Sexplanations: 'Why am I not pregnant yet?'

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Every week we partner with our sister magazine, Woman, to bring you expert sexual health advice from Christine Webber, a qualified psychotherapist with her own Harley Street practice.

The problem

My husband and I married in August. I'm 37 and desperate to have my first child. We both have hectic jobs, and because we're tired, we only have sex at the weekends. But we have lots! So why am I not pregnant yet? And are there any positions that would increase our chances?

The solution

The crucial thing is to check when you're ovulating - when your body releases an egg from ovaries. This is your most fertile time of the month. It's possible that you rarely, if ever, ovulate at weekends. If so, this is why you're not getting pregnant during your saucy weekends.

Sperm only live in a woman's body for about 48 hours. You need them to target that egg, not swim around aimlessly!

Some women have regular-as-clockwork cycles. If you do, you may be able to calculate exactly when you ovulate, probably 14 days before each period. If your cycle varies, buy an ovulation testing kit.

There are various makes, including Clearblue, First Response and a Boots-own brand. They work by detecting the surge in your hormones that occurs about 36 hours before you ovulate, and they're very accurate. Usually, you pee on to a chemically impregnated strip, and you'll get the results in about five minutes.

As for good positions for conception, the best one for any woman with a normal womb is said to be lying on her back with a pillow under her bottom. She should stay in that position for 10 minutes after her man has climaxed.

Finally, no man likes to feel like a baby-making machine. I once heard a celebrity yelling down the phone to her partner: 'I'm ovulating. Come home, we've got to do it now!' That demanding celeb and her man are now divorced...

So make your sex sessions warm, loving and romantic and, hopefully, this time next year you'll be a mum. Good luck!

- There's more advice from Christine in this week's bigger better WOMAN, on sale every Tuesday.

- Is your relationship in need of some sexual healing? Email your problem to Christine on sexplanations@ipcmedia.com or to us on goodtoknow

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