One month! That’s how long women would like it to take to get pregnant naturally. But it doesn’t always happen that way. While some lucky women can achieve this feat, most women and couples take a bit longer to get pregnant without interventions. So, how long does it really take to get pregnant?
What Is the Normal Time?
For a healthy couple to get pregnant without any kind of medical help, the normal timeframe is 12 cycles or one year. It all depends on how many days your cycle lasts1. If it’s regular, lasting 28 to 30 days, then the maximum time it should take to get pregnant is 1 year. If the cycle is longer than 35 days, the timeframe is counted differently. However, the correct way is to count 12 menstrual cycles before deciding to seek medical advice.
Exams for the Couple
Ideally, even before trying to conceive, the couple should get tests done to detect any problems that could prevent pregnancy. How long it will take to get pregnant will be roughly determined by the doctor once it’s clear whether the couple has any physical barriers.
But not every prediction is accurate. Some couples may take longer to get pregnant even if there are no apparent issues. This difficulty is called unexplained infertility, which is when no reason is found for the delay in getting pregnant2.
In these specific cases, there is no way to determine a timeframe for pregnancy to happen. It can come about suddenly out of nowhere, but it can also take some time. Couples diagnosed with unexplained infertility can get pregnant, but need to be aware that it can take more than 12 cycles, which is considered normal by doctors.
Treatments
In such cases, it’s best for the doctor to suggest a few options: the couple can wait or take action by using ovulation-inducing medications or simple procedures such as timed intercourse, or more advanced ones like IVF or artificial insemination. Some factors can also influence the wait for pregnancy – the couple’s age and the health of their gametes: eggs, sperm. To know the woman’s true ovarian reserve, there are tests such as FSH exams or antimüllerian. There are also ultrasounds that reveal a woman’s egg reserve. Other exams performed at fertility clinics can measure quality. For men, the semen analysis will show both quantity and quality.
Tips to Reduce the Wait Time to Get Pregnant
For women who want to shorten that year of waiting for pregnancy or significantly reduce it with advice, there are excellent techniques! All of them are based on finding out the fertile window to have relations and thus get pregnant faster.
One of these techniques is basal body temperature. By measuring your body temperature in the morning after at least 6 uninterrupted hours of sleep, you can observe the influence of hormones in your body. During the fertile window, there is typically a significant drop in temperature due to increased estrogen that contributes to this dip. As soon as ovulation passes, temperature rises again. You can also track your ovulation using ovulation tests! Get yours in our online store here.
Billings Method
Another tip to reduce the time it takes to get pregnant is the Billings method. This method involves monitoring cervical mucus throughout your cycle. The wetter the woman is, the more fertile she is3. Knowing your body is fundamental!
Touch yourself, learn about all the changes your body undergoes when the fertile window arrives! Golden tip: use ovulation tests. When LH increases in your body, you can even determine when the egg will be released by the ovaries. Start testing from the first day of your fertile period for better results. It’s also ideal to have intercourse and not get up for at least 1 hour! The longer the sperm stay inside, the better!
So, ultimately, how long it takes to get pregnant depends on your health condition but the timing is also determined by a greater force. God says: Do your part and I will do mine! Everything will happen at the time He determines! Stay strong and keep trying!
