And what about the ice pack idea?   Deborah Gaines, who writes for Discovery Health, has written about Conception Myths and gives her take on the ice pack idea:  "...since it takes at least two months for a man's sperm count to be positively affected by cooler temperatures, using an ice pack on his genital area is hardly a practical solution." It seems to me more a way of protection against conception as your mate will most likely run away from such a tactic!

Does stress decrease your odds for having a baby?  When I was having trouble conceiving I was told repeatedly by well meaning friends and family to "just relax."  This was probably the most emotionally damaging and irritating advice for me.  It seems to imply that your emotional state is the cause of not being able to have a baby.  Thus, some women feel guilty thinking that if they could just relax a baby will be on the way.  It simply isn't true.  If you have not been able to conceive within a year's time, the reason for your infertility is most likely a medical condition and not to any perceived inability to "relax." 

In fact, the inability to conceive is most likely to be causing you stress and not the other way around.  Doctor Richard Schwarz who wrote an article for Discovery Health entitled, "Does Stress Affect Fertility?"  would agree:  In rare cases, extreme stress can interfere with normal ovulation in women and may reduce sperm production in men. However, while it's possible for stress to cause infertility, it's far more common for infertility to cause stress

Does sexual position matter for upping the odds for conception?  When you talk to people about getting pregnant someone will undoubtedly tell you the best position to be in to conceive.  Not only that, then they will proceed to tell you how to have either a boy or a girl based upon sexual position!  The truth is that there is very little in the research on fertility to suggest that sexual position matters much at all in matters of conception.

So upside down sex doesn't enhance fertility? 

Not according to the research I have found.  It seems you can get pregnant while having standing up sex, missionary style, and all the other many variations of sexual positions that we don't have time to discuss here.  Most experts agree that it doesn't matter what position you're in. The sperm can swim in any position and your body naturally pulls the sperm to the egg. You can still get pregnant if the sperm meets the egg. And likewise, if there is a medical problem it doesn't matter what position you get yourself into, you will still have problems conceiving.

What about standing on your head after sex?  Does that help with conception?  It sounds sorta logical.  You want to keep the sperm in there and not have it fall out.  But does this require standing on your head?  Once again the literature does not support standing on one's head to increase fertility.