How quick do you expect to become pregnant?

Just how soon can you get pregnant? Although some couples will conceive in the very first month they try, within six months, about 75 percent will get pregnant. Medical assistance may be required for those who are not pregnant after one year.

How long it takes for you to become pregnant will depend on how much you have sex, whether you have sex during your most fertile days, your age, and whether you or your partner have fertility issues.

Chances to get Right Away Pregnant

In Germany, researchers wondered how easily couples would expect to get pregnant. They were particularly keen on how prevalent infertility and subfertility are. As someone who takes longer than normal to get pregnant, subfertility may be loosely described, but ultimately succeeds without assistance.

The researchers noticed that previous studies tracking time to conception eliminated truly infertile couples. Also, previous studies were biased because of their retrospective nature. In other words, the statistics were gathered after pregnancy was achieved and not collected from the beginning. What about all the couples who never conceived?

The researchers noted that genuinely infertile couples were removed by previous studies tracking time to conception. Also, because of their retrospective nature, previous studies were biased. In other words, after pregnancy was accomplished and not collected from the beginning, the statistics were collected. What of all the couples who have never conceived?

This group of couples knew which days to have sex if they wanted to get pregnant, so mistimed intercourse would not be behind failure to conceive. The results:

• After one month of trying, 38% were pregnant

• After three months of trying, 68% were pregnant

• After six months of trying, 81% were pregnant

• After 12 months of trying, 92% were pregnant

• Of 346 women, 310 conceived; the remaining 10.4% did not get pregnant

If the women who did not conceive are removed from the study results, the percentages change. In this group of 310 women:

• 42% conceived in their first month of trying

• 75% conceived by their third month

• 88% conceived in six months

• 98% conceived in 12 months

After one year, couples who do not get pregnant

What about all who, after one year, don't get pregnant? If you're not pregnant after a year of trying, or if you're 35 years or older after six months, then you can see the doctor.

Although 10 percent of couples do not get pregnant after 12 months of trying, after 36 months of trying, half of this group will get pregnant. Around 4% of couples will try and then not get pregnant for four years. It is unlikely that this group of couples would ever get pregnant without medical assistance.

How much time it takes to get pregnant

This is a topic which is somewhat different, but one that many people think about. If in a given month you get pregnant, how long after you had sex did that happen?

Next, note that egg fertilization is not a pregnancy. This can be told by any couple who has gone through IVF care and had an embryo transfer that "didn't stick". An embryo has to insert itself into the endometrial lining for pregnancy to occur.

Second, for up to five days, sperm can live in the female reproductive tract. This means at 10 p.m. if you have sex. Ovulation does not occur until 7 a.m. on Monday, but Egg fertilization can still occur on Thursday, but this is less likely.

However, if you had sex on Friday, and Friday is the day you ovulate, fertilization may happen for up to 12 hours. After 12 hours, it is unlikely that the ovum will be fertilized. (You're most likely to get pregnant if you have sex the day before ovulation.) Regardless of when fertilization takes place, the uterus is primed for embryo implantation between 7 and 10 days after ovulation.

Taking into account how long sperm survive and the time it takes for fertilization and implantation, you can be pregnant as soon as seven days after you had sex or as long as 15 days.

Sometimes, women will wonder if they already are having pregnancy symptoms the day after they have unprotected sexual intercourse. They may "feel pregnant," but those feelings are not related to any possible fertilization or pregnancy. You won't have actual pregnancy signs or symptoms until after implantation occurs.

Reasons You're Not Getting Pregnant

Even if your doctor has reassured you that it may take six months to a year to conceive, you might be wondering why it's not happening quickly for you. Here are some possibilities.

• Luck. So much must happen for ovulation, fertilization, and implantation to occur, and for the embryo to be healthy and genetically stable. Up to 70% of early miscarriages are due to genetic defects in the embryo. (You may not even know you conceived if this occurs; the loss might occur before your period is late.)

• Frequency and timing of sexual intercourse. You don't need to drive yourself crazy trying to aim for your most fertile days (the two days prior to ovulation). That said, if you're consistently not having sex just before ovulation, or you're having sex infrequently, this may mean you'll need more time to conceive.

• Age. The older a woman (and a man) get, the longer it may take for them to conceive. This doesn't necessarily mean they will be infertile—though those odds also go up with time. But age can make it less likely you'll conceive month by month. This is partially due to lower quality egg and sperm, with increased DNA mistakes.

• With weight. This will raise the time it will take you to get pregnant if you or your partner are obese or seriously underweight.

• Problems of fertility. You may not get pregnant because there are problems with female or male fertility. You have signs or risk factors often, and you already know that the chances of conceiving rapidly could be lower for you. In other examples, after six months to a year of trying, the only indication that something is wrong is that you're not pregnant.

Where to get assistance

If you've tried for less than six months, don't think about it just yet. Continue seeking. See your doctor if you're older than 35, and you've been trying for six months. Since age can be a factor, it's crucial that you never wait. On your own, you can also conceive! It's safest, though, to be checked out.

What if you're under the age of 35, you've been searching for six months, and you don't want to wait for a year to pass? Some doctors will not screen for fertility until a year goes by for women younger than 35 years of age. However, you might be able to persuade your doctor to examine earlier if you have timed intercourse for each of those six months. A fertility calendar is one way to display this.

You should probably see a doctor if you have been trying for a year and you are not pregnant yet. Some couples, not wanting to face the prospect of infertility, hold out hope. This is absolutely comprehensible. But since the passing of time, the likelihood of functioning fertility therapies may be decreased. It's better to obtain assistance earlier.