Before trying fertility treatments to help you conceive, you may want to attempt some basic intercourse tips so that you might not have to undergo more expensive, more invasive treatments. Even if you do have some fertility treatments performed, such as hormonal therapy, your fertility specialist may recommend you practice a few tips to increase your chances of conception.
1. Have Sex Frequently
While timing can be important, one of the most basic tips to help people conceive that can sometimes be ignored in the stress of fertility treatments is to have sex frequently. You should have sex at least three times a week, if not more. The more often you have intercourse, the greater your chance of becoming pregnant.
2. Relax as Best You Can
Thinking too much about your fertility problems can actually contribute to your infertility issues. Being stressed can increase your chance of sexual dysfunction and make your muscles less likely to relax, which is essential for fertilization. Stress can also cause a strain on your relationship, which will make the two of you less likely to relax and enjoy the experience. If you can relax and enjoy sex, the woman is also more likely to achieve orgasm. Getting the woman to achieve orgasm may also help increase the suction-like effect of the cervix, which will pull the sperm inward.
3. Consider Timing
While not always the single most important factor in being able to conceive, make sure that you have an excess of intercourse at the most opportune moment in the woman's cycle. You can estimate the peak time of ovulation by making a chart of the woman's menstrual cycle and taking her temperature each day. In the majority of cases, a woman's peak time of ovulation is about two weeks after her period starts.
4. Use Positions with the Man on Top
Sexual positions with the woman on the bottom, such as the classic missionary pose and the hands-and-knees position, can use gravity to help you be able to conceive. If the woman is on the top, the sperm will have to travel upwards, which makes it less likely to stick.
5. Practice Healthy Living
You can increase your chances of being able to conceive by practicing a healthy lifestyle. It's especially important that the woman not smoke, drink or do drugs when trying to get pregnant. The woman especially should eat a healthy diet that's rich in vitamins and minerals. She may even benefit from taking a prenatal vitamin regimen.
6. Have the Woman Raise Her Legs after Intercourse
As long as your problems with infertility don't arise from a low sperm count, having the woman lay flat on her back for at least 10 to 30 minutes after intercourse can help increase your chances of being able to conceive. It's important that the woman lays with her legs slightly raised (resting on a pillow is fine) at about a 30-degree angle to guide the sperm at the most opportune angle.
