Please remember, this column is designed to help the consumer seeking behavioral-health information, and not intended to be any form of psychotherapy or a replacement for professional, individualized services. Opinions expressed in the column are those of the columnist and do not represent the position of other SelfhelpMagazine.com staff.

Question

My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for the past three months. He is in the Army and will be overseas in a couple of months and so far our mission has been unsuccessful. We had heard that we should have sex right after ovulation to maximize chance of pregnancy. Is that right and should my husband be "saving up his ammunition" until then?

Answer

There have been a lot of myths, nervousness, and booby (alas, not baby) traps around this subject. Recently a well-designed study by the National Institute of Environmental Sciences (New England Journal of Medicine, 12/95) offered some new information and guidelines. Most surprisingly, in contrast to previous studies which had reported women's fertile periods to last 13 days and to span ovulation, this study found the 6% of pregnancies occurred when couples had intercourse in the 3-6 days prior to ovulation and 94% occurred in the period 0-3 days prior to ovulation. Absolutely no pregnancies occurred from intercourse either more than six days prior to the start of ovulation or after ovulation. Thus, we recommend that you purchase a home testing kit to keep track of your cycle and make sure that you "rest up" for the peak periods.

In regards to the question of your husband saving up sperm, it is true that more frequent intercourse decreases the number of sperm in each ejaculation. However, in the above study the researchers did not find lower pregnancy rates among those having more frequent sex.

So, it appears that once again in love, like war, focused, targeted penetration of the target is more effective that a random campaign of indiscriminant strikes. Good Luck!

03/18/98

Dr. Al Cooper, clinical director at the San Jose Marital and Sexuality Centre (408-248-9737), runs the training program for Counseling and Psychological Services at Stanford University. Dr. Cooper is internationally known for his work in sexuality and is freqently interviewed by the media. He currently writes a column in Men's Health Magazine.

Dr. Coralie Scherer coordinates online services for the Centre and specializes in sexual trauma, women's issues, and marital therapy.