My husband and i want to have a baby within a year, but i only have 5 periods a year. what should we do?

See your OB: Not having a regular period typically means that you do not ovulate every month. This can make conception difficult. Depending on the cause (?Pcos, ) your ob/gyn will run some blood tests and order an ultrasound to try to properly diagnose you and might advise a medication like Clomid (clomiphene) to induce ovulation.

See REI for testing: Not ovulating (releasing an egg) regularly decreases fertility. We find the cause of your irregular cycles: polycystic ovarian sydrome (pcos), underactive thyroid, excess prolactin hormone, aging of the ovary (diminished ovarian reserve), or low hormone levels (hypogonadism) from exercise, eating disorders, stress. See a reproductive endocrinologist for tests / treatment to help you conceive.

Ovulation problem: With such reported frequency of menses, you have irregular and paucity in having normal periods (oligomenorrhea). This is likely due to lack of ovulation, the quintessential step towards becoming pregnant. A fertility or endocrine specialist will help you in determine causes (high prolactin, pcos, etc). If your bmi is high, this could also be a contributing factor. Good luck.