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Not pregnant yet? Keep trying!

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If the man is producing enough sperm, and the woman ovulating regularly, a couple who is struggling to conceive stands a good chance of falling pregnant without treatment.

This has been shown by a study which found that many women aged up to 36 years with a history of infertility can achieve spontaneous conception and live birth without using fertility treatment, indicating (they) are sub-fertile rather than infertile.

Almost half of women who said they'd been struggling to get pregnant for at least a year ended up having a baby despite not getting fertility treatment, in a new study from Australia.

Treatment results only slightly higher than non-treatment

That success rate was only slightly lower than in women who also reported trouble conceiving and opted for treatment with fertility hormones or in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

According to Reuters, many women opt for fertility treatment after a year of trying to conceive, which does increase the rate at which they do conceive, although there’s a good chance it could have happened without any intervention.

Weighing up options

Using a sample of 1,400 women, the study uncovered that of those women who used fertility treatment (clomid, IVF etc.), 53% became pregnant, while 44% of those who weren’t treated spontaneously conceived.

A fertility specialist commented on the results suggesting that it is good news for women who are TTC, especially since IVF is an expensive option.  Further commentary suggested that older women, especially, would be more likely to seek fertility treatment, as they preferred not to wait another year attempting to get pregnant, even if getting pregnant without treatment is still possible.

Specialists suggested that the results are hopeful- that couples who have been trying to fall pregnant even for a year stand a decent chance do stand a good chance of spontaneous conception, although an evaluation at a fertility specialist wasn’t discouraged.

Would you seek fertility treatment after a year of trying to conceive, or hope for spontaneous conception?
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