What it is
Trying to conceive can feel long fast. Infertility is the medical word for not conceiving after a year of regular sex without birth control. About 1 in 8 couples in the U.S. have trouble conceiving. The cause is female about a third of the time, male a third, and both or unknown the rest.
What's typical
About 30 out of 100 couples conceive in the first month. About 85 conceive within a year. Even when all is well, most cycles end in not yet. That waiting is the hard part.
What's known
ACOG and ASRM, the fertility doctors' group, say to seek help after one year of trying if you are under 35, and after six months if you are 35 to 39. At 40 or older, ask right away. A first workup is simple: blood tests, a semen test, and a look at the tubes and uterus. A fertility specialist is called a reproductive endocrinologist.
What helps
- Ask your partner to get a semen test early. It is quick and rules out half the picture.
- Find one person you can tell. Carrying this alone is heavier than the trying.
When to call someone
- Nowsevere one-sided pelvic pain or fainting with a positive test. That can be an ectopic pregnancy.
- Todayyou feel hopeless or cannot stop crying about this. Call or text 988. Infertility grief is real.
- At your next visityou have hit the one-year or six-month mark, your cycles are irregular, or you have had two or more miscarriages.
Who helps
Tools: Birthworker Directory · My Birth Team
Related
- Infertility and the long roadLoss and Complications
- Tracking your cycle and ovulationBefore Pregnancy
- Pregnancy at 35 and olderPregnancy: Your Body
- The preconception visitBefore Pregnancy
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Sources
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine — Infertility: an overview patient booklet
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Evaluating infertility FAQ
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Infertility FAQs
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