7 Things You Might Not Know About Fertility & Trying To Get Pregnant

Just as there are a lot of misleading and fear-mongering myths about infertility, there is a lot of misinformation on the topic of fertility and conception too, and if you’re trying to get pregnant, we want to make sure you have the facts.

So today, we're bringing you 7 things you might not know about fertility and trying to conceive — all about your fertility, ovulation, and health and how it all actually impacts your path towards a healthy pregnancy and beyond…

7 things you might not know about fertility & trying to get pregnant:

1. You can get pregnant and carry a healthy pregnancy after age 35

We do hope you know this by now! It's a big fertility myth that your chances of conceiving drop drastically after age 35, and unfortunately that still gets floated around in conversation. While it is true that there is a decline in fertility with age (for both men and women!), it's not like you hit a wall on your 35th birthday where it becomes vastly more difficult to conceive.

Over time as you (and therefore your eggs) age, they become more susceptible to damage and chromosomal issues that can make everything from successful fertilization to implantation to carrying a healthy pregnancy less likely.

So yes, your chances of conceiving will start to decline after 35 but it is definitely possible to have a healthy pregnancy after 35 - and even after 45! For more on that, check out this post.

2. The guy's age impacts his fertility, too

We hinted to this in the last one, but we want to make sure we've covered it. Your guy (or whoever is providing sperm for your pregnancy) is not some magnificent stallion that can create an unending supply of healthy sperm. Sorry to ruin that for you... or maybe for him? Male fertility and the quality of their sperm will decline over time, too, which can mean that trying to gte pregnant gets more difficult.

This can lead to a higher risk of chromosomal abnormalities that make conception and developing a healthy fetus more difficult. His age-related fertility decline is more likely to start in his mid-40's and males do tend to have a longer 'runway' in their ability to conceive.

3. It takes everyone a different amount of time to conceive

We’ve heard lots of debate about this one lately — from a 3 month average to conception to much much longer. The truth is, everyone takes a different amount of time to conceive and it’s based on lots of different factors like age, general health, and reproductive health. 

According to the (NHS), around 84% of couples will get pregnant within 1 year of trying if they have “regular” sex and don’t use any contraception. To break that down further:

• 92% of women aged 19 to 26 will conceive after 1 year and 98% after 2 years

• 82% of women aged 35 to 39 will conceive after 1 year and 90% after 2 years

In this instance, “regular sex” means having sex every 2 to 3 days throughout the month, which leads us on to our next myth…

4. You don’t have to have sex every day when you’re trying to get pregnant

Ok, so we can totally understand why you’d think you should have sex every single day when you’re trying to conceive. Logically, it seems like that would give you the highest chance of fertilization, right?! And some evidence does show that the highest pregnancy rates do occur in couples who have sex either every day or every other day. If you’re feeling into it and you and your partner are having fun — then go for it!

However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises that this can be stressful for couples – and stress can actually have a negative impact on fertility and day-to-day life. So if you’re finding that it’s putting pressure on you and your partner, then having sex every 2-3 days isn’t likely to negatively impact your chances of conceiving.

5. Fertility is not a constant, unchanging 'thing'

We're not talking about how your fertility changes over time and with age - since we just covered that above! What we mean here is that your fertility levels, even throughout your monthly cycle, aren't constant. Did you know that you can actually get pregnant at any time during your menstrual cycle, and although it is rare, women can actually get pregnant when they are on - or just after they finish - their period?

If you've tracked your ovulation you'll know that your fertile window is only about 6 days long, and ovulation usually occurs 12-14 days before your next period starts. This doesn't mean that conception only happens on your ovulation day– sperm can survive for a while before inseminating a released egg, so there's usually a window of 3-5 days when conception is most likely. And whilst this time period is known as your fertile window, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get pregnant at another time in the month.

If you are actively TTC and haven't started tracking your ovulation to help in those efforts, we do encourage it. Check out this post on Why You Should Track Your Cycles & How to Do it Right.

6. Going gluten-free is not guaranteed to make you more fertile

Back in 2017 at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress & Expo (quite the mouthful), a study was presented that revealed gluten-free diets are unlikely to impact fertility. The researchers contradicted the popular myth that a gluten-free diet could positively impact IVF outcomes and fertility.

The study revealed the following: "While healthy eating. including a low-carb diet, is part of a holistic, evidence-based approach to treating patients with infertility, adhering to a gluten-free diet has been shown to have no impact on increasing fertility for those trying to conceive". - Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey.

If you do have a medically indicated gluten intolerance, observing a gluten-free diet may very well improve your chances of conceiving.

7. Going dairy-free is not guaranteed to make you more fertile

Studies have come out showing that consuming whole milk or full-fat dairy can increase fertility. Other studies have shown that low-fat dairy products can affect ovulation, thereby decreasing fertility.

Yet, this cohort study that evaluated dairy intake in relation to conception success concluded that they could not support the claim that high-fat dairy diets improve fertility, nor could they support the claim that low-fat dairy diets harm fertility. Yes, this is all incredibly confusing as it's all incredibly contradictory. So what's a girl to do?

The major takeaway here is that nutrition comes down to your unique health profile and dietary needs. For example, women who suffer from ovulatory dysfunction have been shown to experience improved fertility rates when their diet includes whole milk. However, for women who are lactose intolerant or particularly casein-reactive, dairy products can cause significant inflammation of the digestive system, making it harder to get pregnant. Going dairy-free might increase your chances of conceiving, but it could also reduce it.

Ultimately, it's not a black-and-white answer because we are all different. The more you know about your own body and how it reacts to the food you put in it, the better decisions you can make. 

The key takeaway

Thinking of your fertility as a spectrum rather than a constant makes it easier to see infertility as a spectrum too, rather than a singular, unchanging reality you must accept. If you are trying to conceive and struggling, know that things can change, there is hope, and there are many paths to becoming a mother.

Have a question about TTC or a fertility myth you need busting? Let us know in the comments — we’re here to help!

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