When you are looking for pregnancythere are certain guidelines or advice that must be taken into account to ensure that this is feasible (and achieved soon). About these aspects he tells us Dr. Ana González Ravina, gynecologist and medical director at Next Fertility Sevillawho also explains to us how much time is too long in the fruitless search for pregnancy and what options we have when pregnancy is not achieved naturally.
How long does it take on average for a woman to get pregnant?
This is one of the questions that, although not initially considered, must be asked when a woman has the perception that she has been trying to get pregnant for a long time and has not succeeded. Dr. González Ravina informs us that the period of time considered normal to achieve a pregnancy naturally It is between six months and a year.
“Approximately in the first month, about 20% of couples will achieve pregnancy, after 6 months about 70% and after a year around 85%. Of the couples who have not achieved pregnancy in that first year of searching, only half will achieve pregnancy throughout the following year,” he says.
The specialist points out that it is also necessary to take into account that there are various factors that can influence the probability of pregnancyespecially the factor that has to do with age: “above 35 years of age, these percentages mentioned progressively decrease, thus, at 40 years of age, the probability of getting pregnant naturally decreases, being around 5%. every month”.
Of the couples who have not achieved pregnancy in the first year of searching, only half will achieve pregnancy throughout the following year
How to facilitate pregnancy?
“There are different tips that we can follow when look for pregnancy”says the fertility expert. “The first recommendation is to consult with your gynecologist to do a check-up and resolve any doubts about your fertility. It will inform you about the evolution of the cycle and the most fertile days to have intercourse.”
Along with this first visit to the gynecologist (whose importance González Ravina explains to us below), there is another series of tips to follow to get pregnant:
1st Visit the gynecologist
It is always advisable to make a gynecological examination before starting to look for pregnancy because “in this review you can study through examination and ultrasound that everything is fine for a pregnancy,” he tells us. “It will assess whether it is necessary to do a cytology, if it has not been done previously or a long time has passed. Additionally, it will recommend taking folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, and other vitamins or treatment if necessary.”
2º Know and predict your ovulation
For achieve pregnancy naturallyone of the first issues that must be taken into account is knowing one’s own menstrual cycle and thus predicting what our menstrual cycles will be. most fertile days. “In women with regular cycles of about 28 days, ovulation occurs on day 14 of the cycle. If the cycle is shorter it will be a few days before and if it is longer a few days after,” says the gynecologist. “In the days before ovulation there is a change in the flow, it becomes more transparent and abundant, but in many cases it is not easy to detect this change, which does not mean that there is no ovulation.”
To have it more controlled and make sure that we do not forget the date in question, the doctor comments that the mobile applications that help calculate the fertile period. “In these applications, the dates of the period must be noted and depending on the length of the cycle, it notifies us about the most fertile days.”
3º Have sexual relations regularly
This seems like obvious advice, but the reality is that many couples seeking pregnancy They schedule sexual encounters for fertile days. While this is appropriate and, as we have previously noted, these days should be taken into account, in practice, the more relationships there are, the more likely it will be to get the woman pregnant. Of course, the ideal would be to intensify them on fertile days, but you should not stick exclusively to them, since, as the prestigious Mayo Clinic points out, the highest pregnancy rates occur in couples who have sexual relations every day.
4º Follow healthy lifestyle habits
To achieve pregnancy, It is advisable that both women and men follow healthy lifestyle habits.as the medical director of Next Fertility Sevilla recalls. The most important habits are having a healthy diet, not consuming toxic substances (tobacco, alcohol), doing some exercise, and taking vitamin supplements with folic acid.
Women seeking pregnancy are sometimes advised to stop taking Foods that are not normally eaten once you are pregnantsuch as ham and other sausages, raw fish or meat and unpasteurized dairy, for example. We have asked Dr. González about this recommendation and she tells us that it is given to avoid the risk of certain infections that they can transmit.
He adds that, however, these infections “are rare and in most cases are not serious”; Another question is whether this infection occurs during pregnancy, since it “can cause alterations in the fetus.” The recommendation, therefore, if it is given when it is still pregnancy is being sought It is aimed at avoiding these alterations in case you are already pregnant and do not yet know it.
5º Stay at a healthy weight
This recommendation is closely linked to the previous one, to the suitability of leading healthy lifestyle habits, since these will help women and men have a good body weight. As far as women are concerned, not only being overweight can have a negative effect; also low weight. Both situations can lead to disorders or alterations in ovulation.
6th Exercise, yes, but not too much
Be careful with the exercise we do! Although it falls within those healthy habits that we talked about and, keeping in mind that it is highly recommended to exercise, it should be done in moderation. According to the aforementioned Mayo Clinic, intense or very strenuous exercise practiced for five hours a week or more is associated with a decreased ovulationso, as in everything, better in its right measure, neither too much nor little or nothing.
© Getty ImagesWhat to do if pregnancy is not achieved naturally?
When a couple has been following all the above advice for some time and still does not achieve pregnancy, what should they do? What options do they have? “If pregnancy is not achieved naturally, you should consult with a specialist,” says Dr. Ana González Ravina. “It is always necessary study both members of the couple”.
Based on what the specialist commented about how long it takes on average for a couple to achieve pregnancy, she tells us that “the general recommendation is to consult with a specialist after try to conceive naturally for one year if the woman is under 35 years of age. However, if the woman is 35 years old or older, it is advisable not to wait more than six months before seeking help.”
From here, “the important thing is to make a diagnosis and assessment of each case in a very personalized way.” Thus, based on the results of this assessment, the medical professional will take into account whether it is necessary assisted reproduction treatment (artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization) and which of them would be the most advisable for the couple in question. Next, the gynecologist informs us What does each of these treatments consist of? and when they are advised:
- Artificial insemination (AI) “It is a simple and less invasive assisted reproduction technique, in which a semen sample is introduced into the woman’s uterus after mild ovarian stimulation to improve the probability of success,” he details. “It is usually recommended in cases of infertility in young couples, slight alterations in semen or problems with the cervix. In cases like azoospermiaserious alterations in semen or situations in women without a male partner, an AI could be performed with donor sperm.”
- In vitro fertilization (IVF) “It is somewhat more complex, since the eggs are fertilized in the laboratory, and then the embryos are transferred to the uterus,” he explains. “It is usually indicated when there are problems in the fallopian tubes, severe alterations in semen, or, for example, when a preimplantation genetic diagnosis (DGP) to detect possible hereditary diseases.”