How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant
We all imagine that as soon as we stop using contraceptives, getting pregnant happens quite fast. But it can take up to a year or even longer for a healthy couple to conceive naturally.
If you've been having unprotected sex for a year and have not conceived yet, you and your husband should see a doctor for a fertility check-up.
Don't wait a full year before seeing a doctor if you're older than 35. Being older puts you at a higher risk of having fertility problems and so it's a good idea to get medical advice if you haven't conceived within six months.
How long does it usually take to get pregnant?
It's different for each couple. For some, one instance of unprotected sex is enough, for others it takes several months. The sperm have quite a journey with several obstacles on their way to the egg. Sometimes, the sperm and egg meet easily. At other times, they never find each other.
Sperm can stay alive for up to 5 days once they are ejaculated into the womb. So having unprotected sex a few days before you ovulate is the best way to ensure that there are sperm waiting for the egg once it is released.
On average, most couples conceive within the first year of actively trying, and almost all conceive within the first two years.
Taking up to two years to get pregnant is normal for some couples. It may feel far from normal if it's happening to you. But it doesn't necessarily mean you have a fertility problem.
Some couples have a high monthly fertility. This means that they have a higher chance of getting pregnant within any given month. This depends on the fertility health of the woman and man. They are likely to fall pregnant quickly, probably within a few months.
Other couples have a low monthly fertility. This means that they have a lower chance of getting pregnant within any given month. They are likely to take longer to get pregnant.
Your age makes a difference. Women in their early 20s are at their peak of fertility so have a higher than average chance of conceiving over each cycle. A woman's fertility naturally declines from her mid to late 30s onwards. For men, this happens after 40 years.
If you or your husband have an existing problem, such as an undescended testicle or a history of polycystic ovaries, which may affect your chances of conceiving, it's best to see a doctor sooner than a year.
Some conditions that may seem completely unrelated to your fertility can sometimes have an impact too. If you have a history of a TB infection for example, and you're having trouble conceiving, your doctor might want to check that the bacteria is not causing an infection in your reproductive organs causing genital TB.
Whatever your age or health, it's a good idea to see your doctor for a pre-pregnancy check-up when you're ready to start trying for a baby.
What could make it take longer to get pregnant?
There are lots of factors that can affect your chances of getting pregnant, such as:
- Whether you have any reproductive problems, such as a history of pelvic inflammatory disease or pelvic tuberculosis.
- Your age, diet, lifestyle and job.
- Your husband's age, diet, his lifestyle and job.
- Whether you are underweight or overweight.
- Whether you have any chronic illnesses.
- Heavy smoking and drinking.
- Stress.
- How often you have sex.
What can we do to get pregnant faster?
Having unprotected sex every few days throughout your cycle will give the egg and sperm the best chances of meeting. It will ensure a supply of sperm where you need it whenever you ovulate.
You can also take steps to improve your and your husband's general fertility health. See our article on natural ways to improve fertility and your chances of conceiving.
You may have heard that it helps to try to pinpoint exactly when in your menstrual cycle you're ovulating and to have sex around that time. This is called your fertile window, and for most women it's around six days long. It usually starts around five days before ovulation, and includes the day of ovulation itself.
You may be able to identify when you're ovulating by:
- Looking for changes in your cervical mucus
- Measuring your basal body temperature
- Measuring the hormone levels in your wee or saliva, using an ovulation predictor kit (OPK)
Tracking one or more of these every month and recording them on a calendar or chart, may give you a good idea of when you're likely to ovulate, and help you work out your fertile window. There are plenty of free apps and tools online to help you track your cycle.
Or you could use our ovulation calculator, as long as you know the date of your last period and your average cycle length. Once you know your fertile window, you can try to ensure that you have sex two or three times over that period.
While these methods can be effective at predicting ovulation, fertility experts advise against using complicated techniques to detect ovulation and then timing your sex life to specific days each cycle. It can make trying for a baby more stressful than it needs to be, and your chances of conceiving naturally won't be any higher than if you had simply enjoyed sex every two or three days throughout your cycle.
On the other hand, if you or your husband's work or lifestyle make regular sex tricky, using one of these charting methods or an ovulation predictor kit can help remove the pressure of having to find the time for sex throughout the month.
Whether your approach to conception is to make love regularly and see what happens or to focus on your fertile window, we wish you luck!
Read this article in Hindi: गर्भवती होने में कितना समय लगता है?
Read more on:
- Whose fault is it that we can't conceive?
- My husband is reluctant to get a fertility test. How can I convince him to?
- 10 fun things to do while trying to conceive
References
FPA. 2018. Bodyworks. Your guide to understanding reproduction. Family Planning Association. Derby: McCorquodale. www.sexwise.fpa.org.uk
NHS. 2018. Trying to get pregnant. Health A to Z. www.nhs.uk
NHS. 2019. How can I tell when I'm ovulating? Common Health Questions. www.nhs.uk
NICE. 2017. Fertility problems: assessment and treatment. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. CG156. London: NICE. www.nice.org.uk
NICE. 2019. Pre-conception – advice and management. Clinical Knowledge Summaries. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. cks.nice.org.uk
Tommy's. 2018. How long does it take to get pregnant?. www.tommys.org
Tommy's. 2019. Apps and tools for conception. www.tommys.org
How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant
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