When is the right time to have sex?

by LAUREN COX

ABC News
February 3, 2010

Says Dr. Sherman Silber of the Infertility Center of St. Louis and author of the best-selling book on infertility, "How To Get Pregnant", "sperm are normally quite good in an alkaline environment for two or three days -- in fact that's why the average couple wastes a lot of energy when they're trying to get pregnant."

Silber says he sees many couples who buy into the idea that they should time sex to coincide the woman's ovulation. But Silber says the remarkable survivability of sperm means most couples don't have to change their normal sex lives at all.

"The average American married couple tends to have sex two or three days a week," said Silber.

If sperm can survive for two or three days, that means the average sex life of an American married couple results in living sperm swimming around the woman's body every single day of the week.

"The practice to check when you ovulate and not to have sex until you're ovulating is stupid," Silber said.

Silber says because ovulation calendars and methods to detect ovulation are somewhat inaccurate, couples could miss ovulation and have sex too late.

"Twelve hours after ovulation, the eggs aren't good any more. You want to have the sperm there ready and waiting for when you ovulated," said Silber. "It's absolutely true that sperm can last a long time. Therefore, couples who wish to conceive should not try desperately to limit their sex to just when they think the wife is ovulating. They are better off having sex more naturally on a regulat basis, 2-3 times per week."

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