Timing!

7. Question: Timing Intercourse - How often should we make love? And when during my cycle?

Answer: Great question. Most doctors and fertility experts recommend that you establish a "baseline" lovemaking routine independent of fertility charting or ovulation prediction results. That is to say, to increase the overall odds of conceiving, you should try to make love at least two times a week even when you are likely not fertile, as a general TTC baseline. While ovulation can be predicted fairly accurately, the egg can nevertheless drop unexpectedly - either earlier or later - than you anticipated (based on charts, cervical mucus, etc). This is of course particularly true for women with irregular cycles. That's why you should make love even when you think you are probably not "in the window". And given the surprising fact that sperm are capable of living a number of days inside a woman's body, its better to play it safe and have a general routine (but without making it "routine").

If you are fertility charting or using ovulation prediction devices or test kits then you can better target a couples fertile window. For example, if you typically ovulate on or around CD 18 (according to bbt charting patterns), then you know when to step-up loving making sessions. If you can make love daily during the 2 to 3 days days before ovulate - and the day that ovulation takes place - you have "timed intercourse" optimally! Given an ideal and hypothetical 28-day menstrual cycle, we can surmise (for the sake of example only) that you will likely ovulate on cycle day 14. This means that lovemaking should commence from CD 10 through 14. BBT charting and monitoring fertility signs will help you a great deal in learning about your unique, non-hypothetical cycle traits...

In the same way, a positive LH test or "peak" result on fertility monitor informs you that you should commence making love as soon as possible and try to time intercourse over the next three days. There is one important caveat when it comes to procreative lovemaking and that is sperm count. If your male partner has documented sperm count problems (or other male fertility issues) your doctor can tell you how frequently to make love. However, for men with healthy sperm counts it takes about twenty-four to thirty-six hours for the sperm to replenish themselves, so making love daily during your three-day window of peak fertility will certainly boost your odds!

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