How long after trying to get pregnant

Most couples are able to get pregnant within six months to a year. In other cases, the cause is unknown. Women have the best odds of getting pregnant in their 20s. Fertility naturally declines with age. The older you are, the longer it might take you to conceive. As you get older, your egg supply diminishes.

By age 35, you have only a 12 percent chance of getting pregnant within any given three-month period, according to a study in PLoS One. By age 40, that number drops to 7 percent.

According to RESOLVE , 1 out of every 8 couples, or 12 percent of women, have trouble getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. If you know you have a health condition that affects your fertility, see your doctor sooner. Female infertility is a factor for about one-third of couples who are trying to conceive. The most common cause is a problem with ovulation.

Blocked fallopian tubes prevent the egg from meeting the sperm. Possible causes of a blockage include:. A problem with the uterus can also make it harder to get pregnant. This may be due to an abnormal structure, or due to growths like fibroids.

Male infertility is a factor for about 8 percent of couples who are trying to conceive. In about 5 to 10 percent of couples, the cause of infertility is unexplained. Not knowing the cause can be frustrating for couples. This may be upsetting, but it's normal. Most couples about 84 out of every will get pregnant within a year if they have regular sex and don't use contraception.

But women become less fertile as they get older. One study found that among couples having regular unprotected sex:. Some of these factors affect either women or men. The most common cause is ovulation failure which can be caused by lots of different things and sperm disorders. Also important to note: When a couple has a difficult time getting pregnant, they shouldn't be so quick to blame the woman.

Think twice next time you reach for the lube. Your cervical mucus moves sperm along quite swimmingly all on its own. Plus, most lubricants can interfere with cervical mucus , alter the pH in your vaginal tract, and negatively affect sperm motility, making it harder for the sperm to reach the egg.

If you really need some extra lubrication during sex a common issue when you're more focused on making babies than making love , sticking with a "sperm-friendly" lubricant like Pre-Seed is your best bet to increase chances of pregnancy, Dr. Brasner says. Often, when couples are trying to conceive, they focus so intensely on their reproductive health, they neglect their overall health.

Life becomes all about cervical mucus, sperm count, and doing the deed. But it's important to pay attention to your health in general because issues like weight, smoking, stress, and medications can affect fertility too, Dr. Before trying to conceive, it's a good idea for both you and your guy to have a medical checkup to discuss any issues that may affect fertility or pregnancy. There are other ways to have a baby.

To learn more about alternative family-planning options, check out the following pages:. By Tamekia Reece and K. Aleisha Fetters Updated February 10, Save Pin More. An image of a couple with a pregnancy test. Start Slideshow. Credit: Shutterstock. Woman pushing man away in bed. Woman in bed with alarm clock.

Study: Sperm count decreased. The most pressing questions for anyone trying to conceive concern time. Couples count the seconds, minutes, and hours. They wonder, how long does it take to get pregnant? But the question of how long it takes to conceive is something of a loaded question with a wide-ranging answer. It could take anywhere between 72 hours to a year.

Maybe longer. Fortunately, the majority of couples trying to get pregnant eventually succeed. Conception just takes, well, time. But to answer the many questions a couple has, including how long does it take to get pregnant after sex?

In fact, it can take up to a week, Mukherjee says.