Getting pregnant is not an exact science. Even couples who are fertile, fit and able have only a 20% chance of conceiving each cycle.

If you’ve been trying for some time to start a family you could have some fertility problems and it may be best to have an examination. Check with your GP who will usually recommend testing if you have been trying unsuccessfully for a year (or possibly less if the female in the couple is aged over 35).

Assuming that you have no fertility or pregnancy issues, then the reason you are not getting pregnant could be due to any of the following reasons:

You are not having enough sex

A once-a-week rumble under the sheets is not going to be enough sex to put pregnancy odds in your favour. Try to make time for each other, but don’t make it like a commando operation! Try to keep the romance going and not just treat each other as baby making machines!

You are timing it wrong

You need to time your sexual intercourse to coincide with the release of the woman’s egg (ovulation) so it gets fertilised by the male’s sperm on its journey. Having sex every day or at least every other day will increase your chances of catching the right moment.

You are smoking

As well as being a cause of cancer, smoking cigarettes can affect a woman’s fertility and lowers a man’s sperm count making getting pregnant an uphill struggle.

You are drinking too much

Drinking more than four units in a week can reduce your chances of getting pregnant by one third as it not only affects a woman’s fertility but can dramatically alter the quality and quantity of viable male sperm.

You have a bad diet

You don’t need to cut out all the naughty stuff from your diet, but you do need to balance things out by making sure you at least include fresh fruit and vegetables and foods rich in irons, minerals and vitamins. If your diet is naturally lacking in goodness then consider taking a pre-pregnancy supplement.

You’re too fat or thin

If you are overweight you need to bring your weight down to a normal level to avoid pregnancy issues. Obesity can affect the menstrual cycle which becomes irregular and unpredictable. If you have a poor appetite and inadequate diet it may cause your energy levels to dip and this can affect fertility. Extreme dieting can also make woman’s period stop altogether or make them very erratic.

You drink too much coffee

Try to cut down to just one cup of tea or coffee a day. Too much caffeine can decrease fertility in women and lower sperm counts in males.

You’re stressing

If you are so desperate to get pregnant it has become something you are stressing about then you are creating pregnancy issues. Stress can affect a woman’s fertility and affect a man’s sperm quality and count.

Author's Bio: 

Debra Aspinall is an experienced journalist and the editor and leading writer for the Emma’s Diary website, one of the UKs foremost pregnancy and baby websites. Debra writes on pregnancy related topics such as getting pregnant, how to get pregnant, pregnancy and conception advice and etc. She also writes on women’s health and beauty issues and contributes travel articles to glossy magazines in London and the Home Counties.