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What is the average time to try for a baby based on your age? A doctor breaks it down...

A doctor's guide.

There is no simple formula for getting pregnant and whilst some people conceive the first time they try, for others, it can take a lot longer than expected.

With Google searches for 'what is the average time to get pregnant' booming during lockdown, we enlisted the advice of Dr Ellie Rayner, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who runs The Maternity Medic Instagram account, to curate a simple guide to how long it may take to fall pregnant. Remember, this is not a definitive guide and every case is so different and you should always seek medical advice if you're struggling to fall pregnant.

What is the average time to fall pregnant?

In the UK, most couples will become pregnant within one year if they are having regular vaginal intercourse and are not using contraception.

Here are some key facts around conception to break that down

If you are under 40 years old and having vaginal intercourse 2-3 times a week throughout your cycle:

1 in 3 couples, so 33%, will become pregnant within the first month of trying

8 out of 10 couples, so 80%, will become pregnant within the first year of trying

Of those couples that don’t conceive in the first year, around half, will fall pregnant in their second year of trying, meaning that overall >90% of couples will fall pregnant in their first two years of trying to conceive (TTC)

If you are using Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), over 50% of women aged <40 years will conceive within 6 cycles of IUI and of those who don’t, around 50% will become pregnant within a further 6 cycles, therefore an overall pregnancy rate of over 75% over 1 year.

Does age have an impact on fertility and chances of conceiving?

"As your age increases, your fertility decreases," explains Dr Ellie. Here, she has broken the chances of conception down depending on your age:

Aged 19-26 years: 92% chance of pregnancy within 1 year and 98% within 2 years

Aged 27-29 years: 87% chance of pregnancy within 1 year and 95% within 2 years

Aged 30-34 years: 86% chance of pregnancy within 1 year and 94% within 2 years

Aged 35-39 years: 82% chance of pregnancy within 1 year and 90% within 2 years

When should I seek help?

"If you are less than 35 years old and have not conceived after one year of regular unprotected vaginal intercourse, you should see your GP to discuss your personal situation and be offered investigations and referral to a specialist to rule out any underlying cause," says Dr Ellie.

"If you are aged 36 years or over, or if you have a known cause for infertility or a predisposing factor for infertility then you should be offered investigations earlier, usually after around six months of trying, but this may be even sooner depending on your individual circumstances."

What can I do to increase my chances?

If you are trying to conceive, there are lots of ways you can increase your fertility and chance of conception including having unprotected vaginal intercourse every 2-3 days, stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

"If you are TTC, make sure you are taking Folic Acid supplements to reduce your chance of developmental problems with your baby," adds Dr Ellie.

Written by Bianca London.

This article originally appeared on GLAMOUR UK.

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