Can too much sex affect our chances?

There are all sorts of myths lingering around about too much sex hampering your chances of conceiving a baby, but it’s less to do with how much you have sex and more to do with when you have sex.

Use our Ovulation calculator to find out which days you ovulate on each month and are therfore most fertile as having sex on these days will increase your chances of falling pregnant. To ensure your partners sperm stays healthy, it’s probably best to have sex every two to three days throughout your cycle, making sure you have sex on the two days before and on the day you ovulate. What is important is that you don’t feel pressured into having sex all the time, as this will increase your stress levels and make conception more difficult. On the other hand abstaining from sex until the day you ovulate will not increase your chances and experts still say to have frequent sex (every two to three days) throughout your cycle to maximise your chances of getting pregnant.

If you have any unanswered questions, use our answers page to gain wisdom from other mums or our resident experts for all thoseissues and queries you have when you're trying for a baby.

What is timed intercourse?
The time in which you have intercourse can have a huge bearing on getting pregnant or not, because your fertile window is made up of a few days each month when pregnancy is possible. Sperm can survive for a maximum of five days inside a woman and your ovum or egg survives for one day. This means that your fertile period is six days long comprised from five days before you ovulate and one day after. Pregnancy is possible on any one of these six days but your chances will increase if you have intercourse on the three days immediately leading up to and including your ovulation day. This means you have a practical fertile window of just three days.

Although there are signs you body is ovulating, see signs I am ovulating, like having a raised body temperature or experiencing a stickier, thicker vaginal discharge, it is very hard for women to predict when their fertile days are. Some women feel a slight pain in one or the other of their ovaries and this can also indicate that an egg is being released and ovulation is about to occur. It can still be difficult for many women to tell the exact days they ovulate on.

With this in mind, why not let our Ovulation calculator lend a helping hand and do the maths for you. All you have to know is the date of the first day of your last monthly period and how long your cycle usually lasts for, (most women's cycles last for about 28 days). Our clever calculator will predict which days you are most likely to be fertile over the next year so you can book that weekend away!

See our article on sex and baby-making for inspiration!

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.