Sexual activity causes immune system changes that increase chances of conception

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/iu-iss100515.php

Public Release: 5-Oct-2015
Indiana University study: Sexual activity causes immune system changes that increase chances of conception
Indiana University

Research from Indiana University has found that sexual activity triggers physiological changes in the body that increase a woman's chances of getting pregnant, even outside the window of ovulation. [I think this wording is misleading. It appears from my reading that it should be : sexual activity, even outside the window of ovulation, triggers physiological changes in the body that increase a woman's chances of getting pregnant.]

The results could eventually influence recommendations regarding how often to engage in sexual intercourse for couples trying to get pregnant. It could also potentially impact treatment for people with autoimmune disorders.

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"It's a common recommendation that partners trying to have a baby should engage in regular intercourse to increase the woman's changes of getting pregnant -- even during so-called 'non-fertile' periods -- although it's unclear how this works," Lorenz said. "This research is the first to show that the sexual activity may cause the body to promote types of immunity that support conception.

"It's a new answer to an old riddle: How does sex that doesn't happen during the fertile window still improve fertility?"

A few earlier studies show changes in immune function during pregnancy and after childbirth and changes in immunity across the menstrual cycle. But the IU research is the first to show that sexual activity plays a role in these changes with clear differences found in immune system regulation in women who are sexually active versus women who are sexually abstinent.

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