A pregnancy is a life changing milestone for most people. There are multiple physical and emotional changes that take place, which can alter your life in more ways than one. And while the media often portrays getting pregnant as a breeze, for many couples conceiving is not as easy as it may initially seem. Problems such as miscarriage, and even not getting pregnant at all – often demotivate couples from trying to get conceive and can leave them feeling lost. So what to do when conception is not going as planned? What could be the underlying causes preventing you from getting pregnant? Let’s talk about it in depth below.
Why am I unable to get pregnant?: Common reasons
It is a fact that not every pregnancy is the same and the timeline of conception differs greatly between individuals. According to the NHS, 80% of couples conceive naturally within a year – provided they have regular intercourse and the female is under 40 years of age. However, for those who are unsuccessful, it is possible that they may be facing some sort of infertility.
There are a wide variety of reasons as to why a couple may face challenges getting (and staying) pregnant. This can include an imbalanced lifestyle. When we talk about an imbalanced lifestyle, we mean to cover all such habits that may have a negative influence on an individual’s reproductive abilities. Although the impact of lifestyle on fertility is small, many small positive changes can certainly have a beneficial impact. It is important to consume a balanced diet, reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins (think car fumes), cut right back on smoking and alcohol consumptions, and boost exercise levels to help maintain good overall health, ensuring your body is in the best possible place to support conception, and a healthy pregnancy.
Another issue that may hinder couples from getting pregnant is stress. With our hectic professional and personal lives, stress has become an inevitable part of our routines. The problem with stress, however, is that it significantly affects our ability to conceive naturally. Researchers (Rooney et al. 2018. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience) have found that people with high stress levels often face challenges during their pregnancy journey. For women, stress can cause multiple hormonal changes in the body, which can indirectly interfere with the ovulation cycles and endometrial development. Similarly, for men, with rising levels of stress, their sperm quality can take a big hit, which can negatively influence a couple’s chances of natural conception.
Biological age influences a person’s fertility levels. In a woman’s 30s, there begins a significant fertility decline. This also occurs in men but is not as pronounced. Did you know that women are born with a finite number of eggs in their ovaries? It is estimated that at the time of birth, a woman has between 1-2 million eggs in her ovarian reserve, which depletes to a whopping 6% of the total reserve by the age 35.
Men also face challenges with fertility. As mentioned above, there is a big drop in sperm quality and motility, which is particularly important as poor quality sperm may result in lesser instances of zygote formation – a key step for successful conception. Another problem that men face is azoospermia, which accounts for 10-15% of male infertility. Azoospermia is a condition where there is no sperm left to ejaculate in the male reproductive organs. This condition takes place due to a barrier in the sperm’s pathway or poor sperm production altogether.
These are just a few of the direct and indirect factors that can influence a couple’s chance of getting pregnant.
What can I do to get pregnant after multiple failed attempts?
Enjoying regular intercourse with your partner, creating a safe space for open dialogue about the situation along with some lifestyle changes such as eating healthy and exercise can really tip the scales in your favour. It’s really important to do what you can to take the pressure off, lower your stress levels and reduce any worrying, as difficult as that sounds! As mentioned above, stress has an indirect negative impact on our reproductive abilities and overall health in general, so when trying to get pregnant, keeping yourself calm and relaxed can be really beneficial.
Really, if you are in any way worried about how long it’s taking you to get pregnant, if you’ve had multiple failed pregnancies, or if you have any underlying concerns, the most important step you can take is to contact a fertility clinic to seek the guidance of a fertility doctor. Why? Fertility testing is an important step for couples who are having trouble getting pregnant. A fertility test, as the name suggests, can help individuals and couples understand their reproductive abilities in more depth. These tests may include male semen investigations, transvaginal ultrasound scans, egg counting AMH test for females and aqua scans – all of which together can give you and your partner great insight into your reproductive potential and can uncover any issues preventing your success.
A fertility doctor will consider your medical history, your conception history, fertility test results, and much more to give you a balanced opinion of your fertility. A consultation with a fertility expert can help you make informed decisions about your pregnancy journey. Based on the results of your scans, your fertility specialist will be able to devise a bespoke fertility treatment plan that can significantly improve your chances of conception. This can help you in achieving your dream to start a family, without worrying about glossing over the important stuff.
Getting pregnant and your life ahead
While it may seem that getting pregnant is easy for some couples, that is not always the reality. With years of trying without any luck, some may give up on their dream of starting a family. But with the right guidance, fertility testing, specialist intervention and lifestyle changes, anything is possible! You too can improve your chances of getting pregnant.
