Not everyone gets pregnant straight away. Compared to other mammals, humans are remarkably inefficient breeders.
In any given month, couples have only a 15 to 20 percent of chance of conceiving.
However, 84 percent of couples will conceive naturally after a year of trying consistently – i.e. having sex around the time of ovulation each month.
One in six couples suffer from infertility at some stage. A couple is considered to have fertility problems if they haven’t conceived after a year of trying naturally.
When should you worry?
When you have experienced:
- Irregular periods
- Miscarriages
- Pelvic infections
- Fibroids
- Pelvic pain
- A family history of subfertility
If you are over 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for more than six months – then it’s a good time to do all the appropriate tests to assess the health of your fallopian tubes, uterus and hormones as well as your partner’s sperm quality and quantity.
Once all your test results have been analysed, you and your partner can sit down with Dr Sacks and come up with a personalised plan that suits your lifestyle, budget, health issues, age and religious customs and beliefs.
Dr Sacks does not always immediately recommend IVF. There are many other options before that stage.