How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant?

If you have just started trying, it is easy to read meaning into every negative test. The numbers say patience is normal: even fertile couples who time sex well usually take a few months. Here is what the research shows month by month, how age changes the odds, and when it is time to ask for help.

How long does it usually take?

Most couples conceive within six months. ASRM notes that about 80% of couples conceive in the first six months of trying, and that the monthly chance of pregnancy is highest in the first three months.²

The clearest month-by-month data come from a German prospective study of 346 women who charted their cycles to time sex to the fertile window.¹ The cumulative pregnancy rates were:

About 10% of the women in that study had not conceived by the end of follow-up.¹ The authors concluded that most couples conceive within six cycles with timed intercourse, and that after six cycles, about every second couple who has not conceived is likely to be subfertile or infertile.¹

These couples were timing sex with fertility awareness, so the numbers may run slightly ahead of couples who are not tracking.

Why the odds fall month by month

ASRM notes that the chance of conception is generally highest in the first few months of trying and declines gradually after that, with fecundability, the chance of pregnancy per month, greatest in the first three months.² The German researchers explain the pattern by differences between couples: the most fertile tend to conceive early, so a growing share of those still trying after six cycles are subfertile.¹ It does not mean that trying longer makes you less fertile.

How age affects time to pregnancy

Age matters more for the person with the eggs than for the person with the sperm, but both count.

For women. ASRM notes that relative fertility at 40 is about half that of women in their late twenties and early thirties, the peak years.² A study of 782 couples recruited from seven European natural family planning centers estimated the share who would not conceive within 12 cycles at about 8% for women aged 19 to 26, 13% to 14% at 27 to 34, and 18% at 35 to 39.³ Absolute sterility was rare, about 1%, and did not change with age.³

For men. ASRM says semen measures decline measurably after 35, but male fertility does not appear appreciably affected before about 50.² In the European study, male age mattered from the late thirties: the estimated share of couples not pregnant within 12 cycles rose from about 18% to 28% between male ages 35 and 40.³

There is also good news in that study: 43% to 63% of couples who did not conceive within a year, depending on age, were estimated to conceive in the following year without treatment.³ Longer time to pregnancy is mainly lower monthly odds, not inability.

For more on age, see getting pregnant after 35.

What else affects how long it takes?

• Timing. The fertile window is the six days ending on ovulation, and sex every one to two days in that window gives the highest pregnancy rates, according to ASRM.² Our fertile window guide explains how to find it.
• Tracking. ASRM notes that fertility-awareness methods, including ovulation tests and cervical mucus monitoring, raise the chance of conceiving in a given cycle, and a randomized trial found ovulation tests shortened time to pregnancy.² Our guide on when to take an ovulation test covers timing.
• Recent contraception. In a large cohort, people who had just stopped some hormonal methods had short delays; injectables had the longest, five to eight cycles.⁴
• Smoking and heavy drinking. ASRM describes substantial adverse effects of smoking on fertility.² Light to moderate alcohol, under 14 servings a week, had no measurable effect on time to pregnancy in a Danish cohort of 6,120 women.⁵

Does having more sex make it faster?

Up to a point, but you do not need a strict schedule. In one study cited by ASRM, the chance of conception per cycle was similar whether couples had sex daily, every other day or even every three days in the fertile window, and lowest when they had sex only once in it.² Abstinence of more than five days may lower sperm counts, while daily ejaculation does not harm sperm in men with normal semen.² ASRM advises that couples should not limit how often they have sex when trying, and that the best frequency within that range is whatever suits you.²

When should you see a doctor?

ASRM defines infertility as no pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected sex, and recommends earlier evaluation, after 6 months, for women 35 and older because of age-related decline.² Earlier evaluation can also be justified by your medical history.² In practice that means going sooner if:

• you are 40 or older,
• your periods are absent or very irregular,
• you have known endometriosis, a past pelvic infection or a known tubal problem,
• your partner has a known sperm issue, or either of you has had cancer treatment.

Both partners should be evaluated. Our guide on when to see a fertility specialist explains what the first appointment involves.

What to do while you wait

Use the first months well: take folic acid, time sex to your fertile window, and work through our preconception checklist. Everything else for this stage is in the Prepare hub.