Pregnancy and the timing of intercourse

Article Abstract:

The timing intercourse in relation to ovulation appears to affect the probability of becoming pregnant, but not the probability of pregnancy loss or birth defects. Two 1995 studies found that pregnancy was most probable when intercourse occurred during the three or six days leading up to ovulation, with the highest probability on the day of ovulation. The studies also found that the sex of the baby was unrelated to timing of intercourse. They also suggest that aging of the egg or sperm in the female reproductive tract before fertilization does not generally increase the likelihood of pregnancy loss or birth defects. Women trying to become pregnant or avoid pregnancy should learn to track the time of ovulation based on body temperature, hormone levels, and vulval mucus production. The optimal frequency of intercourse for those wishing to become pregnant is several times a week, but not necessarily every day.

Editorial

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Timing of sexual intercourse in relation to ovulation: effects on the probability of conception, survival of the pregnancy, and sex of the baby

Article Abstract:

The time of conception for almost all pregnancies appears to be during the six days that precede and include the day of ovulation. Researchers analyzed urine tests, days of intercourse, and pregnancy outcomes in 221 healthy women trying to become pregnant. Of 192 pregnancies that began, 129 resulted in live births. For every conception, intercourse occurred at least once during the six days that ended on the day of ovulation. According to a statistical analysis the probability of conceiving on each of these six days varied from 0.10 on the first day to 0.33 on the day of ovulation. The timing of intercourse did not appear to influence either the probability of live birth or the sex of the baby. Only 6% of the pregnancies were definitely caused by sperm that had been in the woman's reproductive tract for three or more days.

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Distingushing the effects of maternal and offspring genes through studies of "case-parent triads."

Article Abstract:

Researchers developed a log-linear method of estimating relative risks for alleles in the context of case-parent triads. The method is able to detect the effects of genes working through the offspring, the mother, or both. Researcher's approach uses computer software and simulations. Their method is valid with a self-selected or hospital-based series of cases and helps to protect against misleading inferences that result from cases and controls randomly sampled.

Research, Physiological aspects, Infants, Heredity

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