womans reproductive tract. Extra care must be taken when having anal sex as a part of baby-making sex because a newly fertilized egg may be adversely affected by being introduced to these bacteria. 

Lubricants

Some doctors are split on whether or not lubricants should be used during baby-making sex. Sherman J. Silber M.D., author of How to Get Pregnant, states "artificial lubricants have a detrimental effect on sperm", and he suggests their use be eliminated when a couple is trying to conceive . Belinda Whitworth, author of The Natural Way: Infertility agrees with Dr. Silber and goes farther by saying that lubricants can kill sperm.

Niels H. Lauersen M.D., Ph.D. differentiates between the types of lubricants to use and their effects on the male and female reproductive ability. In the book, Getting Pregnant What Couples Need To Know Right Now, Lauersen cautions against the use of oil-based lubricants (petroleum jelly, massage oils) because oils upset the natural pH level of the vagina and can make the environment hostile to sperm. Oil-based lubricants also decrease the motility of sperm and can block their passage to the egg.

Lauersen suggests that if a lubricant if needed, a couple should opt for one that is water-based. Couples can look for the label "Safe To Use With Condoms" to identify an appropriate lubricant. Since oil breaks down latex, products that are safe to use with condoms must be water-based.

Underwater Sex and Hot Tubs

Having sexual intercourse under water can be very enjoyable for both males and females, but as a part of baby-making sex, it should be eliminated. Inducing water into the vagina can change the vaginal mucus needed for proper sperm passage. Also, chlorinated water (found in swimming pools) is harmful because chlorine can alter a womans internal pH level and, in turn, create a hostile environment for sperm.

Hot tubs are not recommended for males and females that are trying to conceive . The high temperature of hot tubs' water may damage the egg that has been released by the ovary to be fertilized that particular month. The high temperatures also can damage a mans sperm and lower his sperm count. This can hamper his fertility for several weeks. For this reason, hot baths are also not recommended for a man.

Sex Toys

Various sexual aids can adversely affect a mans or a womans reproductive health. Harmful viruses and bacteria that can hamper fertility are able to live on a vibrator. Vibrators that are not shared by others and are properly cleaned (using hot water and soap or a sanitary cloth) can be safely used during baby-making sex. Penile rings should not be used by any male who is trying to impregnate his partner as they may cause trauma to the male genitals and affect his fertility. Care should be taken when using any sexual aid to avoid trauma to the vagina and the penis or testicles .

Was It Good For YouAnd The Sperm?

The timing of a womans orgasm is said to affect not only the chances of fertilization, but also the sex selection of the baby. Avoiding orgasm during baby-making sex keeps the vaginal environment highly acidic, an environment that female sperm are said to be able to withstand. If a woman has an orgasm at the same time as her partner or after her partner ejaculates, a more alkaline vaginal environment is created which "male sperm are said to prefer. This method also favors male sperm because they are said to be fast swimmers, but short lived .The contractions of a womans vagina during orgasm help to draw the sperm into the cervix, thereby increasing the chances of fertilization .

Down For The Count

If a woman gets up from a horizontal position immediately after her partner ejaculates, there will be considerable leakage of the semen from her body. This can be detrimental to the conception process because the sperm has not had enough time to reach the cervix and continue its upward journey to the egg.

A woman who is trying to conceive should not get up immediately after ejaculation to urinate or to wash her genital area. She should remain on her back with a pillow under her bottom (to facilitate the upward flow of sperm in the uterus) for twenty to thirty minutes following intercourse .Her partner should not withdraw his penis for several minutes following ejaculation to decrease the possibility of leakage. After her partner has withdrawn his penis, the woman should lightly press the labia (lips) of her vagina together with her fingers and hold this position for several minutes .This will also help keep the sperm inside the vagina.

That 'Not-So-Fresh' Feeling is All in Your Head!

The vagina is a self-cleaning organ that does not need the help of a commercially prepared or homemade douche to maintain its level of cleanliness. Even after intercourse and menstruation, the vagina works internally to stay healthy, clean, and free of odors. Odors that are not eliminated by externally cleansing the vagina with soap and water may be an indication of an infection that should be treated by a womans doctor. Unless recommended by a doctor for specific purposes, regular douching is unnecessary and not recommended.

Douching can also affect a womans chance of conceiving a baby. Douching prior to intercourse disrupts the normal pH level of the vagina, which, in turn, destroys the normally favorable conditions for sperm. The survival of the sperm is jeopardized, as is any chance it has to fertilize an egg. Douching too soon after intercourse can wash out sperm that might otherwise have made it into a womans fallopian tubes and successfully fertilized an egg.

In addition to the immediate effect douching can have on sperm prior to or after intercourse, douching can also create fertility problems by forcing harmful bacteria further up into a womans reproductive tract. These bacteria may lead to an increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID not only compromises a womans fertility, but if she does become pregnant, she faces an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy .

A Whole New Repertoire

Depending on how many of the above habits a couple engages in during their usual lovemaking sessions, they may need a slight makeover of their sexual habits in order to ensure the conception of a baby. Many couples who have been unable to find the source of their fertility problems may benefit from changing their lovemaking techniques in order to maximize their chance of fertilizing an egg. Although there are a lot of factors to consider in baby-making sex, a couple still needs to approach lovemaking during this time with a relaxed attitude, even if you have to eliminate your favorite position or act.

Sex for conception can only occur for less than one weeks time in any given month. That leaves three other weeks in the month for couples to swing from the chandeliers or to make love in the bathtub! Many of the above techniques and suggestions should be tried by a couple prior to the time that they be used for conception so that each partner is comfortable with the act and so that the experience can still be pleasurable for both of them. A couple must approach baby-making sex with the desire to please each other, in addition to the desire to conceive a baby.