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Expert Q&A

	By Traci Kurtzer Obstetrician and Gynecologist

I'm 35 years old. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for the past two months. This will be our fourth child (my first three, I was 19, 22, 24). I had no problems. I want to know why we are having such a hard time now. I know it's been 11 years since my last healthy pregnancy, but I just don't understand why we are having so many difficulties.

Getting pregnant gets more difficult as we age into our 30s. Still you have only been trying for 2 months, and it can take up to a year for conception for healthy, fertile couples to conceive. At this point in time, I would advise you to try not to stress out too much about the time, but to start being observant of your cycles. You may be able to determine the time that you are ovulating by the cycle length (if regular) or by physical symptoms (i.e. change in cervical mucous, pelvic pain, spotting) or by Basal Body Temperature (BBT) monitoring. Try to maximize your chance of conception by having frequent sex mid-cycle or when you feel ovulatory . If you have not conceived by 6 months, make an appointment to discuss with your OB-GYN and he or she can start the evaluation process for you and your husband to see if there may be a fertility issue that has developed.

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