How long did it take to conceive?

december05

Registered User
Hi everyone,
I've been TTC since July and nothing has happened yet. Just curious to see how long it took for others to conceive?
 
everyone is different, for every woman who was as lucky as i was (1st cycle both times) there is another woman who struggles for a year or more...
 
If you are under 35 it is considered 'normal' to take up to 2 years to conceive. As Carang says, everyone is different and also it can be different each time ie. you might take a long time to conceive the first and then the second could be very quick or vice versa. Also depends what you mean by trying - if you have just dropped contraception or if you are tracking your ovulation etc as the 2nd approach is likely to be much more accurate and therefore quicker than the first.
 
Thanks for your quick replies, TNT and Carang! Both my husband and I are under 35 and we're tracking ovulation by counting the days. I guess I'm just a bit naive to think that once we decided to TTC it would happen quickly! :-)
 
when we decided to "go for it", i just went online and found an "ovulation calendar"... i typed in the length of my cycle (if you know it) and the start of my last cycle and it told me the best days to have sex. i made sure it happened on those days and voila! i was pregnant that cycle.

BUT, while it was easy for me, others are not so lucky.

i DO believe:
1) some women have a hard time getting pregnant
2) some women have a hard time staying pregnant (recurrent miscarriages)
3) some women have a hard time being pregnant (very complicated pregnancies, emergencies that crop up, health issues etc)

i fell into #3.
 
When i talk about tracking ovulation i didn't mean so much just the '14 days' as while this is accurate for a lot of women, it's not for all. For example, some good friends tried for years with no success, then she decided to check her hormone levels using an ovulation checking device (it's called MaybeBaby and again doesn't work for everyone) she found out she was ovulating only 5-6 days after her period - she fell pregnant the next month. If you are interesting there is lots of info about how to tell if you are ovulating - for me personally the mucus was the key but again it's different for everyone.

For what it's worth, I fell into Carang's No 2 category. Fell pregnant very easily but 6 pregnancies and 2 kids.
 
Second TNT, you should try the ovulation test kit, if you are not doing so already ... Unless your cycle is so regular you know exactly which day you will ovulate. Good luck!
 
another factor to bear in mind (apart from tracking your ovulation) is to just not think about it too much, and do the act as frequent as possible. I think the lack of pressure of having to have sex on a particular day will really make having a baby all the more easier. of course it does help if your period is regular... that can be regulated with acupuncture if you want. good luck!
 
I agree about not thinking about it too much. Our second was conceived before we were even trying...we were just thinking about trying! But our first took 6 cycles. My OB commented that often with the first people put too much pressure so it takes longer.
 
Thanks for all your replies everyone! I'm just going to relax and give it some more time :-) I find that sometimes the more things I do (e.g. counting days and charting etc) just makes me more stressed out!
 
First time, it took me about 14 months to conceive. Was starting to get worried!! Went to the doc and she recommended trying ovulation kits (I had an irregular cycle, and it was difficult to figure out when my most fertile time would be from month to month, even with charting). After we started using them, it happened very quickly.

After my daughter was born, knowing that it could take a while for us to conceive, and knowing that we'd like kids close together, we just planned to "not try not to conceive" for a while. I conceived in my 1st cycle, had a miscarriage, and then conceived in either my 1st or 2nd cycle after that. WITHOUT charting or using ovulation kits or anything like that...

Sometimes I think if everything lines up right, it will happen. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it takes a while. It's worth charting and using ovulation kits etc, and it's worth seeing a doctor if it takes more than a year (if you're under 35 - more than six months if you're over) - but try not to stress about it (I know, easier said than done) because stress isn't going to help...

Hope it happens soon for you!!
 
My obgyn said that even getting the time right (using ovulation test kit), it is normal to take a year to get pregnant :) so don't lose heart!

And maintain a healthy life style...
 
Thanks nicolejoy and Obiwan! It makes me feel miles better to have reassurance that it can take up to a year. I wish I had known that from the beginning! :-)
 
Back
Top