Charlie Sawyer
Published November 25, 2025 12:00pm
Updated November 25, 2025 12:00pm
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Snce when did Martin Kemp become the fertility expert of the jungle…?(Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
Sports day memories will never be the same…
During a recent episode of I’m a Celebrity, former singer Martin Kemp opened up about how he and his wife, Shirley, struggled to conceive due to her endometriosis.
Martin went on to let it slip that his mother-in-law ultimately offered up some pretty risqué (yet useful) advice to the couple during this tricky time.
‘Now, have you tried the wheelbarrow?’ she allegedly said. ‘It’s a position, imagine you’re lifting someone up, hands on the floor.’
While the 80s icon didn’t go into any of the intimate details, he did note that after years of fertility issues, the couple later fell pregnant on the night of their wedding.
So, it begs the question: can certain sex positions increase the chance of pregnancy or is it all just a myth?
How do you get into the wheelbarrow sex position?
As you might expect, this position works almost exactly like how a normal wheelbarrow would — just with more nakedness. And instead of holding someone around the ankles like you would during a fun ‘wheelbarrow race’, you need to hold them by the hips.
The person penetrating starts the position stood upright with their feet planted solidly on the ground. The individual receiving begins by lying on the floor, face down.
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Then, as the person stood lifts their partner’s ankles upwards, the other pushes up off the ground to balance their weight on their arms. They can pop their hands flat on the ground, with elbows bent like a plank position, or on a surface like a bed (whatever is comfier!) The penetrator then needs to shuffle forwards to hold their partner at waist level so that the two of them now resemble a very close wheelbarrow position.
This position requires a relatively high level of strength and endurance, particularly from the person holding their body weight up. But if you get the right angle, it can be immensely pleasurable for both parties.
Stamina is key when it comes to the wheelbarrow position (Picture: Getty Images)
Everything that happens to your brain during sex
According to gynaecologist Sachchidananda Maiti, an orgasm can be likened to a ‘full-body fireworks show,’ setting off reactions everywhere, from your brain to your skin.
‘Your brain floods with dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins, the same chemicals linked to deep relaxation and happiness,’ he explains.
In fact, brain scans have shown that, when it comes to this, an orgasm lights up the same areas of the brain that certain drugs do, which would go some way towards explaining that ‘post-orgasmic daze’.
During orgasm, the brain also closes off what Sachchidananda refers to as its ‘thinking and worrying centres.’ Meanwhile the part of your brain responsible for pleasure and motivation – ‘the reward centre’ – becomes highly active.
‘During orgasm, your brain coordinates a big celebration in its “pleasure, emotion, movement, and imagination” regions, while the “worry and control” section takes a break,’ the expert adds.
So, as it turns out, it’s not just your body that’s working overtime during those breathless moment.
Are some sex positions more likely to get you pregnant?
Can a specific dick angle really be all that important when it comes to conception?
Metro spoke with Allan Pacey, Professor of Andrology at the University of Manchester, to get to the bottom of it all.
‘To my knowledge there is no specific sexual positions which increase the change of pregnancy,’ Allan began.
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He continued: ‘What is key is that couples have regular sex, in whatever position they enjoy, in order to maximise the chance of success. I say this because there is evidence from survey data that the frequency of sexual intercourse between couples has fallen in recent years, and some would say has fallen below the frequency which is compatible with conception.’
Myths regularly circulate online that positions such as doggy or missionary increase chances of pregnancy due to the fact that sperm is typically deposited closer to the cervix. But as Allan emphasises, this isn’t really based in hard evidence.
Allan also added that in his expert opinion, ‘couples should also spend time on foreplay because there is evidence that the more aroused a man is, the more sperm he is likely to ejaculate all other things being equal.’
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So, in conclusion, it’s likely less about the angle and more about the commitment to a job well done — makes sense!
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