Recommended Time to Try Getting Pregnant
According to the American Association of Reproductive Medicine, if a couple has not achieved pregnancy after one year of unprotected sex, they should seek professional help getting pregnant. However, if the woman is over age 35, she shouldn’t wait so long. In this case, it's recommended that she seek help getting pregnant after just six months of unprotected sex.
Despite these suggested time frames, some couples try without help longer than they need to. An informal survey conducted jointly by Conceive Magazine and Fertility LifeLines, found that 62% of the women surveyed had been trying to get pregnant for over a year. However, only two-thirds of the group had started seeking help. Almost one-third were still waiting to seek help getting pregnant.
Why the couples hadn’t sought help is anybody’s guess. One possibility is that they didn’t know about the one year time frame. These couples who were still waiting may think it’s normal to take longer than a year.
Another possibility is that they aren’t interested in pursuing fertility treatments yet. If you’re young, waiting to start fertility treatments until you’re ready isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
However, even if you’re not ready to seek treatment, seeing a doctor for some general testing is recommended. Infertility can be a symptom of an underlying medical problem. Whether or not you plan on starting fertility treatments, you still might want to seek an evaluation from your doctor, just in case something more serious needs to be addressed.
When to Seek Help Getting Pregnant
If you or your partner have any risk factors or symptoms of infertility, waiting to find help for getting pregnant isn’t necessary. For example, if a woman has irregular periods, endometriosis, or PCOS, or if either partner has a history of sexually transmitted diseases, seeking help right away makes sense.
More information on infertility risk factors and symptoms:
- Symptoms and Risk Factors for Infertility
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Blocked Fallopian Tubes
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Endometriosis
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Anovulation
- Can You Get Pregnant With Irregular Periods?
If you really don’t want to wait, but don’t have any particular symptoms, you can try body basal temperature charting. By charting your cycles, you may discover that you’re not ovulating regularly, or that your luteal phase isn’t long enough to sustain a pregnancy. There’s no reason to keep trying without help if you discover these problems.
Also, some doctors will consider testing for problems before a year is over if a couple has charted body basal temperature for six-months, even if no problems are clear on the chart. If by charting you can show your doctor that you’ve had sex at the right time of the month for six months, and you still are not pregnant, he or she may be willing to investigate.
Sources:
Frequently Asked Questions About Infertility. American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Accessed January 21, 2008. http://www.asrm.org/Patients/faqs.html
Women Want to Know More About Infertility According to Recent Survey. PR NewsWire. Accessed June 12, 2008.
