How Long It Takes To Get Pregnant

It is impossible to say how long it will take until a woman becomes pregnant. There are many circumstances that have to come together in order to get pregnant, such as having sex during or just prior to ovulation, whether or not you ovulate, and the sperm mobility and sperm count.

Most couples will take about 3 months to become pregnant.  Things that decrease your chances of getting pregnant include being older than 27 years of age (the age at which fertility begins to decline), bad health habits (smoking, alcohol, and illicit drugs), obesity in the male and female, and many other factors.

If you are trying to get pregnant, here are your chances

Of all couples trying to conceive:

• 30 percent of couples get pregnant in a month
• 59 percent of couples get pregnant after 3 months
• 80 percent of couples will get pregnant after 6 months
• 85 percent of couples will get pregnant after a year
• 91 percent of couples will get pregnant after 3 years
• Up to 95 percent of couples will get pregnant after 4 years

If you are a couple where the female is younger than 35 years of age and can’t get pregnant after a year, it is time to seek the advice of a fertility specialist to see if you have something that is preventing you from getting pregnant.  See a fertility specialist after trying to get pregnant for 6 months if the mother is older than age 35.

Fortunately, 80-90 percent of women will become pregnant naturally.  Ten percent of couples are considered infertile and may need some type of fertility assistance to get pregnant.  With fertility treatment, you have a greater chance of getting pregnant, especially if you are older.

Age and the Chances of Getting Pregnant

Older women will have a more difficult time getting pregnant when compared to younger women.  Part of the problem is that the eggs tend to become of a poorer quality if you are older and there are more miscarriages and failure to fertilize the egg.  You may also ovulate less if you are older than 35 years of age.  Male fertility declines when the male is about 50 years of age or older.

When it comes to age and fertility, about 86 percent of fertile, healthy women who are between 20 and 27 years of age will get pregnant within a year of actively trying to get pregnant.  This rate decreases to about 63 percent of women who are between 30 and 35 years of age.  Among women who are aged 40-44, about 36 percent will get pregnant within a year.  Among women who are 45 years of age, it is extremely rare (around 1 percent) that the woman will get pregnant a year after trying.

How to get Pregnant Faster

You can increase your chances of getting pregnant and having a healthy child by following these simple tips:

• Determine ovulation days. Use basal body temperature measurements or an ovulation test kit to see if and when you are ovulating. Have sex between 0-5 days prior to ovulating in order to become pregnant.
• Time your sex to happen when you ovulate. You should have sex at least every other day from 5 days before you plan to ovulate up until you ovulate.  Sperm can last up to five days in the Fallopian tube, waiting to get an egg to fertilize.

The pregnancy rate for those couples who actively try to get pregnant by timing intercourse and ovulation, 38 percent will get pregnant per cycle, 68 percent will get pregnant after 3 cycles, 81 percent will get pregnant after 6 cycles, and 92 percent will get pregnant after 12 cycles.

While you are trying to get pregnant, you need to do what you can to have a healthy body to carry the baby in.  This means eating healthy, cutting back on caffeine, quitting drinking, taking a multivitamin with folate, and stopping the taking of illicit drugs.  If you are not of a normal weight (either underweight or overweight), you should try to get to a normal weight so that you have the best chances of conceiving.

References:

• http://www.jhsph.edu/news/stories/2004/wilcox-pregnancy.html. Accessed 4/27/16.