Not getting pregnant? This article may help explain why

When you think of starting a family, things will get overwhelming and frustrated if you are not getting pregnant. It can hurt more when you have tried every conventional method to maximize your chance of getting pregnant. It may be of having frequent intercourse during your fertility window period and keeping track of your temperature every morning. In most cases, the solution is simply a matter of time, but there are times there will be certain causes for failure to conceive. In this article, you will get to know about the most common reasons for not getting pregnant

Time duration to get pregnant.

Unless you are so lucky and got a baby the first time, baby-making skills can often take a lot more time and effort than you think. For some women, pregnancy will be pretty much right away, whereas, for some, it may take years. According to the data, about 84 out of every 100 will get pregnant within a year if they don’t use the conception and have regular sex. Using an ovulation calculator to work out the days when you are ovulating is a good idea. It is to ensure that you have intercourse on your most fertile days.

When you should worry about not getting pregnant?

It’s common for people who have been trying to get pregnant unsuccessfully for a month or two to begin worrying. But the majority of doctors’ advice is to stop worrying until 12 months have passed since your first regular attempt. But worrying won’t make the process of having children any easier. Try not to think every day about conceiving because stress might actually cause delays in conceiving. It’s worth visiting the doctor, who can perform some tests and offer advice if you have been actively trying to conceive for 12 months or more without success. If you have had any worries about your partner’s or your own reproductive health during that period, it’s better to visit the doctor.

Reasons for not getting pregnant

Following are the most common reason for not getting pregnant 

Timing

Sperm and egg must come into touch during ovulation in order for a woman to become pregnant. You can’t do this every day of the month. You may just be trying to become pregnant at the wrong time of the month if you’ve only recently begun trying or haven’t yet pinpointed a precise ovulation window. This problem can be solved with the aid of menstrual cycle tracking. Keep in mind that even if you know when you ovulate, having sex at that time doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get pregnant. The monthly chances of pregnancy for a 30-year-old woman in good health are roughly 20%.

Age

Age is also a major reason for not getting pregnant.

Both egg number and quality are impacted by age. Unfortunately, each egg’s capacity to become a chromosomally normal embryo or pregnancy decreases as the number of accessible eggs decreases year after year. Although age-related fertility decrease cannot be stopped, fixed, or reversed, viable fertility preservation techniques like egg freezing can allow women more control over when to have a baby. Donor eggs, also known as eggs from another person, can enable women who drastically depleted ovarian reserves.

Stress

Stress will have a negative impact on your physical and mental health as well as your ability to become pregnant. Your fertility may be affected by other emotional problems, including anxiety and depression. When attempting to get pregnant, you should be relaxed and in a good mood. Stress impairs the hypothalamus’s ability to regulate the pituitary gland. This gland controls the thyroid, ovaries, and adrenals, which can alter periods and potentially cause them to be irregular.

Reduced sleep

You might have already known that getting enough sleep makes your morning more refreshing and bearable. But here’s another reason to get yourself a good sleep. Sleep deprivation puts more stress on your body and increases the chance of not getting pregnant. For those people who don’t sleep well, their immune systems will be down a little bit, and it might lead to more infections, which can have a huge impact on the reproductive cycle. Many women who don’t get enough sleep will start feeling anxious, which can be the cause of missing their periods. 

Weight issues

Being underweight and overweight can have an impact on a woman’s ability to conceive. Contrarily, being overweight can have a substantial impact on fertility. A body that is undernourished may not ovulate effectively. Even if you are ovulating regularly, being overweight alone lowers your likelihood of becoming pregnant. The worse it becomes, the more you deviate from 25 on the Body Mass Index. Your mind and body will benefit much from keeping up a balanced diet and creating a manageable exercise plan.

Lifestyle habits

Lifestyle Habits play a vital role in not getting pregnant.

Both male and female fertility can be impacted by smoking. Smoking for an extended period of time can hasten the loss of eggs, reduce sperm counts, and degrade the quality of sperm. Additionally, there is considerable evidence that even moderate drinking is linked to lower fertility rates. Therefore, if you or your spouse habitually consume alcohol or tobacco, stop at least a few months before you intend to become pregnant. Change your lifestyle to one that includes a healthy diet and exercise.

When you have endometriosis

When the tissue that borders the uterus also spreads outside of the uterus, endometriosis develops, which is a persistent illness. To the bladder, intestine, vagina, and other parts of the reproductive tract, this tissue can accumulate and produce adhesions. Every menstrual cycle causes an increase in these adhesions. The tissue that accumulates outside the uterus does not disappear as the lining does during a woman’s menstruation.

Women may experience extreme pain in addition to other symptoms like heavy or irregular bleeding, cramps, painful erections, and digestive issues like constipation. The illness can have an effect on a woman’s fertility as well as her quality of life and relationships.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

A woman’s capacity to ovulate may be affected by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance that lowers her likelihood of conceiving naturally. The ovary develops tiny cysts that prevent the maturation and ripening of ovarian follicles. Along with irregular menstruation, weight gain, excessive hair growth, and acne are also potential signs that lead to women not getting pregnant. A thorough fertility examination can identify PCOS. IVF treatment or laparoscopic surgery may be used to open and mend the tubes.

Structural abnormalities in Uterine

Sometimes a woman’s uterus cavity may have some flaws that could prevent the embryo from growing and implanting properly. Conception may be impacted by abnormalities in the uterine cavity such as scar tissue, the presence of micro polyps, or even the shape of the cavity. Sometimes, anomalies in the production and shedding of internal lining throughout the menstrual cycle may hinder easy conception. Some of these uterine structural issues may need to be treated with a daycare treatment called a hysteroscopy, which is a minor pelvic ultrasonography procedure.

Too much or too little intercourse

Some individuals think that having more intercourse can result in conception. Nevertheless, it’s possible that this is not always the case. Although having frequent sex won’t affect a man’s sperm’s potency, it can lead to potential health issues like exhaustion, vertigo, weak knees, and frequent urination. Burnout may result if you engage in excessive intercourse simply to bear children. When the true fertile window is present in this situation, either partner may not be interested in having intercourse. This also misses out on the chance to get pregnant as a couple.

Additionally, going several days without having sex can have an impact on fertility. When sex is restricted, you run the risk of missing your fertile phase since your ovulation timing might not always be accurate.

Irregular periods and ovulation problems

Those women who do not menstruate regularly can have more difficulty getting pregnant. If the period is irregular, it indicates inconsistent ovulation, and conceiving without an egg will be impossible. The data says, almost 20% to 40% of infertility problems are caused mainly due to irregular ovulation, which prevents the release of mature eggs from the ovaries. Excess weight loss or gain, hormonal fluctuations, severe stress or excessive exercise can be the main reason for ovulatory disorder. Therefore, the lesser you ovulate, the lesser will be your chance of getting pregnant.

Lower progesterone level

After the ovulation period, the corpus luteum produces progesterone to support the implantation of the embryo during its early phase. The deficiency of progesterone in this phase is known as Luteal Phase Defect (LPD), and this may be one of the reasons for infertility. Even if you conceive, the fetus and placenta will not grow further, causing early fetus loss or causing a non-viable fetus. You may refer the reproductive endocrinologist if you have such a problem.

Male Factor

Many times, it can be the responsibility of a male partner why most women are not getting pregnant. There can be some abnormalities in the semen, like motility or low sperm count, which can result in the failure of conception. Male-factor infertility (MFI) can be attributed to STIs or the damage caused by disease or injury affecting the testicles, like blockages in male reproductive organs or hormone imbalance.

Low sperm count, abnormal sperm, or a lack of sperm is known as azoospermia, and all these are components of MFI. So, semen analysis is an important step in understanding the male’s reproductive health.  

Unexplained infertility

Unexplained infertility is the third most common diagnosis and can arguably be the most frustrating one for not getting pregnant. This meant that all the test results were normal, and the reason or cause for the infertility was not known. It is also becoming most common, it accounts for nearly 30% of infertility rates, and this can be due to a combination of many factors. For instance, couples with unidentified infertility can have problems with egg quality, sperm function, or tubal functions that are difficult to treat and diagnose.

In this case, then the specialist can recommend fertility treatments and drugs such as Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) or IVF, which may be successful for unexplained infertility.

To increase your chances of getting pregnant

please refer to the article How do I get pregnant fast naturally? which may also help you in getting more information.

• Pinpoint Ovulation timing

If you engage in sexual activity in the days leading up to and during ovulation, you have the best chance of becoming pregnant. Use a special thermometer that can read degrees to take your basal body temperature before getting out of bed every morning. Observe any changes in the cervical mucus. Estrogen levels will increase prior to ovulation, which may result in thicker, slicker, and more abundant cervical mucus.

This is a good indication that having intercourse will help you become pregnant. Utilize ovulation strips, and they function much like pregnancy tests. When to start using the test strips can be determined by tracking your ovulation using changes in cervical mucus and basal body temperature.

• Focus on overall health

Change your way of life to become as healthy as you can and prepare yourself for pregnancy. Diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle can assist your body in realigning if you don’t experience regular menstruation. These behaviors are associated with improved delivery outcomes, so they can’t hurt (even if you have a regular period).

Before trying to conceive, you can actually schedule a consultation with the doctor to discuss any health issues you may have and to have any potential genetic issues evaluated. Some recommendations for lifestyle changes include achieving or maintaining a healthy weight and staying away from drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and other intoxicants. And developing techniques for managing or reducing stress and also taking prenatal vitamins.

Bottom Line for “Why am I not getting pregnant? “

Finding any potential obstacles is the first step if, despite your best efforts, you are unable to acquire a positive pregnancy test. A pregnancy can occasionally be caused by simply keeping track of your monthly cycles. If the months go by without any indication of a pregnancy, a fertility specialist can work with you to increase your chances of becoming pregnant and address any underlying problems. While the path to parenthood may not be an easy one, it may be a life-changing one. Keep your hope alive!