When you find your soulmate and unite your lives, starting a family becomes a natural desire, and eventually expanding your family by having children is something you aspire to. The arrival of a baby sometimes happens as a planned event and sometimes as a surprise. Some couples are fortunate enough to conceive during the first few months of trying to conceive. However, some couples may have difficulties in their inability to conceive despite having unprotected intercourse for a long time. Therefore, there are times when some women who want to become mothers ponder, ‘Why can’t I get pregnant?’. Individuals may feel sceptical about infertility when they have tried without success. However, there can be various reasons underlying this situation.
So, what prevents pregnancy and what are the factors that hinder conception? Let’s explore together.
Why Can’t I Get Pregnant?
In today’s world, about 15% of couples trying to conceive through natural means fail to achieve pregnancy. There are various reasons why pregnancy may be difficult or fail to occur at all. In these cases, it is necessary to investigate what obstacles prevent pregnancy through certain tests and examinations. These obstacles can be congenital or related to an illness, or they can arise due to environmental factors.
In some cases, medication or surgical intervention may be necessary to address the underlying causes and enable conception. However, it’s also common for couples to become prematurely anxious. In situations where pregnancy does not occur, it’s not advisable to immediately jump to the conclusion of infertility. Even if all conditions seem favourable, conception may not always happen. This does not necessarily mean that you are unable to conceive.
When Can You Say ‘I Can’t Get Pregnant’?
For a couple to say, ‘We can’t conceive,’ three conditions must first be met correctly and fully.
1. Adequate Time
Conception is not something that occurs with every sexual encounter coinciding with ovulation. The likelihood of conception occurring within a month is approximately 20-25%. Therefore, waiting for one year for individuals under 35 years old and six months for those over 35 years old without trying to conceive through unprotected intercourse may not be considered a sufficient amount of time. However, if these periods have passed without success, it may be appropriate to consult a doctor.
2. Regular Intercourse
Regular intercourse plays a significant role in increasing the chances of pregnancy. Experts recommend engaging in unprotected intercourse at least twice a week. Especially for individuals with an average menstrual cycle of 28 days, having intercourse between the 10th and 16th days from the first day of menstruation significantly increases the success rate.
3. Correct Intercourse
In addition to adequate time and regular intercourse, the correct execution of sexual intercourse between couples is essential for conception. Here, more important than the position is ensuring that the man’s sperm cells reach the woman’s vagina.
If these three conditions are met – in other words, if adequate time has been tried, intercourse has been regular and correctly performed, but pregnancy has not occurred after a period of 12 months – it may be appropriate to consult a specialist doctor to conduct a detailed investigation into the reasons for not being able to conceive.
How Does Pregnancy Occur?
Pregnancy occurs when the egg cell encounters a sperm cell in the fallopian tubes, fertilisation occurs, and the fertilised embryo progresses through the tubes and implants in the uterus. Any problems in the woman’s reproductive organs or the man’s reproductive system that prevent the completion of this cycle will also prevent pregnancy. Therefore, reasons for both women and men should be investigated separately.
What Are the Reasons for Not Getting Pregnant?
Various problems related to the production of egg cells, the production and transmission of sperm cells, or the meeting and merging of egg and sperm cells may prevent pregnancy. Therefore, the reasons for not getting pregnant will differ for women and men.
Reasons Related to the Mother-to-be
Women’s reproductive systems are much more complex than men’s, which means there can be many reasons why pregnancy is prevented by the woman.
- Ovulation problems: If a woman experiences the absence of menstruation or irregular menstruation, a mature egg cell suitable for fertilisation may not be obtained.
- Blockages in the fallopian tubes: If both tubes are closed, the egg cell cannot meet the sperm cell, and fertilisation cannot occur.
- Low egg reserve: Especially in older women, a decrease in the egg reserves in the ovaries reduces the chance of fertilisation.
- Physiological problems in the uterus: Structural abnormalities such as double uterus, half uterus, or curtains in the uterus.
- Uterine adhesions: Adenomyosis is where uterine cells adhere to the uterine wall.
- Endometriosis: Adhesions occurring in the fallopian tubes can lead to blockages and prevent fertilisation.
- Excessive secretion of the milk hormone (prolactin): This condition, also known as hyperprolactinemia, can cause ovulation problems in women and thus prevent pregnancy.
- Infections: Infections occurring in the reproductive organs can adversely affect fertility.
- Thyroid hormone disorders such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or goitre: Disturbances in hormone levels can prevent ovulation.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome and fibroids: These are problems that can lead to failure to ovulate and blockage in the fallopian tubes.
Reasons Related to the Father-to-be
If pregnancy does not occur due to reasons related to the man, the man’s sperm cell will be examined. There can be many reasons why pregnancy is prevented by the man.
- Testicular tumours
- Undeveloped sperm ducts
- Testicular trauma
- Varicocele (enlargement of the veins in the testicles)
- Cystic fibrosis: A genetic disease that affects the function of organs’ exocrine glands, leading to dysfunction.
- Hydrocele: The accumulation of fluid between the membranes surrounding the testicles, causing an excess of fluid accumulation and hindering the function of the testicles.
- Azoospermia (absence of sperm cells in semen)
- Low sperm count: A decrease in the number of sperm cells in the semen reduces the chance of fertilisation.
- Structural abnormalities in sperm cells
- Motility of existing sperm cells: Poorly mobile sperm cells reduce the chance of fertilisation.
- Erectile dysfunction
- Testicular infections
- Retrograde ejaculation
- Hormonal disorders
- Cancer treatment and medication use
- Smoking and alcohol consumption
The information obtained from the necessary examinations of both the mother-to-be and father-to-be will shed light on the question of ‘Why can’t I get pregnant?’. Based on the results, methods such as egg tracking for women, medication for men, or artificial insemination for women may be attempted to achieve pregnancy. However, before resorting to these measures, it is essential to ensure that an adequate amount of time has passed for pregnancy to occur, and impatience should be avoided.
