A new study showed that sexual activity triggers physiological changes in the woman's body including her immune system, which in turn boosts her chance of fertility even when it is outside the ovulation period. The finding could influence recommendations for couples wanting to make a baby, to have more sex and lots of copulation if they want the woman to become pregnant after sexual intercourse.
The study's findings were published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, and the journal Physiology and Behavior. It was conducted by Indiana University (IU).
The research included 30 women. About half was sexually active and the other half was not.
Odds of the sexually active volunteers having higher levels of type 2 helper T cells was greater, according to Tech Times. They help the woman's body accept sperm cells and developing embryos, to boost reproduction.
The sexually active volunteers also had higher levels of an immune system cell that fights diseases. Its name is immunoglobulin G.
More of both types of cells existed in sexually active women as their bodies prepared for pregnancy. Other immune system cells were also at higher levels when ovaries started to develop.
For a long time doctors have recommended that couples have sex as frequently as possible to boost the chance of having a baby. However, the new study backs it up with hard science.
A human's immune system produces antibodies to defend itself from attacking microorganisms. A man can get a woman pregnant by bypassing this automatic response, and then the sperm can fertilize the egg.
Tierney Lorenz is a researcher from Kinsey Institute. She explained that the immune system of the sexually active women was preparing for possible pregnancy.
In fact, the IU study is a medical breakthrough. It is the first one to show sexual activity's role in immune system regulation.
The research team explained that the study's findings support the hypothesis that during a woman's menstrual cycle there is a swap between reproduction and immunity. However, more research is needed. It would examine the link between a woman's sexual activity, menstrual cycle, and immune system's response.
The study's findings could also have other applications. They include treatments of people with various autoimmune disorders, according to Nature World Report.