When a couple is trying to conceive, thoughts of ovulation dates, cervical mucus (isn’t that a romantic term?), and pre-natal vitamins often over-ride the most fun aspect of making a baby: having regular sex!

Couples can—and do—conceive in any position imaginable. There is no medical evidence to support the fact that certain sexual positions encourage conception. With millions of sperm approaching the cervix after every ejaculation, barring any medical problems the most tenacious one will eventually reach the egg regardless of whether or not you are “helping it out” by lying down, standing on your head or propping your hips up on a pillow.

However, certain positions do keep semen from leaking out of your vagina and also keep sperm in your cervix longer. They might even encourage the flow of sperm into your fallopian tubes. If you are trying to conceive, why not give gravity a helping hand?

Old Wives’ Tales say that standing on your head or lying with your legs up over your head immediately following intercourse will help the sperm travel up your body. This hasn’t been medically proven, but it couldn’t hurt, either. Then again, if you are not physically agile enough to successfully execute the maneuver, it could hurt.

Lying down for 15 minutes after sex offers the same benefit of keeping more sperm in your body. Besides, why jump up right after sex? If anything, it’s a good excuse to cuddle for 15 minutes and bask in the afterglow.

Additionally, intercourse with a pillow beneath your hips will tilt your cervix in such a way that it might “help” the sperm travel to their destination.

Keeping gravity in mind, positions that could make it harder to get pregnant include:

• Standing

• Sitting

• Any position with the woman on top

These positions cause semen to leak out of the vagina, meaning that less sperm will embark on the journey up to the egg.

Ultimately, timing has a lot more to do with getting pregnant than position does, but trying out new positions under the guise of “helping the sperm reach the egg” might keep baby-making sex interesting if it begins to feel like a chore.

Another Old Wives’ Tale says that if the woman has an orgasm during sex – particularly after or while her partner ejaculates — she is more likely to conceive. Uterine contractions that take place during an orgasm help “push” the sperm toward the fallopian tubes.

In reality, painless uterine contractions occur involuntarily all the time, and are more pronounced during ovulation, so your body is already giving the sperm some help. Again, having an orgasm in hopes of conception can’t hurt. In fact, striving to achieve orgasm every time you make love is a worthwhile endeavor, whether or not it results in pregnancy.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different positions, strive for orgasm, and help those little swimmers by staying horizontal after sex, but remember that timing is far more important than position when trying to conceive.

Author: Dawn Allcot

There are so many old wives tales floating around during pregnancy that it is hard to know fact from fiction, except in the case where the tale is really off the wall. You will probably hear strange things from your grandmother regarding what you should and shouldn’t do. While your grandmother probably believed this when she was pregnant with your mom, there is no reason why you have to believe it now. We can’t cover all the pregnancy related old wives tales in this article, but here are some of our favorites, and some of the funniest.

Pregnant Women Should Not Take Baths
This idea is false; however some of the beliefs behind it are true. Pregnant women can and should take baths. It is a great way for a pregnant woman to take some of the weight off her back and relax, especially later in pregnancy. If your water has broken however you should NOT take a bath as your uterus is then vulnerable to infection. You should also avoid throughout your pregnancy taking baths or sitting in hot tubs above 100 degrees. This can raise your body temperature too much and cause problems to your baby, especially during the first trimester.

Holding Your Hands Above Your Head Can Hurt The Baby
The truth is that the positioning of your hands has nothing to do with your baby’s positioning in the uterus or the umbilical cord becoming wrapped around him. Babies born with the umbilical cord wrapped around them is actually quite common as it happens in about 1/3 of all pregnancies and is actually caused by the early movements your baby makes in utero, while they are still small enough to make them.

Wearing A Lei Can Choke Your Fetus
This Hawaiian superstition is just that…a superstition. It makes no sense that a pregnant woman who wears a lei could be choking her baby.

You Have to Drink A Lot of Water or Your Baby Will Get Dirty
A pregnant woman should drink water because it is good for them. However it has nothing to do with how clean or dirty the baby’s amniotic fluid is. The truth is your baby pees in and drinks the amniotic fluid surrounding them, and the amniotic fluid actually replenishes itself every three hours. Staying hydrated helps your baby, but your baby will not get dirty if you do not drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day.

You Need Boiling Water Nearby During Childbirth
Fact or fiction? In reality no one is really sure WHY midwives used to order the husbands to get boiling water. Some think it was just a ploy to get the husbands out of the room during tense times of labor. Others speculate that it was an effort to make sure the few tools that were used, were properly sterilized. Along the same lines so believe that it was a way to keep the tools used at room temperature instead of letting them get cold. Today there is little, if no need to have boiling water nearby during childbirth.

If You Have Heartburn During Pregnancy Your Baby Has A Lot of Hair
Because of there being less room in your stomach since there is a baby growing and pushing on it, heartburn is actually extremely common during those nine months. There is no proof or reason to believe that having heartburn is a sign of a baby being born with a head full of hair.

Your Partner Will Get a Sty in the Eye if They Don’t Feed You What You Crave
While this is fun and definitely something a pregnant woman might be able to get away with holding over her partners head, it is not true. However, that doesn’t mean that the person who denies their pregnant partner the food she craves is safe…

Sex Can Kick Start Labor
This one is actually true! Female enjoyment creates the hormone oxytocin which can help ripen your cervix and get it ready for labor. A mans semen contains the hormone prostaglandins which can cause contractions. Sex is often recommended at the end of a healthy, normal pregnancy. Ask your OB!

Full Moons Bring the Babies
While it is widely believed and noted in L&D rooms every where, however this myth has never been scientifically proven.

These are just a few that we have put together for you. To see our list of gender related pregnancy old wives tales, click here.

There are a lot of old wives tales regarding pregnancy. Everything from taking baths, to the accuracy of ultrasounds will have a tale to go along with it. However there are certain old wives tales that are specific to the gender of your baby.

Shape of Moms’ Belly
Some say if the woman’s belly is big and round it means that she is carrying a girl. Likewise, if her belly is smaller and sticking straight out than she is carrying a boy. The way a woman carries her baby has nothing to do with the sex, but has everything to do with the body shape and type that the woman naturally has, when not pregnant.

Direction of the Ring
Many people believe in the good old ring test as a way to tell what the sex of their baby is going to be. In this test you hang your wedding ring from a string over your belly. If the ring swings back and forth your baby is a girl. If it swings around in a circle then it is a boy. This is not very good indication of whether or not you are having a boy or a girl. Fact is, if you hang your ring over any object or person it is going to swing.

Fast Heart Rate Tale
Some people believe that if your baby has a fast heart rate, near 170 beats per minute, then that means you are having a girl, and that if your baby’s heart rate is closer to 150 beats per minute then you are having a boy. This also is false. You baby’s heart rate will get faster and stronger during the first trimester as he/she grows. Then the heart rate fluctuates in speed during sleep and active times for your baby, just like an adults. So depending on when you listen to your baby’s heart rate, it might be faster or slower than it was the day before, or even earlier that same day.

The Shape of Moms Face
Some people believe that the shape of your face determines the sex of your baby. If your face is round then you are having a girl, long and narrow means a boy. This is just a myth however because where a woman stores fat and water during pregnancy has nothing to do with the sex of their baby. Along with that some believe that if your nose starts to grow or widen then you are having a girl because daughters “steal” mom’s beauty. While this sounds like something out of a fairy tale, it is simply an old wives tale.

The Key Test
Then there is the key test. Some say that if you can tell your baby’s sex by picking up a single key. If you pick the key up by big, round (top) part then you are having a boy. If you pick it up by the narrow part on the bottom then you are having a girl. Then, as if it isn’t detailed enough, if you pick the key up by the middle you are having TWINS!

The Mayan Tale
If you are Mayan then you may follow their beliefs and use numbers to determine the sex of your baby. The Mayans take the mothers age at conception and the year of conception and add them together. If the result is a even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way! The Chinese have a similar way of determining the sex of a baby.

Drain-O Test
So many people believe this old wives tale which is completely false. They are told to put a tablespoon of Drain-O in a cup and pee into it. If the mixture turns green you are having a girl. If it turns blue you are having a boy. Supposedly there is something in the moms’ urine that mixes with the Drain-O causing it to change color and determine the baby’s sex.

Acne Myth
Acne during pregnancy is caused by hormones, not the sex of your baby. However, many believe that if you have an increased amount of acne during pregnancy then it means you are having a baby girl.

Cravings
This one sounds good and can be an “explanation” for many of moms’ cravings, but is it true? Some people say that if you crave salty food while pregnant it means you are having a boy and if you crave sweet food while you are pregnant it means you are having a girl. Does this mean that baby girls are sweet and baby boys are salty?

Do You Smell Like Garlic?
The question should be, “Do you WANT to smell like garlic?” There are people that swear that the garlic old wives tale is true. They say that if you eat a clove of garlic, and the smell comes out through your pores then you are having a boy. If no garlic is detected then you are having a girl. Who really wants to find out THAT bad though?!

Ultrasounds Are Always Right
This one is definitely false. We have heard many stories where a woman has received an ultrasound, and sometimes more than one ultrasound where the doctor claims that she is having either a boy or a girl. The mother buys everything she needs for her little son or daughter, and when the day of delivery comes she is surprised with a baby of the opposite sex. Most of the time the ultrasound technician gets it right, but that is not always the case.

These are just a few of the popular pregnancy old wives tales that deal with the sex of your baby. To see other pregnancy related old wives tales click here.

Pregnancy can be a scary thing, especially when it is the first pregnancy for a woman and her partner. One of the most frequently asked questions is whether the parents having sex during pregnancy is safe for the growing baby. In most cases, the answer is yes.

Your baby is growing in your uterus, which is high up in your body. The uterus is not close to your vagina, nor in danger of being touched during your having intercourse. Since it is thought that your baby sleeps while you are moving around during the day, many people suggest that the act of intercourse actually puts the unborn baby to sleep.

Some people also worry about the baby knowing that they are having intercourse. There is no way that your baby can know or be affected negatively by intercourse during a normal healthy pregnancy. In fact, since fetuses can be affected by the emotions and feelings a mom experiences during pregnancy, some believe that the endorphins a woman will feel after an orgasm will be passed through the placenta to her baby, helping her baby be calmer and happier in the womb.

There are instances, however, when sex is not safe during your pregnancy. If you have had any complications or bleeding during your pregnancy you should check with your midwife or doctor prior to having intercourse to make sure it is safe. Also, if you had any complications in previous pregnancies you should check with your doctor.

Towards the end of your pregnancy, while safe, sex may become difficult or uncomfortable for mom or even dad. The big bump may make it hard for mom and dad to get in the groove, or it may feel different for dad since the woman’s body is changing. At this point a couple may choose NOT to have sex, even if their doctor has not said that it is a problem.

If your doctor or midwife approves intercourse throughout your pregnancy, and as a couple you choose to continue having sex until the end of your pregnancy, some believe that sex may help a woman go into labor. One of the old wives’ tales suggests that because a man’s sperm contains prostaglandin, a substance that is used in some labor inducing drugs, that sex can help dilate a cervix that is ready to dilate. This is a much debated theory.

Remember, if your midwife or doctor says it is safe to have sex and you WANT to have sex, there is no reason not to have sex. However, be sure to get the ok from your physician before you do, so that you know it is ok for you, during your pregnancy.

Is it possible to plan having a baby in a way as to choose whether you will have a boy or a girl? Many experts say yes! There are some theories that make sense others which have been medically proven. Still some people believe it, others don’t.

Choosing the Sex of Your Baby
A popular book written by Landrum B. Shettles, and David M. Rorvik How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby goes over the basics of this popular idea. The ideas revolve around when you have intercourse, how you have intercourse, what the man drinks before having intercourse, the speed of sperm and more.

It is generally believed in the medical reproductive community that once an egg is released and enters the fallopian tube that it is able to be fertilized for approximately 24 hours. Research has shown that sperm also has a “shelf life”, however it is different for the male and female sperm. Female sperm swims slower but is stronger and lives longer, while male sperm is faster but weaker and will die earlier than female sperm.

Per Dr. Shettles theory, if the results of research is true and the female sperm lives longer but is slower moving than the male, then if a couple wants a girl they should have intercourse at 3-5 days prior to ovulation, but then stop till after the woman ovulates. This will increase the chance of ONLY female sperm being alive when the sperm comes in contact with the egg. On the other hand, if a couple wants to have a boy they should refrain from having intercourse until 2 days prior to ovulation and then have intercourse daily until ovulation has occurred. It has also been suggested that a man drink a big cup of caffeinated coffee or a big caffeinated soft drink before intercourse to help give the boy sperm an extra little push.

The position is also important as it is believed that deeper penetration will help the sperm reach the egg faster. It is suggested that if you are trying for a girl to have intercourse in the missionary (man on top) position and if you are trying for a boy to have intercourse doggie-style which will get the sperm there quicker. In relation, during an orgasm a woman’s body releases a substance that makes the environment more alkaline which favors boy sperm, so if you are trying for a girl the woman should refrain from orgasm’s during intercourse.

Sperm count also affects a woman’s conception of a boy or a girl. If a man has a low sperm count it doesn’t help the case for either the boy or girl, but if they have a high sperm count the chances lean more towards a boy than girl. There are some suggestions that you can do to help lower the sperm count a little helping out the girl sperm a little bit. If you want a girl have sex daily from the time your period ends until 4-5 days before ovulation. Another suggestion is for the man to sit in a hot bath prior to intercourse since the hot temperatures will kill off some of the weaker, male sperm leaving more female sperm.

Dr. Shettles only claims that the ideas in his book work 70-75% of the time for those trying to conceive a girl and 75-80% of the time for those trying to conceive a boy. Before you try it you should definitely buy the book to see all the tips, hints and suggestions the authors have for you.

Not everyone believes that the Shettles Method is the way to go, or at least that ALL of the ideas that Shettles has makes sense. However, most agree with the idea that the timing of ovulation and conception go hand in hand.

Some women do natural family planning where they focus on taking morning temps so that they know when they are going to ovulate, when they have already ovulated and can plan out the times that they will have intercourse. Doing this also helps a woman see a pattern in her cycle.

Other women focus on using an ovulation predictor kit where they pee on a stick and as they body starts getting closer to ovulation they will see a line that gets darker and darker. They use this stick to tell them when they are about to ovulate and when they are ovulating as to determine when to “do the deed” in hopes of having the boy or girl that they want.

There is no right or wrong way to have a baby. As a couple, if you are trying, it is important to remember to have fun and not make intercourse a “job” as you try to get pregnant. As long as you can be happy with whatever sex of baby you conceive, then it will be easy to enjoy the entire process.