By: Judy Koutsky

Many people have their own theories about what works (and doesn’t work) if you’re trying to get pregnant. I have a friend, for example, who swears that she got pregnant with all four of her kids by raising her legs after having sex. Another friend insists that she conceived the daughter she so badly wanted by carefully planning (and timing) her romps. But, what sex tips do the pros believe in when it comes to making a baby? Read on to find out.

1. Try a fresh twist on the missionary position. No position is a proven baby-maker, but placing a pillow under your hips during sex and then raising your legs afterwards may help boost the odds of the sperm getting to where it needs to go, saysKecia Gaither, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, in the Bronx, New York.

2. Don’t rush to get up after sex. Relaxing for a bit might help the sperm reach its target. “You don’t want those little guys to have to fight gravity, so standing up immediately after having sex may hurt your cause,” says Pari Ghodsi, MD, who is in private practice at Northlake OB-GYN, in Plano, Texas.

3. Have sex at the right time. There are only six days a month that you can get pregnant, so it’s important to time intercourse around ovulation, says Dr. Ghodsi. If you have no idea when you ovulate, buy an over-the-counter ovulation kit.

4. Don’t have sex 72 hours before you ovulate. You want your partner to have a solid supply of sperm, says Dr. Ghodsi. Instead, have sex two days before you ovulate, the day of ovulation, and two days after you ovulate.

5. Reduce your stress. Too much stress is never a positive thing, and it can actually hurt your chances of getting pregnant, says Dr. Gaither.

6. Do it doggie-style. Again, this is an easy way to boost your baby making odds. “Any sexual position in which a woman bends over, is crouched on all fours, or lies on her stomach could allow for deeper penetration with closer access to the cervix, which would facilitate an easier swim for sperm,” says Dr. Gaither.

7. Don’t douche after you have sex. This one might seem obvious, but the truth is that doctors aren’t sure whether douche effects sperm, says Dr. Gaither. “It’s best to err on the safe side and avoid it.”