Although many couples do not face any difficulty getting pregnant soon as they want, part of the population faces many challenges in getting conceived. If you consider their problems, there are many issues they have to clarify. One of the prevalent issues is “Is it scientific to ask to lying down after sex to conceive.”
Physiology of lying down after sex
Whenever a couple engages in sexual intercourse, there should be a passage of sperm toward the fallopian tube to have a conception. So after the male partner discharges his sperms into the vaginal canal, his sperms start to travel through the female reproductive tract.
Usually, the male partner ejaculates 2-5ml of seminal fluids after each intercourse. Each millimeter of sperm contains 100 million sperm. Each time, there is a passage of millions of sperm through the vaginal canal to the womb and fallopian tube. From all millions of sperm, only the strongest set of sperm would have the chance to reach the egg.
The flow of the sperms is facilitated by many factors.
- Movements of the tail of the sperm.
- Movements of the uterine muscles of the female.
- Activities of the cilia of the reproductive tract of the female
The flow of the sperms is reduced by the gravity
In addition to all these positive mechanisms, gravity plays a role in avoiding these movements. As a result, there is a backflow of some of the sperms towards the exterior. So theoretically, it is correct to say you should be lying in bed after sex to get conceived. Therefore some fertility experts advise lying down after sex to conceive.
Objections to lying down after sex to conceive
Although there is a solid theoretical background for lying down after sex to conceive, there is a lack of research to show the importance of lying down in bed after sex.
Van Rijswijk says that there is no value in immobilization after sexual intercourse. In addition to him, many others reject this concept of immobilization after sex to get pregnant.
According to them, human sperm live around 5 days in the female reproductive system. Additionally, the sperms move so fast that they can reach the ovum in 2 min time. Therefore, being in bed for hours to be conceived is no use.
Is it okay to keep the legs in the air after sex?
In addition to being in bed, couples use the technique of keeping their legs in the air. The sole reason for this practice is to avoid the flow of sperm to the vagina.
So is there a use to keeping legs in the air after sexual intercourse? The simple answer is “it is not.”
As mentioned above, the sperms are so faster that they reach the ovum in a few minutes.
Although there is some backflow of sperms to the outside, it is considered very small in number. If I explain further, the combined force created by the upward movement of the sperms can’t be overridden by the force of gravity. Because the weight of a single sperm is so small to create sufficient gravity.
Is it okay to use the cowgirl position to get pregnant?
Suppose gravity causes a significant impact on sperm flow. In that case, you can’t get a pregnancy by using the cowgirl position (woman on top).
However, we see an adequate number of couples successfully conceived in this position. Therefore, immobilization or keeping legs in the air is not used to improve the pregnancy rate.
The newest idea on sleep after sex.
So there are two ideas on lying down after sex to get conceived. While a set of fertility says it is important, many others say it is not.
However, there is some recent research carried out on laydown after insemination. This research shows a higher rate of getting pregnant if you lay down after insemination.
They have seen lying down after intra uterine insemination has shown a 27% pregnancy rate, while other group has only 18%.
Immobilisation versus immediate mobilisation after intrauterine insemination: randomised controlled trial
Conclusion of lying down after sex to get pregnant.
According to all the above facts, many experts, including me, recommend you stay in bed for another 20 -30 minutes after sex to get pregnant easily.
How long should I lay down after insemination?
As shown in some researches, it may have some chance to increase your chance of pregnancy, if you lay down after sex or insemination. So it might be wise for your to lay down after insemination to conceive.
4 Simple steps for home insemination (Intra-vaginal insemination)
But is there any recommendation on lying down after insemination to conceive? Although currently there are no recommendation on this, it is better to be in the bed at least 20 -30 minutes to improve the chance of a pregnancy.
Sperm comes out after intercourse. Can I still get pregnant?
Although it is said there is only a small amount of sperm comes out from the vagina, some women experience a large amount of fluid coming out of the vagina.
Suppose you do not intentionally let sperm come out of the vagina to avoid pregnancy. In that case, there is less risk of expelling the sperms automatically. But the fluid you see may have some seminal fluids, some vaginal secretions and etc.