Sex every day or every other day to get pregnant?

whenwillieversleep

Hi ladies, wondering if you could share your input. Hubs and I have been TTC for 4 months so far with sex every day during  3-5 days of my fertile window with sex before and after I get a positive FRER ovulation test. This month is another fail, but I was just wondering if maybe it's better to just do sex every other day instead of every day. Will you please share with me what you have had success with?

megstervt

We did EOD when my CM started to show signs of fertility, ED when I had fertile CM, and then EOD after that just in case for a few days.  It was a lot, and probably would not have been sustainable for more then a couple months, but it worked so we didn't have to cross that bridge.

I did not use OPKs, instead just checked CM and bbt.  Also, from what my research showed EOD is really just as effective as ED.  Others may be able to chime in with more research about that.

meggyme

Also, it can take a perfectly healthy couple a year to conceive (with perfect timing) since you have about a 20% chance each month. It's hard to be patient, but there could be no problem.

You might want to check out the TTGP board. I learned a lot from those ladies about temping; how OPK's work and when/how to use them, and when to take a pregnancy test so that it's accurate.

ashliedennis

I read online that it's best to do every other day because it gives the sperm time to build back up (or something along those lines)

CAndrada

If there are no known sperm issues, daily is fine or every other day if you'd rather. Sperm can live up to five days and the egg lives one day giving you a six day window. More important is narrowing down ovulation. If you're not ready to temp, opks are a great, easy place to start. Use them twice a day so you don't miss your surge. Don't assume your cm is accurate. I always had eggwhite cm days before ovulation. If I had stopped having sex when that was gone I would have missed it. Granted, we wound up being help both times but that's not usually the case. Also, remember it can take a perfectly healthy couple a year to conceive. 

CAndrada

Saw that you're already using opk. I will suggest using digital ones. They're pricey but I noticed the frer were very rarely correct for us. Just personal experience. We took 19 months with our first and 5 months with our second (pregnant now). We had HSGs with both successful cycles but the digi opks were invaluable. 

kcolly32

My fertility/OB doc said EOD because it gives the sperm time to regenerate. He said everyday can produce weak sperm and less of a chance for them to reach the egg. Sperm can live up to 3 days inside a woman so EOD should be plenty.

BecauseBabyIamAPug

It literally only takes one time (hence my first child) in your fertile window. However,  you can promise when you will ovulate exactly.  

My RE suggests every one day, and Dh has a perfect SA.

PattersRN

I've been successful with both everyday and EOD

karabearrr

I wouldn't do every day, doesn't the sperm count decrease if you do that? I don't know, me and DH only had sex about 3 times a week and it only took 2 months for me to get pregnant, but everyone is different.

clairemwalker

Clinical studies show there isnt a descernable difference between ED and EOD. however if you are not temping you cannot know for sure when you are actually ovulating. OPKs are only a guideline. How long is your cycle? It wasnt until i did a bit of research i discovered that since i have a 32 -34 day cycle and most likely have a 10-11 day luteal phase, that i most likely ovulate around cd 20-22.  if i had gone on the standard cd 14-16 window i would have never got pregnant! In my opinion (and for the record i state this is totally opinion and only very mildly fact based) the best way to ttc and still keep sex relatively fun is to have sex EOD between cd 10-20 if you have a 28-30 day cycle, and cd 14-22 if you have a 32-35 day cycle. If you are consistently getting positive opks on or around the same cd every month, then it is a good bet you ovulate within 3 days of that day, so you could have sex ED in that 3-4 day window. Sorry for the novel, hope thus is helpful

desertheart

I have a three month old, and this is what worked for us.  Have sex often on and around the time of ovulation.  As in several times in a row.  I know, I know this goes against everything you've read and the whole letting sperm build up thing.  

We tried to get pregnant for 4 years!  We had every test imaginable, and they couldn't find anything.  It was unexplained infertility.  Then, I started going to a holistic doctor who does Arvigo technique (she is also a OB/GYN) last February.  Last summer she jokingly gave us the advice "to hit it hard."  She'd just come back from a conference where a urologist presented his research, and the data showed that often (when the man has slightly low morphology etc.) several ejaculations in a row are required to ensure there is enough healthy sperm making its way up there.    

Never once did the infertility doctors ask us about simple things like timing.  My baby is proof that this could work for a couple with borderline sperm counts.  My husband sometimes had solid counts and other times had poor or borderline morphology.  I also knew when I was ovulating each month because the tests always came back the same.  We were getting ready to have surgery and then do IUI when I got pregnant.  Funny how all along it was something so simple.

Good luck!