If you're trying to get pregnant, then this might be good news for you. According to two related studies, women boost their chances of conceiving regardless of when they are going to have sex.
Usually, women are advised to have sexual intercourse during the fertile window, which is related to menstrual cycle. This period, which is 5 days before ovulation and until ovulation, reflects the life of the sex cells, both the sperm and the egg, which can last for 5 days and 24 hours, respectively. Any time before or after the five-day period, the chances of pregnancy are believed to be almost zero.
But the two new studies suggest that may not be entirely true as the body continues to change physiologically and prepare itself for pregnancy even outside the so-called ovulation window.
The two studies were conducted by Tierney Lopez, a Kinsey's Institute visiting research scientist with strong educational background and interest in sex, gender, and reproduction.
She and her colleagues from various departments of the Indiana University Bloomington based their data on WISH (Women, Immunity, and Sexual Health) study, of which around 30 women with healthy menstrual cycles participated, of which half were sexually active while the rest were abstinent.
The researchers then obtained saliva samples in different ovulation phases, especially follicular (before ovulation) and luteal (after ovulation).
In both studies, they discovered that the immunity of the sexually active women changes in the follicular and the luteal phases. These changes are not present among abstinent women.
In the first paper, they noted that helper T cells' count changed between the two phases. During the follicular phase, the body produced more type 1 helper T cell, which is responsible for protecting the body against foreign threats, but type 2 helper T cells, which prepare the body to be more receptive to pregnancy by preventing the immune system from attacking the sperm or the embryo, go up during luteal phase, when the lining of the uterus thickens in preparation for conception.
In the second paper, they noticed changes in the levels of immunoglobulin or antibodies. During the follicular phase, immunoglobulin A, which is produced in a woman's reproductive tract, is higher. However, in the luteal phase, the body produces more immunoglobulin B, which is found in the bloodstream and doesn't interfere with the uterus.
Lorenz noted that the results could mean the body simply reacts to the women's sexual activity and that it tries to prepare the body in advance for any possibility of pregnancy.
The papers were now found in Fertility and Sterility and Physiology and Behavior.
