How to predict when you’ll get pregnant

Source: Best Health magazine, January/February 2013

According to a recent Statistics Canada report based on data from 2009-2010, as many as 15 percent of couples seek medical help to conceive. This is possibly because many couples are waiting until they’re older to have children. (Since 1984, the percentage of first-born children with mothers age 35 or older has tripled to 11 percent.)

If you’re thinking about getting pregnant, or are already trying, there is a new formula to help predict the probability that you will become pregnant‘and could help you determine when it may be time to seek assistance. Developed by English and German researchers, the formula uses information about the rate at which fertility drops with age, com­bined with the length of time a couple has been trying to conceive. Speak to your doctor about what is right for you.

The percentages in the chart below indicate the probability that a woman trying to conceive will become pregnant in the next month.

This article was originally titled "What are your odds of conceiving?" in the January/February 2013 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!