While there are no guarantees that unprotected sex will lead to pregnancy, what we do know is that frequency plays an important role in increasing your chances.

A study involving 221 “presumably fertile couples” found that couples who have sex daily, or every other day, have a better chance of conceiving than those who limit intercourse to once per week.

The Practice Committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine along with the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility has published a statement discussing the frequency of intercourse in order to optimize your natural fertility.

“The practice committee reviewed a study examining the optimal frequency of intercourse to improve the odds of getting pregnant.”

They state, “In one study involving 221 presumably fertile couples planning to conceive, the highest cycle fecundability [the chance of conceiving per cycle] (37% per cycle) was associated with daily intercourse. Intercourse on alternate days yielded a comparable pregnancy rate per cycle (33%), but the likelihood for success decreased to 15% per cycle when intercourse occurred only once weekly.”

They go on to state, “Although evidence suggests that daily intercourse may confer a slight advantage, specific recommendations regarding the frequency of intercourse may induce stress unnecessarily.”

The practice committee concludes, “Couples should be informed that reproductive efficiency increases with the frequency of intercourse and is highest when intercourse occurs every 1 to 2 days but be advised that the optimal frequency of intercourse is best defined by their own preference within that context.”

Source: Fertility and Sterility, Volume 90, Issue 5, Page S1, November 2008, Authors: Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine with the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.