Do you need an orgasm to get pregnant?

When it comes to planning conception, some women chart their ovulation or basal temperature, while others are more spontaneous and are content to simply ditch birth control for awhile.

No matter what approach you take, becoming a first-time mother often depends on one crucial thing: intimate time with your partner. But just how you spend that alone time is another conversation entirely–you may find yourself wondering if you’re doing all that you can to conceive.

While there’s no proof that one position is better than any other when it comes to baby-making, below are two tips that you may want to keep in mind if you’re trying to get pregnant naturally.

Missionary-style: Better than all the rest?

There’s a school of thought in the baby world that believes one certain position–man-on-top, or missionary-style sex–is the gold standard when it comes to getting pregnant. Why? Proponents of this philosophy argue that missionary sex allows a man to penetrate a woman more deeply, which in turn means that sperm may be deposited closer to the cervix and have an easier time accessing a woman’s egg.

There’s no scientific data to back up this theory, but there’s nothing debunking it either. Some may believe that when a woman’s on top, sperm may seep out and that this could reduce the likelihood of conception, but this is purely speculative.

How important is an orgasm?

Getting pregnant can be a stressful thing, but it can also have its own rewards, and having plenty of intimate moments with your partner is one of them. All of that lovemaking can be pleasurable in the moment, but some may argue that having an orgasm is absolutely vital to getting pregnant.

This is because some experts believe that the reverberations caused by an orgasm enable sperm to swim more rapidly up the cervix and into the fallopian tubes. After, lying horizontally for 15 minutes or more could give sperm the extra boost they need to find their destination, and in turn increase your chances of having your first child.

For more tips on how to get pregnant, you may want to reach out to your healthcare provider today.