That is an age old question and the simple answer is that it is completely different for each couple, and while your health,
diet, age and weight, stress play a part. And while there are certain steps you can take to improve your chances of getting
pregnant how long it takes is just as long as it takes.
It has been estimated that 80 percent of couples who are having regular intercourse without protection conceive in the
first year and 90 percent in the first 18 months. So if you’re under 35 and have had regular intercourse (sex every
two to three days) without protection for a year and haven't fallen pregnant, it maybe worth being checked out by a doctor.
If you’re over 35, it’s often recommended that you seek medical advice after six months of trying but the choice
is yours.
Improving your chances
You can greatly improve your chances of getting pregnant if you make sure that you and your partner have a healthy body
weight that your diets are nutritious, you address any health issues like smoking, drink, fitness levels, check out pre-pregnancy tips for more info.
Having sex around ovulation will improve your chances of getting pregnant. Typically a woman’s cycle lasts around
28 days, but can last up to 35 or be as short as 21 days. Once you know how long your cycle lasts (by keeping note for a few
months and counting days), subtract 12 to 16 days from the predicted end to find out which days you’re likely to ovulate
on. If your cycle is 28 days long you’ll typically ovulate 14 days from the end of your cycle – you may notice
that your vaginal mucus becomes thinner, almost like egg white. Your egg can survive 12-24 hours after it’s released
but sperm can survive inside your body for up to five days – so to increase your chances of conception, you need to
make love as often as you can on the three days leading up to and including the day you ovulate. If you have an irregular
menstrual cycle, you can use an ovulation predictor kit to work out when you’re most likely to conceive.
