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Infertile couples are often willing to move heaven and earth in order to have a baby. However, I find to my dismay that a lot of them do things which actually end up reducing their fertility !

1. They use lubricants while having sex which kill the sperm . Having "baby making sex" on demand is not much fun for either husband or wife - and it's quite common to have to use lubricants in order to be able to achieve intravaginal penetration. However, many couples will use lubricants such as K-Y jelly or saliva - both of which can kill the sperm ! If you do need to use a lubricant, please use a sperm friendly lubricant. The easiest one to buy ( and the cheapest one) is liquid paraffin. It' easy available OTC at a chemist - just look under the laxatives !

2. Timing sex. Most couples know that the wife is fertile for only a few days during the entire month. However, because they are quite clueless about what these fertile days actually are ( and do not whom to ask or how to calculate them), they often end up having sex on Day 14 ( which they remember vaguely from their high school biology class on human reproduction ( when they weren't busy pretending to be blase because they " knew it all" ; or were giggling and blushing) is the day when ovulation occurs and the egg is released). However, for many women, Day 14 can actually be an "infertile day " ( for example, for women whose cycles are 25 days or less) . Using the Free Fertility Calculator at www.myfertiletime.in will help you track your fertility ! Using OPKs can also help !

3. Not having enough sex. Many wives refuse to allow their husbands to have sex until their "peak fertility day". They believe that if they "store up the sperm" and then discharge this with a big bang, their chances of getting pregnant increase. Actually, this is not true. You cannot really store up the sperm - the count does go up when ejaculation is delayed - but it's the immotile sperm which increase - not the motile ones ! It's far more efficient t have frequent sex, as long as the sperm are going in the vagina !

4. Many infertile women still use BBT charting to try to track their fertile day. This is a big, big mistake. While BBT charting does provide useful evidence to the doctor , it's only retrospective evidence - it does not help to identify the fertile days, as the BBT raises only after ovulation has occurred ( at which time the cervical mucus dries up and sperm can no longer enter the uterus and swim up to the egg).

5. Not doing any homework. It still astonishes me as to how poorly informed many infertile couples are about the basics of baby making ! They will often waste time trying herbs and supplements advertised on dodgy websites to "boost their sperm count"; or take "fertility tablets" to increase their fertility. They will allow months to run into years before seeking medical attention - or even doing a basic ( and inexpensive) fertility workup, to confirm that everything this fine.

During the luteal phase of the cycle, the corpus luteum produces the hormone progestrone, which elevates the basal body temperature ( BBT) . When the basal body temperature has gone up for several days, one can assume that ovulation has occurred. However, it is important to remember that the BBT chart cannot predict ovulation - it cannot tell you when it is going to occur !

In the past, doctors felt the basal temperature chart was a useful tool. It allowed the patient to determine for herself if she is ovulating as well as the approximate date of ovulation, but only in retrospect. Basal body temperature charts are easy to obtain and the only equipment required is a special BBT thermometer.

General instructions for keeping a basal body temperature chart include the following :

1. The chart starts on the first day of menstrual flow. Enter the date here.
2. Each morning immediately after awakening, and before getting out of bed or doing anything else, the thermometer is placed under the tongue for at least two minutes. This must be done every morning, except during the period.
3. Accurately record the temperature reading on the graph by placing a dot in the proper location. Indicate days of intercourse with a cross.
4. Note any obvious reason for temperature variation such as colds, or fever on the graph above the reading for that day.

However, the major limitation of the BBT is that it does not tell you in advance when you are going to ovulate - therefore its utility in timing sex during the fertile period is small. Interpreting the BBT chart can be tricky for many patients - rarely do the charts look like those you see in textbooks!

Also, keeping a BBT chart can be very stressful - taking your temperature as the first thing you do when you get up in the morning is not much fun. What is worse is that you start to let the BBT chart dictate your sex life. This is why though the BBT chart used to be a useful method in the past, it's utility is limited today - and newer methods are available which are more accurate are available. We advise our patients never to chart their BBTs - we feel they are just a waste of time.

Want to find out what your fertile time is ? You can use our free online fertility calculator to determine when you ovulate !