Why Am I Not Getting Pregnant?' 22 Possible Reasons

Couples struggling to conceive will know how frustrating it gets later several unsuccessful attempts. There tin can be different reasons for not getting meaning. And if y'all know them, you may be able to achieve a successful conception past fixing the issue.

So, in this mail, nosotros tell you about all the possible factors behind your inability to conceive and propose some effective solutions and treatment options. Read on.

How Long Does It Take For A Adult female To Get Pregnant?

If you are healthy and your reproductive parts are operation at their best, you have a 25% probability of becoming pregnant during every menstrual bicycle (ane). According to the statistics presented in Before Your Pregnancy by Amy Ogle and Lisa Mazullo.

Of all couples (women younger than xxx years) trying to excogitate:-

  • 30 percentage will conceive within the initial month (first cycle)
  • 75 percent volition conceive after six months
  • 85 pct will conceive within one twelvemonth (12 cycles)
  • ninety percent will conceive after one year
  • 95 pct volition conceive subsequently ii years

What Are The Virtually Common Reasons For Not Getting Pregnant?

While your periods may exist regular, a number of everyday activities can impact your chances of conception. Let the states know nigh them:

1. Also much or as well trivial sex

Sex is probably the nigh basic man need for pleasure and reproduction. And, people can be in the extremes when it comes to this (one).

Having also much sex activity: Some people believe that having more than sex could lead to formulation. Just this may non ever exist truthful. Though frequent sex will not decrease the vigor of a man's sperm, it can cause potential health problems such as fatigue, dizziness, weak knees, and frequent urination. If y'all indulge in a lot of sexual practice simply to have babies, information technology could atomic number 82 to Burnout (a state of fatigue, depleting your energy for sex). In this case, when the bodily fertile window is open, either partner may not be interested in sexual activity. And, as a couple you lose an opportunity to conceive.

Having too niggling sexual activity: You may exist cutting down on intercourse to salve the sperm or y'all only have sex during ovulation. Only staying without sex activity for many days may impact your conception. You could miss your fertile phase when sex is limited as you may non e'er be correct about your ovulation.

What next?

Endeavor to have sex frequently and go on a close lookout on your ovulation dates. If you have irregular periods or problems tracking your fertile window, use an ovulation kit. If the outcome shows that ovulation is due in ane or two days, have sexual practice during that time. Continue in mind not to have sex just for having a baby, because then you tin can't bask the process.

ii. Over-stress

Stress will have a toll on your wellness both physically and mentally and touch your ability to become pregnant. Other emotional disturbances such as depression and anxiety can lower your fertility levels. You should be calm and in a balanced land when trying to conceive. Stress hampers the hypothalamus functions, which control the pituitary gland. This gland regulates adrenal, thyroid, and ovaries and affects the periods, even leading to irregular periods.

What next?

Y'all should requite yourself some future out of the stress phase to meliorate your chances of conceiving. To beat stress, you could join a support grouping, see a psychologist, bring together yoga for fertility, meditate and exercise (2).

3. The man-problem

1 of the primary causes of infertility is depression sperm count and poor sperm motion (due to structural abnormalities). This cistron accounts for 30 to 40% of infertility problems in couples (3).

What adjacent?

The foremost footstep is to run across a doctor or a fertility specialist for workup and treatment. For low sperm count or motility, testosterone supplementation or Clomid could assist sometimes. Subsequently exhausting all the reasonable non-invasive options, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) could be a solution. IVF involves mating the egg and sperms outside the homo trunk, and transferring the fertilized egg to the vagina. In ICSI, a single sperm is picked and directly injected into the egg (four).

4. Running to the bathroom later sex activity

Many women rush to the bathroom after making beloved to clean up. Information technology is essential to stay in bed for some fourth dimension subsequently sex to ensure that the sperm gets a chance to achieve the egg and fertilize it. If yous become upwards and rush, as soon as you are done with the human action, you are letting gravity elevate the sperm down and the remainder of information technology is washed away when y'all clean up. And, this could exist one of the natural reasons for non getting pregnant.

What next?

Focus on relaxing and lying in bed for a while after sex so that you tin meliorate your chances of formulation and pregnancy (5).

5. Undergarments too tight

Women wear tight undergarments for proper shape, and also to accentuate their torso and figure. But, you may be hampering the functions of your reproductive organs. In men, sperm production goes downwardly, and in women, the air-circulation reduces and leads to discomfort or vaginal infections.

What side by side?

Wear well-fitted, but cotton undergarments to avert infections. This will reduce sweat and wet-related problems, and allow your privates to breathe and relax (6).

6. Sleeping less

Sleep deprivation tin can strain and exhaust the torso and affect the functions of the allowed organisation. This increases your chances of getting infections, and in plow, affects the reproductive cycle. The same applies to men. Infections could develop into fever, and excess body rut tin can damage the sperm. Women may feel broken-hearted due to lack of sleep that could impact their menstrual bicycle (7).

What side by side?

Get enough sleep to stay healthy. In case you suffer from insomnia, consult your doctor.

7. Nether or overweight

Existence too thin or besides fat will also bear on your chances of conceiving. If y'all are undernourished, y'all will non ovulate well. If you're on the heavier side, and then it will hamper your fertility. Therefore, an platonic body weight is what helps, and if you are much over your ideal BMI, there are fewer chances of formulation even if your ovulation is regular (8).

What next?

Maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Indulge in moderate fitness routine. You may check with your healthcare provider for nutrition and supplementation guidance.

viii. Over-utilise of lubricants

Studies state that vaginal lubricants negatively affect the motility of the sperm and interfere with fertilization. This is true for both over-the-counter and bootleg lubricants.

The reason – the pH of cervical fungus produced before ovulation is ideal for the survival of sperm and its motility. Simply lubricants have an acidic pH, which is enough to impale sperms. Also, the sperm'due south motility is affected by the thickness of the lubricants and their water content (nine).

What adjacent?

Foreplay is the best lubricant for conception. Take your fourth dimension to get into the mood. If that doesn't piece of work, utilise warm water or kokosnoot oil for lubrication as it is non-toxic and will not interfere with the sperm's motility. If y'all yet require lubricant while trying to get significant, you can choose "fertility friendly" lubricants such as Conceive Plus or Pre-Seed (10).

9. Poor lifestyle choices

Common lifestyle factors such every bit smoking, drinking, drug corruption, and caffeine bear on your fertility. In men, these factors decrease the sperm count and movement and in females, they cause irregular ovulation.

What side by side?

Quit these habits, especially a few months before you program to conceive. Switch to healthier life choices. Besides, avert the apply of artificial sweeteners and exposure to chemicals (11).

x. Environmental pollution

Environmental toxins are known to harm both men and women. Exposure to pollutants such as chemicals, pesticides, cigarette smoke, polychlorinated biphenyls, plastics, food packaging, and personal care products (soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics), could touch your health, especially fertility. Studies say that they lower the couples' ability to excogitate by 29% (12).

What next?

Though it is inevitable to avoid exposure to environmental toxins and chemicals, yous should try to avoid them equally much equally possible.

  • Stop using pesticides for your plants and lawn. Cull organic foods.
  • Utilize organic and natural personal intendance products.
  • Article of clothing protective gear when you are working in chemical-prone areas, and ever remain in highly ventilated places.

All of the above reasons are lifestyle choices or environmental factors that bear on the ability to conceive. At present, let'southward look at some medical causes of not getting pregnant.

Medical Causes For Not Getting Pregnant:

In some cases, the egg may get aborted naturally, while in others, the couple could suffer from impotence. You must, however, requite yourself a year to conceive. If things don't piece of work out by so, and so you may reach out to a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. The causes of infertility are different in men and women.

The medical causes of infertility in women are:

11. Irregular periods

Women who do not menstruate regularly take more difficulty in getting pregnant. Irregular periods point inconsistent ovulation, and conceiving without an egg is incommunicable. Therefore, the less you ovulate, the less are your chances of getting pregnant (xiii).

How can I become pregnant with irregular periods?

A medico can help you find the underlying cause for irregular periods and offering the treatment accordingly. You lot should besides focus on a salubrious diet, accomplish ideal weight, perform moderate exercises, and take fertility enhancing supplements as suggested by the doc.

12. Endometriosis

This is a chronic disorder of the reproductive organisation in which the endometrial cells grow outside the uterus. It can block the fallopian tubes preventing fertilization or the fertilized egg from traveling towards the fallopian tubes or could make the environment unhealthy around the egg.

This condition tin cause irregular and/ or painful periods, astringent pain while penetration during sex, painful bowel movements, and frequent urination forth with a feeling of bladder being total during menstrual bicycle, or chronic pelvic pain (fourteen).

What could be the possible treatment?

There are many treatment options for endometriosis that may or may not include surgery to diagnose and stage the endometriosis. Usually laparoscopy is recommended to diagnose and treat endometriosis at the same time. Suppression of endometriosis tin pb to fertility in most but not all cases.

13. Ovulation problems

Most twenty to xl% of infertility problems in women are caused due to irregular ovulation, which prevents the release of mature eggs from the ovaries. Where some women tin never ovulate, others ovulate in one case in a few months. Hormonal fluctuations, excess weight gain or loss, excessive practise, or astringent stress could be the key reasons of ovulatory disorders (xv).

What could be the possible treatment?

Your md will likely ask you to move to a low carb nutrition, exercise to meliorate insulin sensitivity, and recommend some supplements or prescription medications . Later on, they might prescribe ovulation stimulators such as gonadotrophins, Clomifene, prolactin suppressants or IVF cycles.

xiv. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

It is a circuitous condition caused past a hormonal imbalance, which interrupts ovulation. Small cysts are formed in the ovaries that disrupt ripening of ovarian follicle and maturation. The other possible symptoms include irregular menses, weight proceeds, excess hair growth, and acne.

What could exist the possible handling? Changes in nutrition, changing lifestyle that help command weight, and medical treatments such as  Inositol supplementation, ovulation stimulatory drugs (gonadotrophins, clomifene) along with IVF, can treat PCOS (16).

15. Tubal diseases

Damaged or blocked fallopian tubes forestall eggs from reaching the uterus and sperm from reaching the egg, thus preventing conception. These weather could ascend due to sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic inflammatory diseases, or sterilization surgeries or endometriosis.

What could be the possible handling?

Laparoscopic surgery could assist open up and repair the tubes or could be treated by IVF (thirteen).

16. Egg factor

The egg quality and quantity decline around late 30s and early on 40s. Women are built-in with approximately 1 to two million eggs at birth and the eggs gradually lessen to 300, 000 by puberty. And so nearly 300 mature and release through ovulation. And past menopause, you accept minimal eggs left.

What could be the possible treatment?

Equally the loss of eggs is an irreversible procedure, yous should effort to plan pregnancy in your fertile age. Also, effort losing weight if you lot are overweight, quit smoking, manage thyroid problems (if you take any), and take supplements including fish oils, prenatal vitamins, probiotics, vitamin D, and Coenzyme Q10. These can improve egg quality.

The possible solutions if the higher up do not piece of work are egg or embryo donation, adoption, or surrogacy (17).

17. Depression progesterone levels

After ovulation, the corpus luteum (the remnant egg follicle) produces progesterone to back up embryo implantation during early on pregnancy. The deficiency of progesterone in this phase is called a Luteal Phase Defect (LPD), and may exist one of the reasons for infertility. Even if y'all conceive, the placenta and fetus would not grow further, causing not-viable fetus or early fetal loss. Other medical conditions such as prolactin or thyroid abnormalities could pb to abnormal luteal performance (eighteen).

What could be the possible handling?

Your doc may refer you to a reproductive endocrinologist. The treatments include progesterone supplements, progesterone injections, or suppositories to thicken the uterine lining for embryo attachment.

18. Cervical mucus problems

Cervical mucus usually changes its consistency to clear and elastic forms then that the sperms can easily move through the fungus into female person reproductive organs. In a instance of cervical mucus abnormalities, the mucus prevents the sperm from passing through. The fungus may contract an infection, or contain antibodies that kill sperms. These problems are encountered in women with chronic cervicitis or a narrowed neck from prior surgery (19), and lead to pregnancy failure.

What could be the possible treatment?

Identifying and treating infections and using assisted reproductive methods such as IUI and in-vitro fertilization, help solve the problem.

The medical causes of infertility in men are:

19. Sperm issues

Poor sperm mobility, low or no sperm count, and abnormally shaped sperms tin decrease a homo'due south fertility.

What could exist the possible treatment?

Fertility drugs and testosterone supplements could be the starting time line of treatment to boost sperm production. The side by side options are IUI and ICSI (xx).

twenty. Tube blockages

Blockages in the epididymis (a long coiled tube that lies backside testicles and stores mature sperms) and vas deferens (the muscular tube that carries sperm from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct) could adversely affect the send of fertile sperms. The obstruction in the tubes could be due to infections including gonorrhea or chlamydia, birth defects, or injuries. Also, varicoceles (enlarged veins in the scrotum) will impact sperm mobility.

What could be the possible handling?

Wellness practitioners commonly prefer surgical correction of tube blockages, which corrects fertility (20).

As well lifestyle choices and medical reasons, there are a few other factors that can touch fertility.

Are There Whatsoever Other Factors That Affect Fertility?

Yeah! Unexplained and combination reasons account for almost 25% and 40% respectively of all infertility cases (21).

21. Unexplained infertility

Of all infertility cases, 25% are diagnosed equally unexplained infertility, due to failure in finding the actual cause even after a range of tests and assessments. Both partners undergo a variety of tests without any definitive results. Though you may not actually have any trouble, information technology results in confusion (22).

What next?

Doctors commonly advise the next best footstep, which is to excogitate past having regular intercourse (without focusing on having babies). If it doesn't piece of work even after a couple of years, you may be given an IVF treatment.

22. Combination infertility

Here, both the partners are diagnosed with fertility problems, or when 1 of them has a couple of fertility issues.

What side by side?

Advisable treatments are offered co-ordinate to the cause of infertility.

In women, sometimes the menstrual wheel may modify in intensity and duration. This could also direct bear upon fertility.

Are Heavy Periods A Sign Of Fertility?

Heavy periods are not a sign of fertility, and sometimes could point a different problem. You may feel fatigued and worn out. In the process of losing more blood, y'all volition lose the essential body resources built over time. If you get sudden, heavy periods, you should immediately discuss with your doctor (23).

Tin You Become Pregnant At Whatsoever Time Of The Month?

Information technology is not possible to go pregnant at someday of the month. You lot must be ovulating in gild to excogitate. This means that y'all should take sex in the days leading to and around ovulation. The two to 3 days before ovulation and the mean solar day you ovulate are most fertile days (26).

You must, yet, understand that fertile days do not necessarily mean that everything is functioning well.

Are You Fertile If You Have Regular Period?

If you have regular periods, your chances of fertility are high. However, fertility is tricky as there may be reasons that could foreclose formulation despite having a skilful number of eggs.

If you have been trying to excogitate for months or years and failing, then you must see a fertility specialist or gynecologist to dominion out the possible causes. Too, think that you do not always demand medical assistance for conception. Certain lifestyle changes could naturally assist you conceive.

How Tin You Get Significant Faster?

Once you lot decide to have a baby, y'all may want to get significant faster. There are means to heave your likeliness of conceiving quickly.

  • Schedule a preconception bank check-up or counseling
  • Stay away from birth command pills a few months before y'all try to conceive
  • Figure out your ovulation fourth dimension. Y'all could use an ovulation predictor kit.
  • Accept sex at the right time
  • Give sperm a heave by improving nutrition, exercising regularly, limiting chemical exposure, and consuming supplements
  • Eat a salubrious and nutritious diet
  • Relax and have fun while making love

The sooner you lot implement these changes, the faster you lot can get significant (25).

While some couples take issues getting pregnant the first time, others have issues conceiving a second time. And we'll tell you why.

Reasons For Non Getting Pregnant The 2d Fourth dimension

Your fertility tin reduce from your first pregnancy and women may notice it difficult to become pregnant for the second time. This is known every bit secondary infertility. Here are some common reasons for not getting meaning:

  • If you are a woman over 35 years, then the egg count will fall, leading to no or bottom eggs
  • Men over fifty take a decreased fertility and aberrant sperm
  • Changes in ovulation and menstrual cycles due to hormonal dysfunction, weight bug, stress, medications (steroids, antibiotics, and antihistamines), and substance abuse (drugs, tobacco and alcohol)
  • Complexity in your showtime pregnancy or labor
  • Damage to fallopian tubes due to abdominal surgery, endometriosis, sexually transmitted infections (24)

If you are unable to conceive afterward several attempts, yous may wonder, why am I non getting meaning? Improper intercourse, low sperm count in men, health bug in women, stress, obesity, and lifestyle practices are some factors that could be contributing to this situation. Y'all may track your ovulation cycle to have timely intercourse, maintain a counterbalanced diet, reduce stress, and implement certain lifestyle changes to improve your chances of conception. However, if you accept been trying to get pregnant, just are unsuccessful, contact a fertility specialist or gynecologist to identify the underlying consequence and work towards an appropriate solution.

The following two tabs change content below.

  • Reviewer
  • Author

Dr. Anita Gondy is an Ob/Gyn at The Ob-Gyn Centre in Las Vegas. In practice since 1998, Dr. Gondy began her medical training at Rangaraya Medical College in Kakinada, Republic of india and completed studies at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, where she also did an obstetrics and gynecology residency. She is likewise a Fellow member of The American Higher... more

Rebecca is a pregnancy writer and editor with a passion for delivering research-based and engaging content in areas of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and mail service-pregnancy. She has been into health and wellness writing since 2010. She received her graduate degree in Biotechnology and Genetics from Loyola Academy, Osmania University and obtained a certification in 'Diet and Lifestyle in Pregnancy' from Ludwig... more than