Do sexual positions affect conception or a baby's sex? What the evidence says
Elaborate advice circulates about positions, pillows and lying still for an hour. Almost none of it changes anything, and one popular method is illegal in India.
Position: no evidence
No sexual position has been shown to improve the chance of conception. Sperm reach the cervix within minutes regardless of position, and semen leaking out afterwards is normal and does not mean the sperm left with it.
Lying down with hips raised afterwards is the most repeated advice there is. Studies of women having fertility treatment found no meaningful benefit from lying still afterwards. If it makes you feel better, it does no harm; it is simply not doing the work people think.
Female orgasm has been proposed as an aid to conception. The evidence is weak either way, and plenty of pregnancies happen without it. It is not something to add to the list of things to get right.
What does matter: intercourse every one to two days across the fertile window, which is roughly the five days before ovulation and the day of it. Frequency and timing beat technique by a wide margin.
Choosing a baby's sex: what is claimed
The Shettles method claims that deep penetration favours a boy and shallow penetration a girl, based on the idea that Y-bearing sperm swim faster but die sooner. Studies have not supported it, and the underlying sperm biology it rests on has not held up.
Timing methods — having sex on a particular day relative to ovulation to select sex — have likewise failed to show an effect in research.
Diet claims, pH claims, douching with acidic or alkaline solutions, and lunar or calendar charts have no evidence behind them. Douching in particular can cause infection and is worth avoiding entirely.
The father's sperm determines the sex, not the mother, not her diet, and not the position. This matters to say plainly, because in India women are still blamed for the sex of their children.
The law in India
The PCPNDT Act prohibits determining or disclosing the sex of a fetus, and prohibits sex selection before or after conception. Both revealing the sex and seeking it out are offences, with imprisonment and fines.
Any clinic offering sex determination, sex-selection techniques or 'gender selection packages' is breaking the law. Reporting them is possible through state health authorities.
Techniques such as sperm sorting or embryo selection by sex, legal in some other countries, are not legal in India for non-medical reasons.
When to see a doctor
See a fertility specialist if you have been trying for twelve months without conceiving, or six months if the woman is over 35. Do not spend those months on positions and pillows.
Earlier, if there are irregular or absent periods, known PCOS or endometriosis, a history of pelvic infection or surgery, previous chemotherapy, or two or more pregnancy losses.
This article is general information, not personal medical advice.
This article is general information, not medical advice, and is no substitute for personal medical advice. For any decision about your or your child's health, please consult your doctor.
Frequently asked questions
Should I lie down for 20 minutes afterwards?
It will not hurt, and the evidence says it does not help. Enough sperm reach the cervix within minutes.
Everything leaked out. Have we lost the chance?
No. Some fluid always comes back out and the sperm that matter have already moved on.
Does a particular diet give us a boy?
No. Diet does not influence the sex of a baby, and no food combination has ever been shown to.
How often should we have sex when trying?
Every one to two days across the fertile window is the practical answer. Daily is fine; saving up for days is not better.
Sources
Every clinical figure on this page is taken from the guidelines below. Where our numbers and your doctor's differ, ask which guideline they follow.
- WHO. WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen, 6th edition (2021)Backs the claim that sperm transport to the cervix occurs rapidly after ejaculation and that semen leakback does not remove the sperm that have already migrated, underpinning the article's statements that position does not affect sperm reaching the cervix and that leakage is normal.
- NICE. Fertility problems: assessment and treatment (CG156) (2013)Supports the recommendation that couples trying to conceive should have vaginal intercourse every two to three days throughout the cycle, consistent with the article's advice of every one to two days across the fertile window; also supports the referral thresholds of twelve months of unsuccessful trying, or six months if the woman is over 35, and earlier referral for irregular periods, PCOS, endometriosis, pelvic infection, or two or more pregnancy losses.
- ACOG. Optimizing Natural Fertility: A Committee Opinion (2022)Supports the claim that no sexual position improves conception chances, that supine positioning after intercourse is not evidence-based, and that intercourse timed across the fertile window (approximately five days before through the day of ovulation) is the primary determinant of conception success.
- NIH. Female genital tract secretions and sperm function (MedlinePlus / NCBI literature) (2023)Supports the claim that douching can disturb vaginal flora and cause infection, backing the article's warning that douching with acidic or alkaline solutions to influence fetal sex is harmful and should be avoided.
Reviewed by
- Nakul Phatak — CEO, theAsianparent India & IndonesiaHead of theAsianparent India; father of one
- Roshni Chugani — Head of Marketing, theAsianparent India & Singapore12 years in the mother-and-baby space; mother of two
Published by: theAsianparent editorial team
