Chances of Getting Pregnant with Woman on Top: Does it Make a Difference?

If you’ve been trying to conceive for more than a cycle or two, you’ve probably wondered how different sex positions can affect your chances.

Curious specifically about your chances of getting pregnant with woman on top?

As of now, scientific evidence doesn’t show that this position or other sexual positions impact your likelihood of conception. What matters most is that you have sexual intercourse around the time of ovulation and that sperm actually enters the vagina.

If you have your heart set on conceiving, keep reading. You’ll learn what actually happens with sperm post ejaculation. More importantly, we’ll give you a rundown of what to focus your attention on to boost your chances of conception!

Takeaways

• Pregnancy is possible when the woman is on top.
• Current research doesn’t show that sexual positions matter when it comes to your chances of conception.
• Having semen leak after sex isn’t a sign that pregnancy isn’t possible.
• A key factor to focus on for getting pregnant is having regular sex during your fertile window.
• If you haven’t been able to get pregnant within the recommended timeframe for your age (12 months if you’re under 35, 6 months if you’re 35–40, or sooner if you’re over 40), consider getting a fertility evaluation.

What happens leading up to conception?

Conceiving is a multi-step process that begins with ovulation and ends with implantation. Here’s a look at the three major steps involved:

What are the chances of getting pregnant with the woman-on-top position?

You can get pregnant if you have intercourse in the woman-on-top position.

Maybe you’ve heard that having the female on top makes it more difficult for sperm to travel to the egg. This concern has to do with the idea that gravity may make it more difficult for sperm to travel upwards to reach the cervix.

This may sound plausible in theory. But semen doesn’t rely on gravity to reach its destination. Ejaculation itself is fairly forceful, and the cervical mucus and contractions inside the reproductive tract help with moving sperm.

And sperm travels quickly!

In fact, current research gives us an idea of just how quickly this all happens:

Sperm that’s deposited close to the cervix around a woman’s midcycle can make its way all the way to the fallopian tube in a matter of 15 minutes. And some studies even showed that this transport can happen as quickly as 2 minutes when a female is in her follicular phase. (Remember, the follicular phase is the cycle phase that comes before ovulation).

Know more: Trying to Get Pregnant? Get to Know Your Follicular Phase

Other research involving insemination confirms this speed of sperm travel. In one study, sperm was found inside the fallopian tubes as quickly as 5 minutes after the vaginal insemination. At the 10 - 15 minute mark, even more sperm was found to have made the journey to the fallopian tube.

Other misconceptions about lower chances of conceiving have to do with seeing semen leak out of the vagina. But don’t worry! This doesn’t mean that sperm won’t get where it needs to go. Healthy semen contains millions of sperm. So if you have penetrative intercourse that results in ejaculation, some sperm will almost certainly make their way to the reproductive tract.

Is there a best sex position to get pregnant?

No, there’s no sex position that’s considered the best for getting pregnant. Current research, including from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), says that sexual positions don’t increase or decrease your chances of pregnancy.

Regardless of the position, sperm enters the cervical canal quickly post-ejaculation. That means that other postcoital routines (like lying on your back) don’t impact fertility either.

If you want to go down the rabbit hole of research, there have been some studies on how certain sexual positions impact the anatomy of intercourse. For example, a study showed the difference in penetration depth for the missionary position and rear-entry position for one couple. But no study has been able to prove a correlation between position and pregnancy rates.

So regardless of how a position affects penetration depth or pleasure, your chances of conceiving are more or less the same.

Know more: Are There Any Best Sex Positions to Get Pregnant?

If you’re wondering what actually does make a difference with pregnancy rates, keep reading! The next section will give you an idea of what to focus on to boost your chances of conception.

What matters more than sexual position?

The most important factor to pay attention to for conceiving is timing intercourse. The days of the menstrual cycle that give you the best chances of pregnancy are your 6-day fertile window. This includes the 5 days before ovulation and the day of ovulation.

Know more: Free Ovulation Calculator: Figure Out Your Most Fertile Days

According to one study, conception only occurred in cases where intercourse fell within this window. In that study, pregnancy chances ranged from 10% to 33%. 10% was seen in cases where ovulation was 5 days before ovulation. 33% was seen when intercourse happened on the day of ovulation.

With this in mind, the ASRM suggests having sex every one or two days during your fertile window for the best chance at conception. Intercourse every 2–3 days also leads to similar pregnancy rates.

Moral of the story? Go with whatever sexual positions are the most pleasurable for you and your partner. And focus instead on knowing when you ovulated. The Inito Fertility Monitor can support you with that. It allows you to both predict your fertile window and confirm ovulation, so you can time intercourse during the days when pregnancy is most likely.

Knowing the signs of ovulation can help too. Many women will see changes in their cervical mucus and sex drive around ovulation time.

Know more: Getting Pregnant: When Are You Most Fertile?

Aside from timing intercourse around ovulation, there are some other factors that impact fertility too. More on these next!

What other factors affect chances of pregnancy?

There are many factors that can impact your ability to conceive. The major ones include:

When to seek help with getting pregnant?

It’s recommended to consult a doctor or get a fertility evaluation if:

• You’re younger than 35 and have been TTC for 12 months
• You’re older than 35, and you’ve been TTC for 6 months

You may want to talk to your healthcare provider even sooner than 6 months if:

• You’re over 40
• You have irregular periods
• You have a known reproductive health condition
• You have endometriosis or previous pelvic infections
• You have concerns about sperm health

Consulting a doctor doesn’t necessarily mean you have to undergo assisted reproductive techniques (ART). But a physician can help evaluate your overall health and fertility and support you in diagnosing any potential roadblocks.