Does elevating one's legs after intercourse increase the chance of conception?

Elevating Legs After Intercourse to Increase Conception Chances: Scientific Evidence

There is no scientific evidence supporting the practice of elevating legs after intercourse to increase chances of conception. 1

Scientific Understanding of Sperm Transport

The practice of elevating legs after intercourse is based on the theoretical assumption that gravity might prevent sperm loss. However, this assumption is not supported by scientific evidence for several reasons:

• Sperm reach the fallopian tubes within 5-10 minutes after ejaculation 1
• After intercourse, sperm attach to the isthmus epithelium of the fallopian tubes, where this binding keeps them viable and prevents premature capacitation 1
• Once ovulation occurs, a cascade of signals results in hyperactivated sperm movement toward the egg 1

Evidence from Clinical Studies

Bed Rest After Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Research on bed rest after IUI provides the closest scientific parallel to the question of leg elevation after natural intercourse:

• Early studies suggested that 10-15 minutes of supine positioning after IUI might improve pregnancy rates 1
• However, the most recent and largest randomized controlled trial (with 479 couples) found no significant positive effect of bed rest after IUI 1
• When pooling data from multiple studies, there was no significant difference between immediate mobilization and remaining supine (OR = 1.00,95% CI: 0.74-1.33) 1

Natural Conception Factors

Research on natural conception indicates:

• Conception occurs only during a six-day period ending on the day of ovulation 2
• The probability of conception ranges from 0.10 (five days before ovulation) to 0.33 (on the day of ovulation) 2
• Cervical mucus quality is a stronger predictor of conception than timing of intercourse 3
• Sexual intercourse during the implantation period (5-9 days after ovulation) does not reduce chances of conception 4, 5

Key Factors That Actually Impact Conception

Instead of focusing on leg elevation, couples trying to conceive should consider:

1. Timing of intercourse: Aim for the fertile window (5 days before to the day of ovulation) 2
2. Cervical mucus quality: Intercourse on days with optimal mucus quality maximizes conception chances 3
3. Ovulation prediction: Using urinary ovulation tests probably increases live birth rates (RR 1.36,95% CI 1.02 to 1.81) compared to intercourse without ovulation prediction 6

Common Misconceptions

• Myth: Minor disturbances (stress, illness) reduce conception chances Reality: Disturbances in natural conception cycles unexpectedly increase pregnancy likelihood by a factor of 1.32 (95% CI 1.04-1.70) 5

• Myth: Sexual position affects conception Reality: No scientific evidence supports specific sexual positions for conception 1

• Myth: Relaxation states increase conception chances Reality: Relaxation at ovulation or during implantation has no representable effect on pregnancy chances 5

Bottom Line

For couples trying to conceive, focus on timing intercourse during the fertile window and monitoring cervical mucus quality rather than leg elevation after intercourse. The scientific evidence does not support the practice of elevating legs after intercourse as a method to increase conception chances.