COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT CONCEPTION

Remember your sex ed teacher saying, “it only takes one time to get pregnant?” But the truth is, conceiving is often harder than we are led to believe, especially as we become older.

A lot of Intended Parents and hopeful couples who come to our Orange County fertility clinic have false information regarding conception and infertility treatments.

In this post, we’ll give you some reminders on how to conceive. It will also help to put the record straight and lower the potential for disappointment if pregnancy doesn’t come as soon as you’ve hoped.

Q1: Does using birth control affect fertility? Is fertility treatment necessary because of birth control?

Generally, birth control pills have no impact on fertility. Hence, you wouldn’t require infertility treatment.

A woman’s menstrual cycle is expected to return to normal within one or two months of going off pills. Contraceptive pills “conceal” a woman’s natural and probably irregular cycle, making her monthly cycle appear predictable. But her cycle goes back to its normal and probably irregular self when she quits pills. Hence, the medication often gets the blame.

Q2: What should I expect if I just stop using birth control and trying to get pregnant?

All women with a regular monthly cycle should start to ovulate within one or two cycles. You can utilize an ovulation predictor kit to help schedule sexual intercourse with ovulation.

Q3: What are the chances of conception every month?

The chances of getting pregnant depend on the quality and quantity of the woman’s eggs.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, a woman’s most fertile years are in her twenties. The ability to become pregnant gradually decreases in the thirties, especially after the age of 35.

A fertile, 30-yr-old woman has 20 percent chances of conception every month she tries.

That means that out of 100 fertile 30-year-old women, 20 will get pregnant in a cycle while the remaining 80 will need to try again. For a woman aged 40, the chances of conceiving are below 5 percent per cycle. Hence, less than 5 out of 100 women are expected to get pregnant every month.

Q4: Why does egg quality reduce with age? What are the fertility treatment options I have if I wish to conceive using my own eggs at a later age?

A woman’s egg quality has to do with the chance that an embryo will implant in the womb. This factor is strongly linked to the age of the woman’s eggs and her ovarian pool.

It’s impossible to determine egg quality by merely looking at the egg or measuring how well it will receive the sperm or how the cells of the embryos seem to be dividing.

Although we can determine a woman’s egg supply with ovarian pool testing, we presently don’t have a test for egg quality. Hence, the most accurate predictive test for egg quality is the age of the woman.

A large part of the problem with egg quality as women get older has to do with higher chances of chromosomal disorders that impact the eggs. Chromosomal abnormalities can affect the numbers of chromosomes in a female’s egg or the structures of the chromosomes. It can manifest as chromosome deletion, duplication, or translocation.

The key point here is – as a woman becomes older, her egg quality declines, and the rate of chromosomal disorders increases. It is worth mentioning that PGD and PGS options can help you screen possible genetic flaws in the embryo.

At present, the best infertility treatment option to conceive using your own eggs at a later age is through utilizing embryo freezing and egg freezing. Our fertility clinic in Orange County offers these options for all U.S. and international Intended Parents.

Q5: We have not been using contraceptives for many years, but we have only been trying to get pregnant for six months without success. Should we be worried or go for fertility treatment immediately?

Usually, when couples are not using any birth control, they will prevent pregnancy by having the man withdraw his penis before ejaculation. However, penis withdrawal prior to ejaculation is not a reliable method of contraception. Hence, there must be something else preventing you from getting pregnant.

Before you seek infertility treatment, we suggest scheduling a consultation with our fertility experts to find out what might be the obstacle.

Q6: Is there a best time to have sexual intercourse?

The “most appropriate” time for a woman to have sex that will lead to pregnancy is during a surge in her luteinizing hormone (LH). In a normal 28-day cycle, this usually occurs around day 14. The female ovaries release the egg a day after the peak of the luteinizing hormone surge. The released egg can only live for 24 hours after ovulation. If conception doesn’t take place, the egg dies and there will be no pregnancy that month.

The ejaculated sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract for four days. However, the best timing is with the luteinizing hormone surge so that the sperm will already be waiting in the Fallopian tube for the arrival of the egg. Hence, it’s only sensible to try for pregnancy from days 12-16 of a woman’s monthly cycle. Some couples may even decide to extend this from days 10-18. But if there’s one day that hopeful parents should have sex in a month, then it’s at the time of the luteinizing hormone surge. Even though having sex too early or too late in the cycle may be good for your relationship, note that it’s only for fun (not to procreate).

Q7: How do I know that I’m ovulating?

If you have a predictable and regular cycle, then your ovaries are surely releasing eggs (ovulating). A lot of women notice the changes occurring in their bodies during their menstrual cycle. Some women say that their cervical mucus changes, while others report that they can actually feel the ovulation event happening. Once ovulation takes place and the egg is released from the ovary, you may experience the effects of progesterone, like breast tenderness. Even if you don’t notice any of these things, you can be sure you’re ovulating, especially if you have a regular cycle.

Q8: Should I use an ovulation predictor kit?

One good way to know whether or not you are ovulating is by using an ovulation predictor kit. You may want to try out the Clear Blue Easy kit since it is relatively easy to interpret. A smiley face means positive and a circle means negative. Start testing around day 12 of your cycle. It’s good to have negative results for a couple of days so that you’ll be sure it is positive when you get a positive result.

Q9: How frequently should we have sex? Should I consider fertility treatment if regular intercourse does not result in conception?

Couples should only have sex when they naturally feel to do so. Becoming pregnant can be very stressful. Sex, doesn’t need to be. Men find it difficult to perform on demand. Trying to conceive after months of getting negative results can put pressure on couples and affects the romance in their relationship. Our doctors often recommend having sex every other day during the ovulation week. But you can also do it every day if you are okay with that. While some couples worry that daily sexual intercourse will reduce the amount of sperm the male partner has available, this is just a myth.

To answer the second part of your question, yes. As we’ve mentioned earlier, if you were unable to conceive after six months of unprotected sex, we recommend making an appointment withus and learn which infertility treatment is best suited for you.

Q10: Is one position better to get pregnant?

No. All sex positions work just fine.

Q11: Do I have to raise my legs up after sexual intercourse?

There’s no need for this. But if that will make you feel more at ease, you may wait for some minutes after sex before standing up.

Q12: Much of the ejaculate spills out after withdrawing the penis. Is this a problem?

Not at all! There should still be enough sperm in the vagina to achieve pregnancy.

Conclusion

There are many questions regarding pregnancy that would be better asked and answered in person. Coastal Fertility in Irvine, California is always here to help you with all necessary guidance and care. If you wish to learn more about conception and the infertility treatment options, simply schedule a consultation with our fertility clinic in Orange County. You can also explore our website to have a chat with our team.