How come we don't get pregnant?

[CapitalChick]

I've been wondering this for a few days, and am curious if anyone knows the answer:
Why DON'T we get pregnant every time we try? Assuming that we are healthy, why wouldn't we get pregnant any time we want. Assuming we are having sex on the right days, that sperm are present in our fallopian tubes, and an egg is released, why doesn't the egg get fertilized? Why don't we conceive?

Any thoughts?

 

[FJL]

It is frustrating isn't it?!? Providing the woman ovulates every month and the sperm is of good quality, it can still take 6-12 months. Sometimes the sperm just doesn't make it to the egg I guess.

Sometimes it does happen first go for some couples though.

 

[Suz]

This is my thought on that subject.


Its just not our time. I truely beleive that everything happens for a reason. My husband has a drinking problem and I know that is our reason. And it will happen for us when He is 100% over his addiction. Not when he says he is over it. There is a time and place for every thing an I 100% beleive that it will happen for All of us. It just will take some longer then others for what ever reason Fate has decided. Hope that makes sence. But I have seen it first hand many times. People who have tried and failed for soooo long finally get there baby...... So Stay positive....It will happen... when the time is right. And in the mean time...Have fun TTC

 

[CapitalChick]

Thanks for these supportive responses!
Does anyone have a scientific/technical answer, though??

 

[Suz]

I will search for that ... there is a great read on the "odds" of getting pregnant.

 

[Sweetie]

I have a book called "the mother of all pregnancy books" It is a Canadian book but I'm sure you could get it online, the only really canadian thing about it is that it discusses the government stuff. Anyways it actually has a chapter on this question. I will find it a bit later and reread that section.

 

[CapitalChick]

I have a book called "the mother of all pregnancy books" It is a Canadian book but I'm sure you could get it online, the only really canadian thing about it is that it discusses the government stuff. Anyways it actually has a chapter on this question. I will find it a bit later and reread that section.

HA!! I actually have that book! It's the one pregnancy-related book that I own! I'll have to look it up too, then!

 

[Arcanegirl]

In an average 28 day cycle, a woman is fertile for about two days. Sperm generally survive inside of the woman's body for about 48 hours. They CAN live up to 5 days, but very few make it that long, and the odds of pregnancy from those few remaining sperm are virtually nil, so we'll use the 48 hour life-span as our estimate, since it's more reasonable. Now, this gives the average woman about a three day window period every month for pregnancy to occur. From this alone, the odds of getting pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter are about 11%.

Now, it's estimated that pregnancy only occurs (according to medical websites) about 1/4 to 1/2 of the time that sperm and the egg are present together, due to a variety of reasons. This lowers the odds of pregnancy from a single sexual encounter to about 3-5%. This is why there are so many women who are frusturated because, as hard as they try, they just seem to be unable to conceive.
To put these odds in perspective, 85% of all couples who have unprotected sex will become pregnant within the first year

From answers.com

 

[CherryBlossom]

would u get preg quicker if u had sex every day throughout ur cycle?

 

[avistar]

Cherryblossom - It all depends when the egg releases...so it is good to know when you are Oing so that there is sperm there and ready to enter the egg....but you can BD all you want...if there is no egg...there is no hope. If you don't know when you O it might be a good idea to BD more frequently throughout the cycle but the sperm need to build up so I have heard doing it everyday isn't the best. I BD for a week straight and a few times after what I thought would be my fertile time...and so far I am just late with no BFP!

I TOTALLy agree with SUZ on this one ladies! We have to believe in fate and where our path is leading us! No matter what troubles you encounter, it is a lesson to learn to make you more aware and stronger, I think, especially when ttc for so long! Our times will come and we will be preg and happy! Just have to be patient, keep healthy and optimistic! Yeah I have my moments, we all do! And that is perfectly healthy and normal! You just need to know when you pick up your feet

 

[coz]

hiya it took us nearlly 2 years to get pregnant and im only 21 and were both healthy i felt like this too , its so annoying but uv just gotta keep trying xxxx

 

[PINKDIAMOND]

@cherryblossom.
My partner and i had been ttc for 3 mnth and now it has happend im just so happy. Although it only took us 3mnth , in my mind i had lots of doubt that it might never happen. For the first and second mnth we only bbd every other day rather than every single day but kept getn bfns. In the end i thought that we were just not bbd enough so on the third month we bbd at least 3x a day and now im pregnant.

 

[avistar]

my god three times a day!!! Do you two work? haha

 

[CherryBlossom]

congats i have a really low sex drive and am rearly in the mood for it i have very little cm

 

[Iwantone!!!]

if defo makes u think but again i also believe in fate xxx

 

[Mynxie]

sometimes it does get fertilised, but doesn't implant. Sometimes you just miss OV, or you'll be too late and the ovum has started to deteriorate, sometimes the sperm won't get to the fallopian tubes and stay around long enough for the ovum, sometimes it'll be a bad ovum, there's a million reasons huni x

 

[polo_princess]

I know it gets frustrating and it gets harder and harder every BFN but just think it'll be worth the wait when your BFP comes!!!

 

[Always&4ever]

No idea honey, the route to pregnancy is very confusing, I guess its timing and some eggs can't attach to the uterine wall

 

[justme00]

my god three times a day!!! Do you two work? haha

I was thinking that too! I hope she didn't mean the entire month either....ouch.

 

[Sweetie]

Odds of Conceiving in any given Cycle or year for Women of various ages.
I can't really do a table but a couple of examples are...

Age: Early 20's / Early 30's
Odds ( in any given month) 20 - 25% / 10 - 15%
Average months to conceive 4 - 5 / 6.7 - 10
Probability of pregnancy in a year 93 - 97% / 72 - 86%

These are just some basic ideas, the chart in the book has more and the data was collected from the National Center of health Stats in the US

There is a suggestion that every woman on average has 1 in 5 cycles not result in the release of an egg. That said it also points out that it's a matter of chance which ovary releases the egg and which turn the "boys" make.

I found it really interesting that it actually takes more than one "boy" to get into the egg, kinda a team effort But once someone is in, that's it and there is a "winner"

If anyone is interested I can finish posting more of the chapter, or you can check out the book. "The mother of all pregnancy books", chapter is called "Sperm meet Egg"