The women in my family have a hard time conceiving and i suspect i will as well. at what point can i seek fertility help? my mother and my aunts had a difficult time conceiving, and i suspect my situation is the same. i have irregular periods and have bee

90% : 90% of couples trying to conceive get pregnant within a year. The 10% who don’t fall into the category of patients we label as “infertile, ” though a percentage of those patients, if left untreated, will go on to conceive at some point in the future. The most important factor governing if and when you seek treatment from a doctor depends on your age and commitment to conceiving. If you’re 25 and on the fence about getting pregnant, take your time, relax, have lots of sex, and let nature take it’s course. But if you’re over 35 and desperately want to be the mother of a baby that shares your dna, don’t wait longer than six months before seeing your doctor to explore the underlying causes of your irregular periods and reduced fertility. Often, irregular periods signal anovulation (meaning that you may not be ovulating.) anovulation can result from conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, hypothyroidism, or eating disorders, in addition to a variety of other causes. Your doctor can order some tests that will help you decide whether you need to jump into fertility treatment with both feet or whether you’re better off chilling out and taking a wait-and-see approach. Most importantly, remember that stress reduces fertility and the best thing you can do as you navigate this journey is to trust that whatever happens will serve you and your highest good.

When : When to seek help is relative primarily to your age. If you are under 35 probably continuing to try for up to year or even two is reasonable in general. At 35 you would seek help at 6 months of trying and at 40 at three months. It also depends on how often you are having sex and when in your cycle. Your family history is probably less important than the fact that your cycles are irregular. If you do not have a cycle in a given month you probably did not ovulate or release an egg, and, thus, won't get pregnant that cycle. Irregular cycles are also relative. Do you miss whole months or is your period just off a few days here and there and hard to predict. Missing whole cycles, having extra hair growth places you don't want and being overweight (often all with similar family history) should prompt a more rapid (not emergent) visit to the doctor to assess for polycystic ovarian syndrome (pcos) which can certainly diminish fertility and set you up for other problems. Good luck in your quest!