Knowing when to have sex to best increase your chances of pregnancy is one of the first things many women look into.
But, there is often much more for us to think about, and it can either catch us by surprise or be forgotten altogether.
For one thing, coming off of contraception or any other medication that affects your hormones can really impact potential pregnancy.
While the recommendation is to come off hormonal contraception at least 3 months before you begin trying for a baby, why not set yourself and your partner up for success by starting at least 6 months earlier with regard to nutrition and lifestyle changes.
This, coupled with the timing of when you have sex, can help you get pregnant faster and help your future baby to develop in a more healthy way. If you’re unsure of how to tackle timed sex with your partner, we’ve created your ultimate guide. Let’s dive in.
Why timing your sex matters
Timing your sex matters. In fact, the time of day you have sex can be important for your hormone balance and mental state.
Really, we just want to increase your chances of a successfully fertilised egg, because there are only a few days every month you can actually get pregnant!
Morning sex is the best time of day for both partners because a man’s testosterone is at its highest, which means his swimmers are at their best in number and ability.
Women are often more rested and have more energy in the morning after a good night’s sleep, meaning they are more likely to be in their rest, digest, and reproduce nervous system function (parasympathetic nervous system).
Lying on your back for 10-15 minutes after sex can help keep the sperm going in the right direction so try to stay still for a little while.
Remember that babies can be made any time of the day, so if mornings don’t work for you and your partner’s schedule, don’t stress!
If you can’t factor in morning sex, you can time your sex to coincide with your fertile window.
The fertile window
As we mentioned above, there are only a few days a month where conception is possible. In fact, the 5 days before ovulation and the day you ovulate are your conception window — just 6 days.
While you can have sex randomly during the month and hope for the best, targeting your sexual intercourse to a specific day will help to increase your chances of conceiving.
In the 3 days leading up to and including the day of ovulation, your chances of falling pregnant are around 27-33% [1].
In the days after, this percentage rapidly declines and roughly 12-24 hours after ovulation, you aren’t able to conceive for the rest of that cycle.
To track when you’re ovulating, consider using a thermometer to keep tabs on your basal body temperature every day — there are heaps of tracking apps that can be helpful for this! — or by monitoring the mucus you produce at different times of the month, which can also indicate when you're ovulating.
The general rule is that if your menstrual cycle goes for 28 days, then you’ll usually ovulate around 14, making days 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 your conception window.
Tracking your ovulation period can be complicated — and for some people, the day you ovulate can change every month — so an alternative method is to have sex the day after your period finishes and then again every 2-3 days after and this will ensure you’re still actively trying to fall pregnant without having to calculate your ovulation.
Does having sex every day reduce fertility?
There has long been a myth circulating that having sex every day reduces one’s fertility and can decrease sperm count but, thanks to research, we know that this isn't the case.
In fact, a study from 2009 found that, for men, ejaculating daily can improve sperm quality by reducing DNA damage [2].
For women, a 2015 study found that having sex every day can actually prepare their immune system for pregnancy [3]. So, if you want to have sex every day in your mission to conceive, it won’t negatively impact your fertility for either partner.
To support you in this journey, Kin’s The Prenatal includes 12 highly bioavailable essential ingredients — which are easily absorbed by the body — and helps with energy production, to boost your immune system and supports thyroid health.
It’s recommended that you begin taking this 3 months before starting to conceive and throughout the conception journey.
How to approach sex scheduling
Scheduling in when you and your partner have sex can take a lot of the fun out of sex.
So, while it can be difficult (especially if you’ve been trying for a while), try where you can to add fun and romance into the situation and keep your stress levels in check.
It’s important to also talk openly with your partner about what your expectations are when it comes to trying for a baby and see how they feel too.
Have a chat with them about the frequency of sex and how you can navigate this when one of you might be tired or not up for it that time, in order to avoid feelings of rejection.
Try creating a code word for sex when you’re in the mood or for when you want to let your partner know you’re up for making love later that day.
If you aren’t feeling it, it might also be helpful to have a code word for this scenario as opposed to saying “no” outright.
It can also be helpful for your partner to also track your cycle on a period tracking app, so they are also aware of the days you are most fertile and this part of trying to conceive doesn’t have to fall on you.
Trying to conceive can be a tricky process so employing strategies like timed sex can help it along.
Everyone’s conception journey is different and if you’ve been trying to time your sex accordingly and a large chunk of time has passed with no luck, it might be time to chat to your doctor so you can get some peace of mind.
Kin Fertility's Conceiving Essentials has everything that you need to start your conceiving journey, including ovulation and pregnancy tests.
With a proven accuracy rate of 99%, we’ll help you to take the guesswork out of knowing when to conceive and the accurate and easy-to-use midstream test that detects early pregnancy (within 7 weeks of the last menstrual period).
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