Getting Pregnant Faster
Old wives' tales and myths abound - but there are some things you really can do to get pregnant faster and easier!
In truth however, Randolf tells WebMD that, once your temperature goes up, it's probably already too late -- and your chances of getting pregnant are slim.
"The correct way to use body temperature to predict ovulation is to keep a daily chart for at least one or two months -- then use that information to determine when your temperature is likely to rise the next month, and start having sex several days prior to that," says Randolf.
And how often should you "try" to conceive and can there ever be "too much sex?"
Since it is sperm and not egg that is affected by the frequency of intercourse, for a long time doctors believed that having sex every day might decrease sperm count, making pregnancy more difficult. Today experts are less concerned.
"I think the more times you have intercourse during your 'window of opportunity,' the more likely you are to get pregnant. I don't think you should worry about having too much sex when you are trying to conceive," Winer tells WebMD.
The same 1997 the New England Journal of Medicine study cited previously found that having sex every day is slightly more likely to result in pregnancy than intercourse every other day.
However, experts do caution couples not to put their love making on a schedule. That, they say, just might decrease chances of conception.
"The scientific evidence is scarce, but when you are stressed, when love making is on 'schedule,' there is some data to show that hormones may be affected, and that in turn could influence conception," says Goldstein.
In a study conducted at Harvard Medical School on 184 women with fertility problems, 55% of those who completed a 10-week course of relaxation training, and stress reduction had a viable pregnancy within one year, compared with just 20% of the group who had no stress reduction training.
In a second study conducted at the University of California at San Diego, doctors found that women undergoing fertility treatments, who remained relaxed and optimistic, had better overall outcomes than women who were pessimistic about their ability to conceive.
Getting Pregnant Faster
Old wives' tales and myths abound - but there are some things you really can do to get pregnant faster and easier!
In truth however, Randolf tells WebMD that, once your temperature goes up, it's probably already too late -- and your chances of getting pregnant are slim.
"The correct way to use body temperature to predict ovulation is to keep a daily chart for at least one or two months -- then use that information to determine when your temperature is likely to rise the next month, and start having sex several days prior to that," says Randolf.
And how often should you "try" to conceive and can there ever be "too much sex?"
Since it is sperm and not egg that is affected by the frequency of intercourse, for a long time doctors believed that having sex every day might decrease sperm count, making pregnancy more difficult. Today experts are less concerned.
"I think the more times you have intercourse during your 'window of opportunity,' the more likely you are to get pregnant. I don't think you should worry about having too much sex when you are trying to conceive," Winer tells WebMD.
The same 1997 the New England Journal of Medicine study cited previously found that having sex every day is slightly more likely to result in pregnancy than intercourse every other day.
However, experts do caution couples not to put their love making on a schedule. That, they say, just might decrease chances of conception.
"The scientific evidence is scarce, but when you are stressed, when love making is on 'schedule,' there is some data to show that hormones may be affected, and that in turn could influence conception," says Goldstein.
In a study conducted at Harvard Medical School on 184 women with fertility problems, 55% of those who completed a 10-week course of relaxation training, and stress reduction had a viable pregnancy within one year, compared with just 20% of the group who had no stress reduction training.
In a second study conducted at the University of California at San Diego, doctors found that women undergoing fertility treatments, who remained relaxed and optimistic, had better overall outcomes than women who were pessimistic about their ability to conceive.