How Often Should You Have Sex to Increase Your Chances of Getting Pregnant?

Look at the Fertile Window

To become pregnant, it is best to have frequent sex during the woman’s fertile days. The fertile days are also called the ‘fertile window’, which is 5-6 days ahead of the time she ovulates or releases an egg from her ovaries. In other words, the fertile window is one of the determining factors on how many times to have intercourse to get pregnant in a day. Having sex once a day during this time is enough. Doing it more than once will not significantly improve your chances of pregnancy, and might even lower the sperm quality. In fact, the timing of sex is more important than the frequency of sex. Therefore, if you are wondering ‘how many times to go for intercourse in a day to get pregnant,’ the answer should typically be once a day during the fertile days.

What is Ovulation and Fertilisation?

To understand the importance of sex on time, it is necessary to understand how ovulation and fertilisation work. 'Ovulation' is when a mature egg is released from the woman’s ovaries. Ovulation typically occurs in the middle of a woman's menstrual cycle. So, in an average cycle of 28 days, ovulation is likely to occur around day 14 or 15. The egg released during ovulation travels down the fallopian tube, waiting to meet the male sperm.

Pregnancy starts soon after fertilisation, a process during which the male sperm meets the female egg within the fallopian tube. A single sperm cell enters the ovum to form a zygote, which then travels to the woman’s uterus. On reaching the uterus, the zygote attaches itself to the uterine lining through implantation, another crucial process, marking the beginning of a pregnancy. To ensure fertilisation, it is necessary to have sex, as sex sets the stage for fertilisation and a potential pregnancy.

Keep Track of Your Ovulating Time

Tracking the ovulation helps identify a woman's fertility window, increasing the chances of pregnancy. Although ovulation is likely to occur 14/15 days ahead of the next period, the cycle length matters. Some women may ovulate either earlier or later, depending on their menstrual cycle length. There are certain signs and symptoms indicating ovulation. Some of the most common signs and symptoms are:

• Pelvic Pain

Pelvic pain in the form of mild cramping may occur in some women during ovulation. This is called mittelschmerz.

• Changes in the Cervical Mucus

During ovulation, the look and texture of the cervical mucus change. The mucus becomes more slippery and clear, like raw egg whites.

• Increase in Sex Drive

An increase in sex drive or libido triggered by hormonal changes is another sign of ovulation.

By paying attention to these signs and symptoms, you can easily track ovulation. Having sex during ovulation improves the chances of a pregnancy. If the question in your mind at this point in time is: 'On ovulation day, how many times should you have intercourse?' the best answer will be once a day or every other day.

Tests/Indicators

If you fail to track ovulation through physical signs, you may use modern tests and tools. Some simple options are:

• Basal Body Temperature (BBT): Just after ovulation, your basal body temperature rises slightly. You can easily identify a pattern indicating ovulation by measuring your basal body temperature every morning.

• Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs): The luteinising hormone level increases before ovulation. Using OPKs is an effective ovulation predictor test to detect ovulation and your fertile days clearly.

• Saliva Microscopes: This test uses specialised devices to detect changes in the texture of your saliva, triggered by certain hormones before ovulation.

• Fertility Tracker Apps: Several advanced apps are there to monitor your monthly cycle and predict ovulation, through symptoms like an increase in luteinising hormone levels or changes in the cervical mucus.