After weeks and months of taking your temperature and checking your cervical mucus you’ve finally pinpointed your ovulation window.  It’s time to get down to business and you couldn’t be more ready.  While it is always best to keep things spontaneous and intimate between you and your partner, it is important to remember that you are trying to achieve a goal.  After all, you didn’t spend all of that time and money on charting and ovulation predictor kits to get to this point only to throw caution to the wind once you reach the bedroom.  So, before you hit the sheets it might be helpful to know which positions are best and worst for conception.

Although there is no conclusive scientific evidence, most experts agree that when it comes to baby making the old standby is best.  Having sex with the man on top (missionary position) allows the man to penetrate the woman more deeply during intercourse.  Once the man ejaculates, sperm travel through the cervix, the uterus, and then through the fallopian tubes, where fertilization would occur if an egg were present.  Since the missionary position allows for the deepest penetration, the sperm that is ejaculated gets deposited closest to the cervix, which is the best way to give sperm a head start on their long swim up to the egg.

Other positions that also allow for sperm to be deposited close to the cervix are rear-entry, where the man enters the woman from behind, or with both partners lying side-by-side. 

Many women choose to prop their hips up with a small pillow during and/or after intercourse in order to let the forces of gravity help sperm along to their destination.  Just be sure not to use a large or overstuffed pillow to elevate the hips, as this may cause semen to pool behind the cervix, rather than exposing sperm to the surface of the cervix.    Some experts advocate having the woman lay in bed with her hips propped up after intercourse for up to half an hour.  This gives sperm extra time to travel through the fallopian tubes and may aid in conception.  If you were instructed to urinate immediately after intercourse due to a high incidence of urinary tract infections, this will probably not work for you. 

Having sex while standing upright or with the woman on top may be enjoyable to you and your partner, but these positions don’t make the list for top baby making maneuvers.  Since sperm need to travel upward, through an environment that is already slightly hostile, you don’t want to make it any harder for these little swimmers to reach their destination.  Although there are plenty of women who have gotten pregnant while standing, sitting, or being on top, these positions defy gravity and are not the most conducive to conception.