Sex! Yes you read that right… having sex around the time of embryo transfer actually increases the likelihood of successful early embryo implantation and development.
Regular sex is so important for fertility patients, on many levels. Sometimes the obvious eludes some people though!
A common situation we see quite regularly at my fertility clinic is couples undergoing Assisted Reproduction (ART) who are abstaining from sex, fearing it will affect their chances of conceiving. Actually, the opposite is true.
By not having sex during ART cycles (IUI, IVF etc.), you are affecting your chances of conception.
Let me ask you a question: “If you were trying naturally, would you stop having sex out of fear that conception has taken place?”
My bet your answer would be no. So why would you stop having sex around an ART cycle?
Let’s look at the facts here: implantation takes place in the uterus, not the vagina. No man is that well endowed to be able to penetrate the cervix!
The next question I want to ask you is: “What does an embryo feed off and need to successfully implant?”
The answer is blood! Think of a tick borrowing into skin to feed off its host.
How do you get blood flow into the uterine lining?
Easy – sex and orgasm stimulate blood flow to the lining, in order to assist with implantation and to prepare the lining for implantation! I am always telling my patients about sex and orgasm assisting implantation, and there is so much medical research to back this up. For more information, see BellyBelly’s article Can A Woman’s Orgasm Increase Chances Of Pregnancy?
Nature has given us all the tools for healthy conception to take place, and yet many of us just aren’t using them.
This study shows that sperm are also beneficial in assisting implantation and exposure to semen around the time of embryo transfer increases the likelihood of successful early embryo implantation and development. The study stated:
“There was no significant difference between the intercourse and abstain groups in relation to the pregnancy rate (23.6 and 21.2% respectively), but the proportion of transferred embryos that were viable at 6″8 weeks was significantly higher in women exposed to semen compared to those who abstained (11.01 versus 7.69 viable embryos per 100 transferred embryos). Hence exposure to semen around the time of embryo transfer increases the likelihood of successful early embryo implantation and development.”
Don’t forget that regular sex during this time not only helps assist implantation, but it also helps with the bonding process and physical connection process during this stressful time. Many couples have relationship difficulties and even separate due to losing their connection during the ART process. Meaningful, connecting sex is a way of keeping that physical and emotional connection. Sex also tells your body you are also preparing to conceive on another level too.
For those undergoing assisted reproductive techniques, maybe it’s time to start doing things the way nature intended, in order to give you a boost that you are so desperately needing. For your next cycle, go get busy! It’s also been proven that you can increase your chances of success with acupuncture, and for those who book a consultation with me, you’ll be able to access my specially formulated ConceptShen Nutritional Medicine formula called Nourish, which has been specifically designed to help with implantation.
Articles posted on BellyBelly which are not written by Doctor Andrew Orr are the opinions of BellyBelly and not necessarily the opinion of Doctor Andrew Orr.
