How long did it take you to get pregnant
How Long It Really Takes to Get Pregnant
Scientific data
One study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, followed women who were trying to get pregnant by having sex at the time in their monthly cycle when they were believed to be most fertile. Of the 346 women in the study, 310 conceived in the first year. The breakdown was like this:
38 percent were pregnant after 1 month.
68 percent were pregnant after 3 months.
81 percent were pregnant after 6 months.
92 percent were pregnant after 12 months.
In their conclusion, the researchers wrote, “Most couples conceive within six cycles with timed intercourse.” After a year of trying without conceiving, experts say you should see a fertility specialist.
Not-so scientific data
We decided to take this (very excellent) question to moms and moms-to-be on The Bump Facebook page. (Keep in mind that these aren’t the most reliable results, seeing that if they’re our friends on Facebook, they’re more likely to have gotten pregnant, period. But at least it gives you a real-life example.) This is what they said:
34 percent of those who were trying were pregnant in the 1st month.
23 percent got pregnant in 1 to 3 months.
8 percent got pregnant in 3 to 6 months.
10 percent got pregnant in 6 to 12 months.
8 percent got pregnant in 1 to 2 years.
16 percent took more than 2 years to get pregnant.
1 percent tried but never conceived.
Reasons why
“With my son, we tried for seven months with no luck. I broke down and bought the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor, and it worked in the first month.” — calgal1683
“For my first son, it was two and a half years, and he was a complete miracle. We were told that the chances of us conceiving naturally were less than 1 percent.” _— kellyloveszach _
“I got off the Pill in August after we got married and just let nature take its course. We got very lucky and it happened on our first try.” — runnergrl6675
“We weren’t actively trying, or charting, but we weren’t trying to prevent either.
If it happened, it happened. It only took us six weeks from the first time we had sex completely birth-control- and condom-free.” — sunset+skies
“This pregnancy, I got my BFP on the ninth month trying to conceive. My husband and I were shocked because we anticipated it taking a full year again. With my daughter, it was 13 cycles before I got pregnant.” — EmmysMom08
“I finished my last pack of birth control pills in the month of April. We started trying to conceive in May, and I got pregnant in the fifth month of trying. I used an ovulation predictor kit after the third month of trying, and I’m glad I did because it helped me realize that I ovulate later in the month than is considered traditional.” — march3008
“I was ovulating 18 days after we got married, and that happened to be the day we got pregnant. We are so very blessed.” — wkfouts
“I got pregnant in the first month of trying. We were completely shocked because my first child took 11 months to conceive and my second child took a year to conceive.
” — Baby4OT
Get pregnant faster
Want to up your chances of getting pregnant faster? Follow these steps:
• Learn the most effective timing for conception.
• Find out how to test your basal body temperature.
• Naturally boost your fertility using these strategies.
• Prep your brain and body for pregnancy.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
Plus, more from The Bump:
Getting Pregnant Checklist
Fertility 101
Sex Ed for Babymaking
How long does it usually take to get pregnant?
It's impossible to say how long it takes to get pregnant because it's different for each woman.
Many factors can affect a couple's chances of conceiving, such as:
- your age
- your general health
- your reproductive health
- how often you have sex
Some women become pregnant quickly, while others take longer.
This may be upsetting, but it's normal.
Fertility
Most couples 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.
The effect of age on men's fertility is less clear.
What does 'regular sex' mean?
Having regular sex means having sex every 2 to 3 days throughout the month.
Some couples may try to time having sex with when the woman ovulates (releases an egg).
But do not worry about the timing of when you have sex if it makes you feel stressed.
Fertility problems
Lots of factors can cause fertility problems, including:
- hormonal (endocrine) disorders, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and problems with the thyroid or pituitary glands
- physical disorders, such as obesity, anorexia nervosa or excessive exercise
- disorders of the reproductive system, such as infections, blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis or a low sperm count
- menopause
Some of these factors affect either women or men.
The most common causes are ovulation failure (which can be caused by lots of different things) and sperm disorders.
Read more detailed information about the causes of infertility.
Getting help
If you have been trying for a baby for 1 year without success, see your GP for advice.
Further information
- How can I tell when I'm ovulating?
- Trying to get pregnant?
- Doing a pregnancy test
- Can I get pregnant just after my period has finished?
- Pregnancy
- Infertility
- NICE guidelines: assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems
Page last reviewed: 8 September 2022
Next review due: 8 September 2025
How long does it take to finally get pregnant? Doctors advise patience
"There are too many variables in conception," says Tanma Mukherjee, deputy director of reproductive endocrinology at Mount Sinai Hospital.
“When I start thinking about it, I wonder why there are so many of us at all.”
Let's say you had sex at the perfect time for it, and your egg and sperm were the most successful. Even if all the stars have formed successfully, pregnancy does not occur at the same second. In fact, the whole process can take about a week,” Mukherji says.
After intercourse, spermatozoa move towards the woman's fallopian tubes. There they can survive for up to 72 hours while waiting for an egg - sometimes even longer. That is why it is not necessary to wait for the onset of ovulation in order to start trying to conceive, Mukherjee notes. More often, pregnancy occurs when the sperm are already in the woman's body, while the egg matures.
After fertilization, it takes another 2-3 days for the egg to start dividing, implant in the uterine tissue and trigger hormonal changes in the woman's body. And only then can we consider that the pregnancy has come.
According to Kenan Omurtag, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington, in most cases, attempts to conceive a child are successful within the first six months. However, if the couple did not manage to conceive a child in this period of time, there is still no reason to panic, he adds.
By nature, humans are far from being the most fertile creatures. According to an article published in the Lancet in 2002, the chances of conceiving a child in one particular menstrual cycle is about 20 percent (by the way, in baboons this probability is about 80 percent).
This means that 74 percent of couples with an average fertility rate will be able to conceive a child after six months of trying, and 93 percent after a year. If a year has passed and you still haven’t managed to get pregnant, then it’s time to do some more research to find out what can complicate the process of conception - for example, irregular ovulation or a low sperm count.
Even if you failed to conceive a child after a year of trying, this does not mean that you are infertile. Remember, only 7 percent of couples with average fertility can conceive a child within the first year? And if you find that your ability to conceive is complicated by the state of your health, this does not mean that you should immediately seek medical help, says Mukherjee.
Here's what plays a role in the process of conception: a quality egg, regular ovulation, healthy sperm, a healthy uterus and fallopian tubes. If you have a problem with two or more components, then in this case you really need medical attention. If the problem is only with one thing, then most likely you will be able to conceive anyway, it just takes more time, Mukherji reassures.
The problem here is that not all couples have time. According to the doctor, if you started trying at 35, then you do not have much time, but if you are trying to conceive after 20, then you can wait.
As people get older, fewer eggs remain in a woman's body, and the quality of a man's sperm becomes lower, says Omurtag. This means that trying to get pregnant can take even longer.
According to a 2017 study of 2,962 couples, after six months of trying, 62 percent of women aged 28 to 30 were able to conceive, while only 55.9 percent of women aged 34 to 36 were able to conceive. According to Omurtag, a noticeable decline in fertility begins somewhere after the age of 38.
It is very difficult not to worry and not to panic when all your attempts to get pregnant turn out to be a failure. However, it is important to remember here that if you failed to get pregnant after a month, six months or even a year from the beginning of the attempts, this does not mean at all that you will never be able to get pregnant, and that something is wrong with you, reminds Omurtag. While humans aren't the most prolific creatures, the statistics are on your side, so keep trying and don't give up.
Or rather, not hands. Well, you understand.
Top 10 mistakes when trying to get pregnant
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There are times when doctors did not reveal any abnormalities in you and your partner, but the long-awaited pregnancy still does not occur. And it already seems to you that this is not a natural phenomenon, but the real magic of luck and genetics. For some, pregnancy happens "from the first time", while others turn their lives into a real nightmare.
It's all about making similar mistakes, we tell you about the most common of them.
Mistake #1⃣: Worrying too much
Chances are you have at least one friend who, when she became pregnant, said, "It happened exactly at the moment when I stopped thinking about it." It's annoying, frustrating, and nerve-wracking, especially when all you want to do is have a baby. Stress can be one of the main reasons you can't get pregnant: high levels of the stress hormone cortisol can negatively impact fertility.
Relax and try to let go of the situation for a while. Stop planning your pregnancy so much and remind yourself every day that this is a miracle that actually happens very, very often.
Mistake #2⃣: Doing Too Much/Little
If you're going to do this, do it right! Many couples believe that if you "save" sperm and do not have sex for a week, then the chances of conception will increase significantly. This is not true. After about a week of abstinence, sperm motility is markedly reduced. For successful conception, doctors recommend having sex every day or every other day for a week up to and including the day of ovulation. In addition, having regular sex has been proven to help regulate your cycle: your partner's body releases hormones that affect your reproductive system, so having regular sex increases the production of estrogen.
Mistake #3⃣: Use questionable practices
It would seem that the 21st century is in the yard, but many women still continue to believe in the miraculous power of douching.
Sperm in such an environment dies and cannot fertilize the egg, which is why many people use a weak solution of soda to make the environment alkaline and create favorable conditions for conception. But doctors are opposed to this method: soda kills not only harmful microorganisms, but also beneficial ones, thus violating the natural pH of the vagina.
Mistake #4⃣: Blaming Yourself
Speaking of infertility, we tend to think that the problem is on the part of the woman. But in fact, the responsibility lies equally on both partners. Doctors say that in 40% of cases of infertility, the cause must be sought on the part of the man, in another 40% - on the part of the woman. The remaining 20% is compatibility, a combination of both partners. But do not panic ahead of time. Remember that it takes 6 months to a year for a healthy couple to successfully conceive.
Mistake #5⃣: Miscalculating
The most common mistake is the incorrect determination of the day of ovulation.
Another common mistake is not counting the beginning of the cycle from the first day of menstruation. The first day of your period is when you bleed. Not the day before, not the day after. For successful conception, the bill goes literally to the clock, which is why it is so important to know the exact day the cycle began.
Mistake #6⃣: Living on a schedule
No matter how hard you try, pregnancy is impossible to plan. As mentioned above, it takes a healthy couple from 6 months to a year to conceive. But many women need half a year just to normalize their cycle after they stop taking contraceptives. Ovulation will not occur until the cycle becomes regular. Therefore, if after 6 months your cycle has not returned to normal or you are not sure that you are ovulating, it is worth visiting a doctor.
Mistake #7⃣: Hurry
No one knows why so many people are sarcastic about the statement that after intercourse it is advisable to lie on your back with your buttocks slightly raised for about 20 minutes.
Doctors unanimously claim that this method increases the possibility of conception by as much as 80%! Therefore, if you want to dance a victory dance after a successful conception, as you think, refrain - at least for 20 minutes.
Mistake #8⃣: Ignoring your “crazy” worries
Maybe you have always had an irregular cycle and because of this you are having difficulty conceiving. Or perhaps you have diabetes and want to make sure everything is under control before you get pregnant. Consulting a specialist does not mean being paranoid! There are situations in which you should not ignore your worries: here you are thinking not only about yourself, but also about your unborn child. If you have any questions or worries, it is better to immediately find a specialist who will explain everything and tell you about the pitfalls that you may encounter specifically on your way. Thus, if you encounter difficulties in trying to get pregnant, you will already be ready for them.
Mistake #9⃣: Not giving up bad habits
A lot has already been said on this topic, but it will still not be superfluous to repeat: it is necessary to give up bad habits at least a year before trying to get pregnant.
