Your chances of getting pregnant during any month depend on many factors: your health, age, and weight, for example. If you’re a healthy, sexually active, hetero couple in your mid-20s (the most fertile time of life), you have about a 20% chance each month to become pregnant.

So take heart; conception is supposed to take several months. You may need four to five months to get pregnant, even without any health issues. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine, in fact, defines “infertility” as one year of regular, unprotected intercourse without conception. Below are the common causes of infertility.

Health

When you’re trying to get pregnant, resolving medical issues will increase your chances. Before trying to start a family, have a complete medical examination. For the best results, visit a fertility specialist, who will conduct tests your personal physician won’t.

Major things like blocked fallopian tubes may require surgery to correct, but many health-related issues can be resolved quickly and easily. Since infertility problems are caused by the woman about 30% of the time and by the man 30% of the time, semen analysis (for health, count, and motility) is also vital.

Age

While over 80% of couples trying to get pregnant will succeed within one year, age definitely plays a role. Your ability to conceive in any given cycle falls after age 30, and it continues to decline every year thereafter. This fact applies to both men and women.

If you are over 35 and have had six months of regular intercourse without conception, don’t wait! Consult a fertility specialist as soon as you can. If age is your primary obstacle, time becomes a factor. Just because you’re over 35, however, doesn’t mean you can’t conceive. It just means it becomes more difficult.

Weight

Too much weight can disrupt a woman’s cycles. Too little weight or too much exercise can also impact the ability to conceive. Women require about 22% body fat for normal ovulation. Fertility specialists consider a body mass index (BMI) between 19 and 25 ideal. See Infertility Myth #12 for more information.

Other Issues

Smoking negatively influences your chances of becoming pregnant. Also, if you know you have irregular menstrual cycles, it becomes difficult to tell when you’re ovulating. If you have no outstanding issues but still can’t conceive, make sure you target the day of ovulation and the five days before it for intercourse.

Treatments

There are many ways to treat infertility, depending on your needs. Some are simple; many use complex technology. Fertility Specialists Medical Group (FSMG) usually start with the simpler treatments such as artificial insemination before moving on to the more complex.

One advanced treatment is In Vitro Fertilization. See how IVF has improved your odds of getting pregnant. IVF dramatically improves pregnancy rates by overcoming difficulties of ovulation and fertilization. IVF does not solve all infertility problems, however.

FSMG makes many fertility treatments available, depending on your particular needs. To discover what treatment is right for you, seek the advice of a San Diego fertility specialist.