Well, there is no pre-determined time as in how long it will take you to conceive. But what be told is, that how long it actually takes for couples to conceive and how things can be speeded up.

How long does it take to conceive?

Most of the times, couples can get pregnant within 90 days after they start trying. But it may take you longer, depending on your age, if you are older, have certain conditions that impair fertility or have certain fertility unfriendly habits like smoking.

• 30% of the couples get pregnant in about a month, within the first cycle.
• 60% of them get pregnant in about three months, within three cycles.
• 80% get pregnant in about six months, within six cycles.
• 85% get pregnant in about one year, within 12 cycles.
• 91% get pregnant in about three years, within 36 cycles.
• 93 to 95% get pregnant in about four years, within 48 cycles.

It is recommended that if you have been trying for one year and was unable to conceive, it is better if you seek the help of a fertility specialist. In case you have a fertility problem, it is better you find out about it at the earliest so that you do not waste any further time. Though you may conceive on your own if you keep trying over and over again it is not the preferred choice of many. If you are 35 years or even older, you should get a complete fertility check-up at the earliest. You should consult a fertility specialist in case you have been trying for six months and didn’t get pregnant even then.

Ten percent of the couples are diagnosed with infertility, whereas 80 to 90 percent of them conceive naturally. It has been reported that 93 to 95 percent of couples could conceive naturally if they tried for a longer period, but they rather find it best to seek the help of a specialist instead of waiting to find out.

In case you have spent one year trying to get pregnant and did not succeed, it is called as ‘infertility’ diagnosis. But for those who are aged 35 and older and didn’t conceive even after trying for six months, it is better if you consult a fertility specialist.

Couples who are diagnosed with infertility can get medical help and many of them do get pregnant after that. Whereas, the rest of them consider other options at the end, for instance, surrogacy, sperm donation or adoption.

Does age affect pregnancy rates?

It will take you a bit longer to get pregnant if you are older in age. This is because the quality of your egg eventually declines with age. This means that of all the eggs available, only a few of them will be able to join with a sperm and be able to produce a healthy baby. On the other side, male fertility rates stay the same and do not decline until around the age 50.

About 86 percent of the healthy fertile women will get pregnant in their early 20s if they have been trying to conceive for a year. The rate declines to about 63 percent of healthy, fertile women who are in their early 30s  and 36 percent of them in their early 40s. Whereas, almost equal to zero percent of the women are able to get pregnant by the age of 45.

Can you get pregnant even faster?

Yes, you can speed thing up and get pregnant even faster by taking a few steps into consideration.

• Figure out when you will ovulate:

There are a number of methods you can rely on, in order to find out when you will ovulate. You can only get pregnant at the time of your ovulation period, which means when you release an egg from the ovaries.

• Time sex with ovulation:

It has been proven that couples who time sex to coincide with ovulation have chances of getting pregnant faster. Two days before ovulation and the day you ovulate is the best time to have sex. The pregnancy rates of couples who timed sex with ovulation were comparatively higher than those who were still trying to conceive.

• 38% of the couples were pregnant after one cycle.
• 68% of them were pregnant after three cycles
• 81% of them got pregnant after six cycles
• And, 92% were pregnant after 12 cycles.

Before the pregnancy, you should concentrate on maintaining your physical and mental health and get your body ready for pregnancy. Give up all the things that can be a cause of infertility like smoking, drinking, drugs, high amounts of caffeine. Feed your body with excessive nutrients that your body needs for pregnancy. Make sure that you are not underweight or overweight because either of these conditions can cause problems at the time of conceiving. Eat right food and maintain your body weight as recommended by your specialist.

Hope this article was of help to you! Please share your comments/queries/tips with us and help us create a world full of Happy, Healthy and Empowered Women!!