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The Embarrassing Truth

Conception Facts You Need to Know But Are Too Afraid to Ask

By Gwen Morrison

Dr. Seibel discuses this in his book Journal Babies. "The man must have an orgasm for pregnancy to occur, but while it is desirable for the woman to have an orgasm and may even help sperm move up the reproductive tract, it is not essential for the woman to have an orgasm to conceive," he says.

Resolve, the National Fertility Association, answers the question about men and hot tubs: "Yes. High temperatures can kill sperm. That is why the scrotum is located outside the body – to act as a kind of 'refrigerator' to keep the sperm cool. So, it is a good idea to avoid hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms. Wear loose pants and underwear."

According to Resolve, "It is a good idea to have intercourse every other day around the time you ovulate. Remember, every woman is different and may not ovulate exactly on 'Day 14.' And, just because you ovulated on 'Day 14' this month, doesn't mean you will next month. It is preferable to have intercourse every other day rather than every day so that sufficient sperm will be available to increase your chances of the egg becoming fertilized; do not douche or use lubricants immediately before having intercourse."

"If a woman wants to check her own mucus, she needs to put hr finger in her vagina, all the way up to the cervix," says Dr. Ingrid A. Rodi, M.D., an OB/GYN in private practice in Santa Monica, Calif., where she directs the Fertility Center at Parker, Rosenman and Rodi Medical Group. "Then, if there is a lot of mucus, some of it will stick to her finger. Once the finger is outside the vagina, put the thumb on the finger that has the mucus and then gently pull it apart – the more fertile the mucus, the longer the string between the fingers. The important thing to note is that the mucus increases as a function of the estrogen level. Generally the mucus is copious just before ovulation and up to the day of ovulation and not after. A woman who is taking estrogen might have mucus and not be ovulating. A woman who is on a combination pill, patch or ring will generally have less mucus because of the presence of a progestin during the cycle."

Want to see more?

• Decisions, Decisions: Which Conception Path is Right for You?
• Answers to Your Pregnancy Test Questions
• Ten Myths About Conceiving
• Talk about it!