What should I take into consideration if I want to get pregnant?
Why don’t I get pregnant?
In case you are looking for counselling
If couples consciously decide to become pregnant, this often requires some patience. It rarely happens during the first cycle without contraception, but usually takes several months to become pregnant. For about 15% of the couples it may take more than a year. It is therefore recommended to try dealing with the project as relaxed as possible.
There are only few medical measures which are useful when planning a pregnancy. One of them is a blood test for rubella anti-bodies. If you have no antibodies you may have a vaccination before getting pregnant, in order to be protected against an infection during pregnancy. However, it is important to use contraception for three months after vaccination.
It is also useful to take folic acid before and during the first months of the pregnancy. Folic acid is an essential vitamin, which can reduce the risk of brain and spinal cord malformations of the baby.
In case a woman has not become pregnant after one year of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse, it is possible to look for reasons. There may be many different factors both physical and mental, interfering with getting pregnant, and therefore a range of sometimes repeated examinations may be necessary to find possible causes of the infertility. Since problems can be found both in men and women, both partners should be examined at the same time.
Good to know: even after one year, there is still the chance to become pregnant without medical examinations or treatment. Particularly younger women (until their mid thirties) can take their time before starting medical examinations and treatments.
For many people it is not easy to accept the fact that they don’t succeed with getting pregnant. During our counselling sessions, they often describe for instance their anger about the fact that their own bodies refuse to function properly. They have doubts regarding their female qualities or their masculinity, feel guilty because of the unwanted childlessness, or speak about their mourning after one or even several miscarriages.
We provide support to clarify your desire for children or to deal with your conflicting feelings. We show you how to find self-determined ways to deal with the options of reproductive medicine. We are offering support to help you decide which of the possible treatments could be the most appropriate.
Here you will find information about possible reasons for unwanted childlessness, the methods of examination and treatment.
