Conception: Callie Douglas - Book Six

Chapter Eight

"Hi, Harold", I said to my first patient of the day. "And hi, Charlene", I said, holding out my hand to Harold's wife for a handshake. Harold was a returning patient who I'd been seeing since my first day on the job. He was being treated for a sexual addiction. Recently, Harold and his wife decided that he'd recovered enough that there was no need to further delay their decision to start a family together. It was a decision that had Harold both nervous and excited at the same time. "How are things going?" I asked as I ushered the couple into my office.

"They're going well", said Harold. "Charlene and I have been talking more about having children, and we're impatient to get pregnant. Charlene missed her period three days ago, and we were really excited. However, it started again. It was just late, and we're so disappointed."

"It's hard not to get too excited, but just remember that it might take a while before you get pregnant. And that's okay. Just relax and enjoy the ride, and I'm sure you'll get pregnant soon."

"But I don't want to wait."

I laughed. "I'm sorry. I can't help you with that. You just have to realize that there are only about six days per month where a woman can get pregnant, and only two of these are prime fertility days. You're having intercourse frequently which will increase the quality of sperm. I've no doubts that, barring something unforeseen, you'll soon get pregnant."

"We've been trying to limit the number of times we have sex to only once every two days. We heard that this would increase our chance to get pregnant", said Charlene.

"And it's just about killing us", interjected Harold with a grin.

"I can imagine it would", I laughed. "However, the thought that you should only have sex once every two days is a myth. You should have sex as often as you like, and you should relax and enjoy it. In fact, they've proven that the greatest chance of getting pregnant is by a couple that has intercourse frequently and, if you don't want to have intercourse, you have a better chance of getting pregnant if you ejaculate, Harold, every day. The quality of sperm goes up, as does the testosterone production. Even men who have a low sperm count benefit by ejaculating daily."

"Thank God!" said Charlene and Harold at the same time. I laughed. "What about more than once per day?" asked Harold hopefully.

"I don't know. I haven't seen any study that talks about more frequent ejaculation than once per day. You would have to talk to a fertility specialist about that."

"I don't think we're at the stage where we're ready to talk to a fertility specialist."

"No, I guess not. Charlene, you haven't even been off the pill for a full month yet. If, in a year from now, you're still having intercourse as regularly as you have been and you still aren't pregnant, I'll refer you to a fertility specialist then. It's much too premature to think about that now. You have to remember, getting pregnant is a bit of a question of numbers. The chance of you getting pregnant in any given month is only fifteen percent, and that percentage goes down the older you get. I think it will happen, but you'll have to be a bit patient. How are you feeling about the possibility of getting pregnant in relation to your recovery from your addiction, Harold?"

"I'm excited about the chance of having a baby. I've always wanted to be a father. I just was concerned about passing on the horn-dog genes or being unable to stop my sexual activities in favour of family life."

"How do you feel about it now?"

"I think I can do it. You're right. You said in one of my previous sessions that I had gone a long way to recover from this addiction. I don't think I'll ever be totally recovered. There will always be a part of me that is addicted to sex and I'll always have to guard against future binges. However, I think I've recovered enough now to be a good father."