Some common reasons include stress, not timing baby-making sex with ovulation, residual effects of hormonal birth control, and certain health conditions. As much as we may try, pregnancy really can't really be planned—but you can increase your chances by being aware of common pitfalls.
Facts about timing
Pregnancy is technically only possible if you have sex during the five days before ovulation or on the day of ovulation. But the most fertile days are the three days leading up to and including ovulation. Having sex during this time gives you the best chance of getting pregnant.
High Stress and Anxiety Levels
Stress, anxiety and depression impact menstrual cycles and fertility. Try implementing relaxing activities into your routine, like yoga, meditation and breathing exercises. Try to avoid putting too much pressure on yourself to get pregnant right away.
At times, being unable to conceive is out of a person's control. However, factors such as smoking, stress, and weight can be potential reasons for individuals not getting pregnant. With those factors, people can make changes to help reduce or prevent issues with trying to conceive.
Your most fertile day, and the day you are most likely to ovulate on, is the last day of egg-white cervical mucus. You can also track your ovulation hormone using at-home ovulation tests (sometimes called an ovulation predictor kit, or OPK).
Have sex regularly. The highest pregnancy rates occur in couples who have sex every day or every other day. Have sex near the time of ovulation. If having sex every day isn't possible — or enjoyable — have sex every 2 to 3 days a week starting soon after the end of your period.
You're most fertile at the time of ovulation (when an egg is released from your ovaries), which usually occurs 12 to 14 days before your next period starts. This is the time of the month when you're most likely to get pregnant.
That said, the majority of couples will conceive within 1 year of trying. It is possible but less common to conceive in the first month or within 6 months. A couple looking to conceive should track ovulation and have regular vaginal intercourse in the days leading up to ovulation.
The results showed that 78.6% of the Cyclers became pregnant within 13 cycles, and on average, the time to pregnancy was just 3 cycles.
Having vaginal sex every 2 to 3 days will give you the best chance of getting pregnant. Sperm can live for 2 to 3 days and this means there will always be fresh sperm in your system when you ovulate (release an egg).
Some believe that lying on your back for 15-20 minutes after sexual intercourse ensures better chances of survival for every last sperm. However, there's no scientific evidence to support this claim. Conception can occur even after three minutes of sexual intercourse.
Experts say the best way to get pregnant fast is to have sex once a day, every other day, during the fertile window right before and after ovulation. If you have sex too often, your partner's sperm count may be reduced—and if you don't have enough sex, the sperm may be old and unable to swim as fast.
Water signs like Scorpios are considered the most naturally fertile of the zodiac, and it proves true for the passionate scorpion in 2023.
What Causes Infertility? Problems with ovulation are the most common reasons for infertility in women. A woman's age, hormonal imbalances, weight, exposure to chemicals or radiation and cigarette smoking all have an impact on fertility.
Some experts do recommend staying in bed anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour after intercourse to keep the sperm pooled at the top of the vagina. A woman can put her knees up to accentuate this position, or she can place her feet on the wall with her hips on a small pillow, which works even better.
Stay in bed for about 15 minutes after you have sex, “which is all it should take for the quickest guys, which are the healthiest sperm, to make it up into the cervix.” Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, OB-GYN, tells Romper.
Even though prenatal vitamins don't make you fertile, prepping your body with prenatal vitamins to get pregnant is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your growing family. If you're planning on getting pregnant, you should start taking a prenatal vitamin three months before conception.
Dairy. It pays to bone up on dairy (milk, yogurt, and cheese) when you're trying to conceive. Adding dairy to your preconception diet is good not only for bone health but also — potentially — for your reproductive health. So drink that milk, spoon up that yogurt, sip that smoothie, nibble on that cheese.
Because a certain percentage of our eggs are abnormal at any age, and because fertilization has to happen within a narrow window after ovulation occurs, even a young, healthy woman trying to get pregnant has only about a 25% chance each month.
One UK-based study found that laying down for 15 minutes after IUI raised the pregnancy rate to 27% compared to 18% for those that got up immediately following intercourse.
Ideally, you need to have sex no more than five days before ovulation in order for fertilization to occur. You can boost your chances of fertilization by tracking your cycle and having sex as close to ovulation as possible.