Healthy Living

Monday, December 7, 2009

The return of the old-fashioned fertility treatment: Daily sex could be the key

Remember back in the old days when the treatment for infertility was thought to be simply having a lot of sex? Those days seem to be back.

This time around, though, the reasoning is not just that the more you do it, the more sperm will make their way to the waiting egg, and the more likely you will be to conceive. A new study finds that having daily sex could actually improve the health of the sperm and therefore improve the chances of conception. These days, it's not about quantity as much as quality.

This study may answer recent debates over whether men should abstain from sex for a few days before trying to conceive.

Australian researchers say that their study of 118 men who were evaluated to have sperm with higher than average DNA damage revealed that daily sex significantly improved the quality of the sperm. They believe that more frequent ejaculation moves sperm more swiftly out of the testicular ducts, where DNA damage can occur. While the volume of sperm was shown to decrease due to all the sexual activity, the increased health of the sperm outweighed any concern over that.

The lead researcher reported that the study may be good news for couples trying to conceive, stating, "It seems safe to conclude that couples with relatively normal semen parameters should have sex daily for up to a week before the ovulation date."

There are a lot of dos and don'ts circulating at this point in time for couples trying to conceive. Is having daily sex one more thing on the big list of conception stuff to consider? Or would you take more frequent sex seriously after reading about research like this?



Things that are not doing his fertility any favors:


More stuff that could be the fertility boost you need:


[photo credit: Getty Images]

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From the Community…

Comments 11-20 of 23
  • Laurie's Avatar
    Posted by Laurie Wed Jul 1, 2009 12:24pm PDT

    if the author had actually read about the study, she would see that it was about the sperm with damaged DNA, not about fertility in general. the older these sperm got the greater the chance of the DNA becoming damage, so for those individuals more frequent sex was advised.

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  • mommaofsun's Avatar
    Posted by mommaofsun Wed Jul 1, 2009 12:43pm PDT

    Holy cow.....before I had my tubes tied, all I do was say the word "pregnant" and I was.

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  • Rebecca G's Avatar
    Posted by Rebecca G Wed Jul 1, 2009 12:52pm PDT

    It seems like a win win situation, also helps if the woman has on orgasm before the man because this aligns up the cervix in direct path of the sperm.

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  • Vanisha's Avatar
    Posted by Vanisha Wed Jul 1, 2009 1:10pm PDT

    I think its true because thats what I did and now CONGRATS!!! I'm a soon to be mama

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  • Mantra's Avatar
    Posted by Mantra Wed Jul 1, 2009 9:04pm PDT

    I think that being able to be calm and into the experience when having sex makes a big difference and also eating the right foods. I believe that trying to have a baby is a spiritual experience and when you have to much stress in your life and you are not really into feeling pleasure, your body reacts. I think that you are right in a way. I don't necessary believe you have to have sex every night. I believe it is the quality of sex that you have and when you are done having sex. Just lay there for a couple of minutes before taking a shower.

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  • who me?'s Avatar
    Posted by who me? Wed Jul 1, 2009 9:40pm PDT

    Thats a great way to end a marriage! Sex everyday? The romance would fly right out of the window!

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  • CONFUSED SENSE's Avatar
    Posted by CONFUSED SENSE Wed Jul 1, 2009 10:36pm PDT

    well

    i married man and 7 years passed

    i hav experience, that i dont know if sex expands fertility ,but it also makes the man very lazy and slows u r mind thinking\

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  • George's Avatar
    Posted by George Thu Jul 2, 2009 8:34am PDT

    who said sex is the only answer for conception? people do make love hundred years but no child,and still divorce. why?

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  • Catalina T's Avatar
    Posted by Catalina T Thu Jul 2, 2009 4:31pm PDT

    no comment.........

    Report Abuse
  • lisa's Avatar
    Posted by lisa Sat Jul 4, 2009 10:40pm PDT

    i think that is an excuse for men who hardly ever get sex to get more sex

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Comments 11-20 of 23

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