I’m a fertility doctor – here’s the exact number of times a week you should have sex to get pregnant

TRYING to have a baby is an all consuming business.

Hopeful parents can become obsessed with apps and tests that track ovulation and tell them when they should have sex.

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But a fertility expert has said there is no need for that.

According to Professor Adam Balen, former chairman of the British Fertility Society, you just need to have regular sex - about three times a week.

He said it truly is that simple, and by focussing so much on ovulation, couples might forget to have sex at other times too.

He : "Couples should ideally be having sex every other day to maximise their chances of having a baby.

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"If men do not have sex regularly, older sperm building up in their body can release chemicals which may cause other sperm to die.

"Women sometimes get too hung up on ovulation, wait only for that day to have sex, and do it less often as a result.

"Couples trying to conceive often focus just on the time of ovulation to have sex. But you need to have sperm there waiting for the egg."

"We have become too hi-tech in our approach to life generally and that extends to getting pregnant.

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"Women should be aware of when they are ovulating but not tie themselves in knots over it and forget the importance of having sex generally."

The NHS consultant in reproductive medicine also said focussing so much on ovulation can lead to men "having sex to order", which isn't good for them.

Many people have reported falling pregnant and finding it a less stressful process by using apps or devices.

But some experts fear they are starting to hinder more than help.

One, Professor Allan Pacey, raised concerns more people need help conceiving nowadays, perhaps because they aren't having enough sex.

Another fertility expert spoke to the Sun to reveal when you can know if you are most fertile, without relying on apps.

Hannah Pearn advised that you are most fertile five days after your period, but it can be any time between two to 10 days.

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She explained: “Don’t rely on apps to tell you when you are most fertile – many are based on algorithms and don’t always tell you the best time. 

“Your ovulation can change day every month and isn’t always on day 14 so if you rely on the algorithm you can easily miss it.”