Why don’t you get pregnant in the fertile period?
All the most common mistakes, risk factors and when to seek medical attention.
When a couple feels ready to have a child, they start the search for pregnancy with great hopes and enthusiasm, but often, after the first unsuccessful attempts, they tend to become demoralized. Over the months, not being able to get pregnant can become a frustrating experience, causing anxiety, fear and insecurities, especially in women.
In this article, we explain to you all the possible reasons why pregnancy can take a long time to arrive. If you want to know the experience of other women like you who are looking for a child, visit the dedicated section of our forum .
I ovulate but I don’t get pregnant
Why don’t you get pregnant even if you have intercourse in the fertile period of the cycle?
Even in the event of confirmed ovulation, a couple under the age of 35 who have unprotected intercourse on fertile days has a probability of conceiving around 25% per cycle.
This means that making love during the fertile period does not guarantee a 100% pregnancy: this is why it can take multiple attempts to get pregnant .
This information is very important because many women expect to be successful on the first attempt or in any case sooner than average, and this can be a source of unjustified stress and anxiety , which in turn can interfere with conception.
Targeted intercourse but I don’t get pregnant: when to see the doctor?
While the likelihood of conceiving each month is not very high , most women are able to get pregnant within 6 to 12 months of trying .
For this reason, experts recommend seeing a fertility specialist after 1 year of unsuccessful targeted attempts, which becomes 6 months if the woman is over 35 years old .
It is important to underline that the next step will not necessarily be medically assisted procreation . Sometimes infertility is only apparent and it is sufficient to correct weight, eating habits and lifestyle to be able to conceive.
Other times the doctor will suggest a therapy based on supplements or drugs , and only when faced with an evident need will he plan a PMA course .
Why don’t you get pregnant in the fertile period? The 5 most common mistakes
There are some very common mistakes among couples, which can reduce the chances of getting pregnant in the fertile days. Let’s see together which ones.
1. Not doing a preconception visit
Before trying to conceive, the couple should have a medical checkup to discuss any issues that may be affecting fertility . During this meeting, the specialist will give the couple all the useful advice to optimize the chances of pregnancy and protect the health of the future mother and future baby.
2. Incorrect calculation of fertile days
In the absence of problems, having intercourse every 2-3 days throughout the month is the best recommended strategy for getting pregnant. This frequency, in fact, allows you to cover the right period without having to monitor fertility.
Alternatively, it becomes very important to know the fertile days of the menstrual cycle, because not having intercourse on the right days can be one of the causes of failure to conceive . But how to recognize your fertile period?
Fertile days and ovulation calculator
A first step could be the use of a tool to calculate the fertile period . The calculators, however, are reliable only if the cycle is regular and cannot predict any anticipated or delayed ovulation.
The FertilePeriod calculator is based on the Ogino-Knaus method or calendar method, but for a more precise calculation it also allows you to enter the luteal phase (for women who know it).
The most reliable methods to recognize the fertile period (even with an irregular cycle)
While the calculator can give a purely indicative result, there are other, much more precise methods for identifying the most fertile days of the cycle , which however require some effort, as well as some time to learn how to use them:
These techniques are extremely useful in case of an irregular cycle , because they allow you to predict when ovulation will occur in that specific cycle. To learn more about these methods, we invite you to click on the respective technique and read the in-depth article.
3. Having too little or too frequent intercourse
Having sex only and exclusively on fertile days or on the day of ovulation may not be a good strategy to get pregnant. In fact, studies show that the best sperm quality occurs 3-5 days after the last intercourse . Leaving more than 5 days between one intercourse and the next, therefore, can reduce the probability of conception.
In addition, having intercourse only on the day of ovulation may be too late . In fact, the oocyte can be fertilized within 12-24 hours after being emitted from the follicle, while the spermatozoa can live from 3 to 5 days in the female body. Making love the days before ovulation therefore increases the likelihood of getting pregnant.
On the other hand, even having intercourse every day or several times in the same day can be counterproductive, as well as leading in the long run to lack of interest or tiredness in the couple. The ideal would be to have intercourse 3-4 times a week throughout the cycle or every other day during the fertile period .
4. Neglecting your overall health
Often couples looking for a child focus so intensely on their reproductive health that they neglect their overall health, not taking into account that aspects such as weight , smoking , stress and some medications can greatly affect fertility.
5. Using the wrong lubricants
Some products to lubricate the vaginal environment negatively affect sperm motility, making their journey to the egg to be fertilized more difficult.
Why don’t you get pregnant in the fertile period? Causes and risk factors
Unfortunately, even couples who do not make the mistakes described above may have difficulty conceiving.
What can be the reasons and what to do?
Age
A woman’s age affects her chances of conceiving. In fact, female fertility begins to decline after the age of 35 and drops significantly after the age of 40, as we have explained in this article . In addition, although to a lesser extent, the man’s age can also influence the chances of pregnancy.
For this reason, if you are over 35 and cannot get pregnant after 6 months of targeted attempts, experts recommend seeking a consultation with a fertility specialist.
Weight
In both women and men, being overweight or too little can reduce fertility. A body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 25 is ideal to aid conception.
Lifestyle and nutrition
Lifestyle and dietary habits have also been shown to play a role in male and female infertility. Among the enemies of pregnancy we find:
- smoking and alcohol abuse
- taking drugs or performance-enhancing substances
- stress
- lack of sleep
- lack or excess of exercise
- high-calorie diet low in fruit and vegetables
- toxic and polluting agents (e.g. in the workplace)
Pathologies
There are some health conditions that can interfere with getting pregnant. Among the women’s issues we mention:
- ovulation disorders , which affect the release of the egg from the ovaries. These include some hormonal problems such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) , hyperprolactinaemia and thyroid disorders (hyperthyroidism or uncompensated hypothyroidism);
- abnormalities of the uterus or cervix , such as malformations of the uterus, polyps, or benign tumors;
- blocked or damaged tubes , such as in the case of salpingitis or pelvic inflammatory disease, which itself can be caused by sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia ;
- endometriosis , a condition caused by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus;
- primary ovarian failure (premature menopause) , a condition where the ovaries stop working before the age of 40. It can be linked to immune system disorders, genetic conditions, chemotherapy or radiation therapy;
- scar tissue in the pelvic area : This can form as a result of pelvic infection, appendicitis, endometriosis, or abdominal or pelvic surgery;
- some types of cancer can impair female fertility;
Among the health problems that can favor male infertility we find instead:
- impaired sperm production or function , which may be due to genetic problems, testicular failure, varicocele, diabetes, or sexually transmitted infections;
- sperm emission problems , such as genetic (cystic fibrosis) or structural (semen duct blockage or reproductive organ injury) problems;
- certain types of cancer , radiation or chemotherapy .
In conclusion
- When you decide to have a child, the first step should always be to arrange a pre-conception medical examination .
- If you do not get pregnant despite having intercourse during the fertile period , it is advisable to consult an infertility specialist after 6 months of unsuccessful attempts, if the woman is over 35 years old , or 1 year, if the woman is younger.
- Sometimes infertility is only apparent and some indications aimed at correcting weight, nutrition and incorrect habits are sufficient to obtain the desired pregnancy.
- Not being able to get pregnant naturally does not necessarily mean having to resort to medically assisted procreation . This path will be recommended only when really necessary .
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.