For a woman to conceive, certain things have to happen: intercourse must take place around the time when an egg is released from your ovary; the systems that produce eggs and sperm have to be working at optimum levels; and your hormones must be balanced. If you are not using contraception and having intercourse regularly, 95% of couples will conceive within two years.
You can find out when you are most fertile from the ovulation chart in the Guide to infertility. Eggs live and can be fertilised for 12-24 hours after being released, and sperm can stay alive and active in your body for 12-48 hours after ejaculation, so you don't have to have intercourse at the exact moment of ovulation to get pregnant.
It just takes one sperm to fertilise the egg for you to become pregnant. Although millions of sperm are released upon ejaculation, few survive the journey through the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes to fertilise the egg. If fertilisation does not take place, or if the fertilised egg does not attach itself to the lining of the womb, it breaks down and your womb lining is shed: a period.
An estimated one in seven couples have difficulty conceiving. There are several possible reasons why it may not be happening naturally. In a third of cases, it can be because of male problems such as low sperm count.
Problems affecting women include damage to the fallopian tubes and endometriosis. Other factors that can affect your chances of conceiving including being over- or underweight or your age - female fertility declines sharply after the age of 35. Sometimes it can be a combination of factors, and sometimes a clear cause is never established.
If you are concerned about not being pregnant, your first call should be to your GP. He or she can take a history, give you a physical exam and may recommend some tests or lifestyle changes. Your GP can also refer you on to see a specialist at your local hospital or fertility clinic.
What do clinic success rates really mean?
Read on to find out.
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