Once you hit puberty, you likely learned about the symptoms of pregnancy to be aware of, especially when you started having intercourse. From missed periods and weight gain to unusual cravings and mood swings, many people know about the signs to look out for. But do you know about the signs that show you’re unable to get pregnant?

If you believe that you’re unable to get pregnant, there are signs that go beyond a negative pregnancy test. It’s important to know about potential ways that your body is trying to tell you that you’re unable to conceive. But what’s even more important is knowing the steps to take after you recognize those signs. 

We’re going to discuss the signs you should be on the lookout for when it comes to the inability to get pregnant. You’ll also learn about the options available that can help you increase your chances of getting pregnant despite those signs. 

5 signs that you can’t get pregnant

It can be surprising to some people that there are ways you can tell if you’re unable to conceive a child even before you bring up your struggles to your doctor. Your body will often exhibit signs that you can take note of so that you’re able to take the required steps to get the treatment you need to fight against infertility.

Here are five signs that a female can’t get pregnant:

1. Irregular periods — Many women take birth control for years before they decide to conceive. After you stop your birth control method, it can take a while for your menstruation to regulate. But if you’re unable to track your cycle due to irregular periods, then it can be difficult to know when you’re ovulating. Irregular periods are often linked to medical issues that cause infertility.

2. Lack of period — If you’re not having a period, that means that you’re most likely not ovulating either. Without ovulation, your ovaries are unable to release eggs for fertilization. When an egg isn’t released during your menstrual cycle, it’s called anovulation and can be a sign of infertility.

3. Heavy periods — Infertility may be linked to endocrine abnormalities or bleeding disorders that cause women to have heavy periods. A heavy period is usually defined by blood clots larger than a quarter or needing to change your pad or tampon in less than two hours.

4. Bleeding between periods — After your menstruation is over, you should not have any more bleeding or spotting. If blood is coming from your vagina between periods, then there is possibly something else occurring inside the uterus that’s resulting in blood, which may be linked to infertility.

5. Pelvic pain — It’s common to experience cramps during your period, but severe cramps that cause pain in your pelvis throughout your menstrual cycle shouldn’t be shrugged off. You also shouldn’t be feeling pelvic pain after sex. If you’re experiencing pelvic pain, you may have a disease or infection that’s causing scarring, which could interfere with conception.

Treating signs of infertility

As we mentioned earlier, the signs of infertility usually stem from a disease or disorder. It’s important that you mention these signs to your health care provider so that they can help you treat the underlying issues. Then, a fertility specialist can help determine the best treatment options based on the issue you’re diagnosed with.

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome.
• Thyroid disorder.
• Endometriosis.
• Uterine polyp or fibroid.
• Cervical lesion.

It’s important to note that 30% of couples who seek treatment for infertility are diagnosed with undiagnosed infertility due to no definitive cause that can be identified.

3 options to explore when you can’t get pregnant

When you learn that you have a medical issue that is causing infertility, don’t let yourself be defeated. There are several treatment options that you can discuss with your fertility specialist to increase your chances of conception. They will determine which option will work best for you based on your medical history.

Here are three potential options to fight infertility:

1. Ovarian stimulation (OS) and ovulation induction (OI)  — When you’re exhibiting signs of ovulation issues, such as irregular or a lack of periods, it’s important to start your treatment by stimulating ovulation and increasing the amount of mature eggs released. This will likely include a prescription of oral tablets of clomiphene citrate or letrozole to increase the number of ovulated eggs released from the fallopian tube during your cycle. 

2. Trigger shot — If you have anovulation, endometriosis, or unexplained fertility, your fertility specialist may recommend an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) coupled with OS. HCG helps to release the mature eggs in your ovaries during ovulation. To get the best timing, the shot will be administered 24 to 36 hours before ovulation, which should coincide with intercourse.

3. Intrauterine insemination — If you’ve been diagnosed with unexplained infertility, your fertility specialist may recommend intrauterine insemination. This is a procedure that involves sperm being directly implanted into the uterus. The goal is to increase the number of healthy sperm cells that could potentially fertilize an egg in the fallopian tubes.

Fertility Cloud can help when you’re seeing signs of being unable to conceive

Infertility can be frustrating, especially when it comes from a medical issue that needs further treatment, such as PCOS or a uterine polyp. But the good news is that Fertility Cloud is here to help you fight against those signs and increase the chance of getting pregnant. 
Contact our team by phone today for more information or book an initial appointment online with a fertility specialist.

Here is the best time to get pregnant in your cycle

Even though you can become pregnant at any time when you’re not using a form of birth control, there are points during your menstrual cycle when your body is much more prepared to conceive than others. That’s why It’s important to track the phases of your cycle to determine when you’re most fertile.

Your menstrual cycle lasts nearly the entire month, but your best chance to conceive is during the ovulation phase. By tracking your cycle, you can see when you’re ovulating so that you can plan for sexual intercourse at a time that will give you the highest likelihood of conception. 

Read on to learn about the basics of your menstrual cycle, when you’re most likely to get pregnant during your cycle and what options to explore if you’re struggling to conceive.

What is your menstrual cycle?

Let’s start off with the basics. Your menstrual cycle refers to the first day of one period to the first day of the next. When you become pregnant, you’re stopping the menstrual cycle.

On average, the menstrual cycle lasts about 28 days, but it’s normal for women to have a cycle that ranges from 24 to 38 days. It goes through four phases:

1. Menstruation phase — Your menstrual period occurs when your uterus is shedding its lining because an egg wasn’t fertilized during the previous cycle. Blood, mucus and tissue are shed through your vagina. This phase can last up to seven days.

2. Follicular phase — There is an overlap between the menstruation phase and the follicular phase, as the follicular phase starts on the first day of menstruation and ends on the first day of ovulation. On average, it lasts about 16 days. During this phase, your ovarian follicles prepare to be released during ovulation.

3. Ovulation phase — You start ovulation on the day that your ovary releases a mature egg due to an increase in the luteinizing hormone. The egg only survives for one day before it dissolves or dies after not being fertilized by a sperm. 

4. Luteal phase — The remainder of your cycle is the luteal phase, which is when the uterine lining thickens up to prepare for pregnancy. It ends when you start your menstrual period, when the thickened lining is shed, starting the whole cycle again.

Why ovulation is the best time to get pregnant during your cycle

When it comes to fertilizing a mature egg with sperm for conception, having sexual intercourse on the day of ovulation will give you the greatest chance of getting pregnant. But that doesn’t mean you only have one day to fertilize the egg. The “fertile window” can start up to five days before the egg is released, with the height of infertility being the day before and the day of your ovulation. 

During the average 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation will usually occur around day 14, or exactly halfway through your cycle. It’s possible to track or test your ovulation with apps or store-bought tests.

It’s important to note that it’s still possible to get pregnant before ovulation, as sperm can live up to five days to wait for a mature egg to drop from the fallopian tubes. That means having sex before ovulation starts can still lead to conception. 

What to do if you’re struggling to get pregnant

Even when you’re tracking your ovulation and having sex when you’re meant to be most fertile, you may still be struggling to conceive. While it doesn’t always happen immediately for everyone, your fertility may also be affected by other factors such as stress, age or medical issues. But there are ways that you can help boost your chances of getting pregnant.

A fertility specialist can help determine the reason that you’ve been unable to conceive, such as thyroid issues, low sperm count, or even unexplained infertility. If you’re 35 years old or younger and unable to conceive after one year of trying, you may be dealing with infertility. If you’re over the age of 35, you may be infertile after six months of trying.

Your fertility specialist can set up a treatment plan with options that will help to increase the likelihood of conceiving, which may include:

• Ovarian stimulation and ovulation induction.
• Trigger shots.
• In vitro fertilization.

Fertility Cloud can help when you’re struggling to get pregnant, even during the best time in your cycle

While we all wish that conceiving a baby was as simple as having intercourse on the right day of your cycle, it’s often not that simple. But you shouldn’t lose hope, because Fertility Cloud can help guide you through your fertility journey while being there every step of the way.
Contact our team by phone today for more information or book an initial appointment online with a fertility specialist.

While we work hard to bring you the most accurate and relevant information available on fertility, it’s important to remember that each person’s journey is unique. The guidance provided here is intended for general knowledge and may not directly apply to your situation. Fertility challenges should always be discussed with a licensed medical professional who can offer personalized advice tailored to your individual health history and needs.

Beyond medical treatments, there are many ways to support your fertility naturally. Reducing stress, maintaining a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and ensuring adequate sleep can all play important roles in optimizing your fertility health. Simple changes such as managing stress through mindfulness, yoga, or meditation and prioritizing quality sleep can improve overall well-being and contribute to a more balanced approach to fertility. However, always consult a fertility specialist to get professional advice and recommendations suited to your personal circumstances. Your health and fertility are complex and unique, and professional guidance is essential to ensure you are on the right path for your body and your goals.

Everyone’s body is different. We all respond differently to things like medication, contagious illnesses and injury recovery. For instance, some people experience cold symptoms for just a few days, while it may take up to two weeks for others to be completely symptom-free. While a health care provider can give you general time frames on how long it will take to heal from a sprain or an infection, that’s not always the case for conceiving a child.

While it can be comforting to know exactly how long it will take to achieve conception, there is a pretty large time frame, often reaching more than a year. There are plenty of factors that can affect that window, but it’s important to not give up hope. Even when a couple struggles to conceive after a year, there are treatment options that can help with infertility.

Read on to learn about how long it can take to get pregnant and the factors that can play a role in the time frame.

What is the general timeline for getting pregnant?

Let’s start off by discussing how long the process of fertilizing an egg takes. It can actually take two to three weeks after sex before you become pregnant. 

On average, it takes up to 45 minutes after ejaculation for the sperm to reach the egg. But if the sex takes place before ovulation, then the sperm can live up to five days to wait for an egg to fertilize. Once the egg is fertilized, it takes three to four days for it to travel to the uterus and then another three to four days to be fully implanted into the lining of your uterus.

The amount of time that it takes to conceive ranges from person to person. On average, most couples with a woman under 40 can become pregnant in less than one year of having sex on a regular basis without a form of birth control. There’s a 30% conception rate after just one month of trying and 75% after six months.

How age helps determine how long it takes to get pregnant

When discussing the length of time it takes to get pregnant, there are many factors that you should consider. As we’ve already touched on earlier, age plays a large role in the time frame of conception. While most women under 40 are often able to conceive in under one year, the probability continues to decrease as you get older. 

About 1 in 4 women who are part of a healthy couple in their 20s and early 30s will conceive during a single menstrual cycle. About 1 in 10 will conceive during any single cycle by the time they’re 40. 

A female’s fertility is at its peak in their 20s and starts to decline at the age of 30. Your egg count, known as your ovarian reserve, gets lower as time goes on. Women are born with about 1 million eggs, but that number declines as they age. By the age of 37, women have just about 25,000 eggs left. But it’s important to remember that the quality of your eggs is more important than the quantity, as it only takes one healthy egg to get pregnant. 

3 factors to consider in the time frame of getting pregnant (besides age)

Even though many people don’t become pregnant as soon as they start trying, there are a few factors to think about when it comes to how long it takes for you to conceive. While age plays an essential role in the time frame, other factors to consider include:

1. Stress — If you’re dealing with a lot of difficult situations at one time, such as being overwhelmed at work or financial issues, your stress hormones can disrupt your ovulation cycle. Anxiety can also affect fertility.

2. Ovulation timing — You’re the most fertile on the day that you begin ovulation, as well as the five days leading up to it. If you’re not timing your sexual intercourse around ovulation, it may take longer to conceive. 

3. Birth control effects — Before starting to try conception, many women take a birth control method for years. It’s possible that there are residual effects from birth control that are still lingering. Most women are able to become pregnant within a year of stopping their birth control.

Fertility Cloud can help if it’s taking too long to get pregnant

Even though everyone becomes pregnant in their own time, you should take action after one year without conception. If you’re 35 years old or younger and unable to conceive after one year of trying, you may be dealing with infertility. If you’re over the age of 35, you may be infertile after six months of regular sexual intercourse without conception. But you shouldn’t give up hope.

At Fertility Cloud, our fertility specialists can help you explore the options available to help increase your chances of conceiving a baby.
Contact our team by phone today for more information or book an initial appointment online with a fertility specialist.