# For how long did you try before finally getting pregnant? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 6, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398 "2004-11-06T21:34:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/21 "2004-11-07T03:52:18Z")
Took us 8 months. I was mis-guessing my ovulation days. I was 33 and healthy. I hadn’t been on birth control, we used interurptus and it worked. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/22 "2004-11-07T04:00:57Z")
Not me, but my brother and SIL got married in Dec. and had the first one in November. That’s speedy. They now have two inside two years. I think the survival pressure these days is off the people who have trouble conceiving, as their few after much trouble are likely to survive and reproduce themselves. So we may see more of this. ---
**Author:** ![mamakat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@mamakat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamakat)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/23 "2004-11-07T04:32:33Z")
My daughter was conceived within a week of me going off BC pills. So I thought it would be just as easy with my next child. We tried for two years, and then they put me on Clomid. Got pregnant on my first cycle. I used an ovulation predictor and did all the stuff they say to up your chances (pillow under your butt after, certain positions, etc.) Now I have a beautiful baby boy. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/24 "2004-11-07T04:42:19Z")
We were married 9 months and 3 days when I became a father. Yep, do something right the first time and you don’t have to spend all your time doing it over and over. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/25 "2004-11-07T04:47:41Z")
Mrs. Bricker and I married in late November 2000. Bricker Jr was born in late September 2001. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/26 "2004-11-07T18:46:17Z")
“How long did you try before finally getting pregnant?” One time too many, mate. ---
**Author:** ![Humanist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@Humanist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humanist)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/27 "2004-11-07T19:39:46Z")
About a week after “the pill” was supposed to have started working, the wife became pregnant. With twins. Needless to say, we are on a different contraception method now. One of them was always very noticably smaller than the other, though, and there was a fetal demise around 4 months in. The other twin is now our bright, smiling 35-month-old daughter. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/28 "2004-11-07T21:46:07Z")
I’ve never been pregnant, so I can’t speak for myself. But I know that my mum tried for a week before getting pregnant with me. And my older brother was an accident. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/29 "2004-11-07T21:54:43Z")
Eighteen months. But it would have been shorter had we first had my husband’s varicocele problem fixed. I was pregnant five months after his operation. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/30 "2004-11-08T07:39:04Z")
First kid, first time we tried. But Mrs. Voyager has a Masters in reproductive physiology, with some PhD work, so it might have been a matter of professional pride. Kid number two took about six months, probably because of kid number one. She started when we went to a conference I was helping to run together, and we got a nice room with a fireplace. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/31 "2004-11-08T12:57:41Z")
Once we actually started trying, it only took a couple weeks. However at the beginning MrsB drove me nuts by trying to work out ovulation schedules and the like, and started treating sex like a _chore_, which is incredibly depressing and a mood-killer. Making babies should be fun, and is pretty straightforward: have sex frequently! ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/32 "2004-11-08T13:17:00Z")
> [@Abbie Carmichael](#): > > Didya give up coffee? This is the bit you can’t have wanted to hear. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/33 "2004-11-08T18:35:53Z")
We tried for a year - year and a half. We went to the doctor for a year. They could never find “much” wrong. Lower than normal but within fertile range sperm count. I had lower than normal but within fertile range hormone levels and ovulated like crazy. We decided to adopt. It took about six months to get around to filing the paperwork (Brainac4 had to loose some weight to qualify for the program). It took six months from the time our paperwork was filed to the time our son came home. My daughter was born six months later. Three years, plus a little. My sister just had a baby. Six years of trying and one cycle of IVF. You should see a fertility specialist. And you need to start thinking about how far up the treatment ladder you are willing to explore (we weren’t IVF people, a friend didn’t even bother with Clomid). And if fertility treatments to the level you are comfortable with aren’t successful, will you choose to be childfree or adopt? In my experience people are fertile (get pregnant within several months of trying). Subfertile (like me, got pregant eventually - and without help - though I did try help unsuccessfully - but it took years). Fertile only with fertility methods (my sister). Or infertile (by choice or situation - if fertility methods don’t work/aren’t an option). You don’t seem to fit the first category. ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/34 "2004-11-08T19:42:28Z")
Neat-o! I asked this same question a few months back, and am proud to report (for the first time publicly I might add) that we are now pregnant! For the record, we did it in the first month of “trying”, but I’m real manly you see, so don’t use me as your bar. 😉 In all seriousness, from everythign that we read, it’s just a big, random thing you can’t really pind down. **Dangerosa** ’s post sums it up. Anything can happen and at any time. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/35 "2004-11-08T20:31:54Z")
2 months of actively trying (I knew the days I was ovulating). I was 26 and my husband was 27 at the time. I know that the average time required to get pregnant goes up as you get older, though. My Dr. said for us we had about a 25-30% chance of conceiving in any given cycle. IIRC, in your 20’s average length of time is somewhere between 1-6 months. In your 30’s it is more like 6-12 months. I think we were told that about 90% of couples in their 20’s can get pregnant within a year. Other things affect the time needed, like regularity of cycles, stress, weight, etc. Even something like using a lubricant or a hot tub can be hostile to sperm. I admire people who can take the “let’s just stop preventing pregnancy and wait and see” approach. I was a ball of anticipation for 2 weeks each month wondering “am I or aren’t I?” Maybe next time I can chill out a little! ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/36 "2004-11-08T20:48:46Z")
10 months, 2 cycles (Clomid + progesterone + weight loss). I think it’s time you spoke to someone - might be you two just not compatible with each other - might be a hostile ute or cervical fluid - but move up a notch on the fertility ‘specialist’ tree. Won’t repeat TCOYF, temping, etc, as it seems you are following along reasonably well that you are ovulating - might not be catching the buggers because of tube blockages, or other inshospitable accomodations. You’re sure you’ve got the right slot b for tab a, yes? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/37 "2004-11-08T21:02:42Z")
> [@Mynn](#): > > You’re sure you’ve got the right slot b for tab a, yes? 😉 What do you think they are? A religious German couple?! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/38 "2004-11-08T21:19:26Z")
I took the advice of other posters and read Weschler’s _Taking Charge of Your Fertility_ and then downloaded the software ([www.ovusoft.com](http://www.ovusoft.com), I think) that goes with it because I didn’t trust that I’d figure it right using pencil and paper - and using that method it took about 9 weeks (two cycles) to get pregnant the first time. I miscarried at seven weeks and then got pregnant again 6 weeks later (during the first cycle that I **could** have gotten pregnant again). My daughter is now almost nine months old! I was 35 when I got pregnant. For me , I really, really believe I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant so quickly if someone here hadn’t recommended the Weschler book. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/39 "2004-11-08T21:23:05Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > We decided to adopt. > > It took about six months to get around to filing the paperwork (Brainac4 had to loose some weight to qualify for the program). Not trying to hijack but am I reading this right - you had to lose weight before you could adopt? Why? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398/40 "2004-11-08T21:38:09Z")
My husband did. We adopted from South Korea. Different countries have different requirements, the rule for South Korea - Children’s Welfare Services (Holt doesn’t have this requirement, but we don’t live in a state where Holt is a requirement) is that you can’t be “obese.” Other countries have limits on age (Korea is, IIRC a maximum of 42), income, health, marital status, number of divorces per couple, existing children, religion, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-how-long-did-you-try-before-finally-getting-pregnant/273398.md?page=3)