Couples facing infertility typically have a million questions. Although the vast majority of them – from which drugs and therapies work best to what kind of undergarments the "dad-to-be" should be wearing – are asked and answered with compassion and professionalism, there are also questions that often don't get answered. Either no one can work up the courage to ask them, or they just don't seem relevant to conception.

"Despite the fact that infertility treatment is so closely linked to sexuality, this aspect of a couple's life is often very uncomfortable for them to discuss," says Dr. Mark Leondires, medical director at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut and a leading authority on reproductive medicine. "We find that it's the more personal questions involving a couple's unique sexual practices or other habits that are more likely to go unasked, and unanswered."

According to Dr. Leondires, some of these uncomfortable questions need to be asked, because the answers can hold the key to helping couples achieve a healthy pregnancy more quickly. "Sometimes it's the activity in question itself that should be modified or stopped in order to better the couple's chances for pregnancy," he says. Following are his list of straight answers to infertility's most uncomfortable questions:

"Not necessarily. During normal intercourse, the ejaculate fluid in which the sperm travel through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes is usually effective at doing its job. However, the uterine contractions that occur during orgasm may help or hinder the process, depending upon the direction of those contractions while the sperm is en route."

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