How often should we have sex?

Along with wondering ‘How long does it take to conceive?’ many couples who have decided the time is right to have a baby, also want to know how often they need to have unprotected sex each month in order to maximise their chances of getting pregnant.

When is sex most likely to lead to conception?

The time each month when you are most fertile is the 24 hour period around ovulation. However, as sperm can live for two or three days after ejaculation, it isn’t just a question of having sex in a brief window of opportunity once a month.

Indeed, although you might get to know when you are ovulating through taking your temperature and charting, the complex cocktail of natural hormones needed to stimulate egg production and create a positive environment for successful implantation of a fertilised egg in the womb does tend to make the whole process far less easy to control than simply sticking a reminder note on the calendar!

How often should we make love when we’re TTC?

So, despite there being a specific period when you are fertile during each cycle, the best advice says to have sex regularly throughout the month, regular being two or three times a week, if possible.

This helps increase the chances of you hitting your most fertile phase as well as reducing the pressure to succeed on one or two ‘key’ moments believing that the optimum ovulation-targeted point has arrived!

Additionally, regular sex helps you to maintain the fun and intimacy between you and your partner rather than it being an ‘appointment to conceive’.

Is it possible to have too much sex when TTC?

Having sex more frequently can reduce the number of sperm present in each ejaculation (and reduce the number of Y chromosome sperm compared to X chromosome sperm – Y chromosome sperm being those which determine a boy). But that does not mean that you won’t necessarily conceive from one of the sperm which is present.

Going the other way, if you only save up sex for only the key point during your cycle, not only does it put pressure on the process for you and your partner, but not having sex for more than 10 days can affect the sperm count.