9 Conception Stories to Read If You're Having Trouble Getting Pregnant

The Fosters

The time it took to get pregnant: 2 years

After getting married in 2001, Ashley and James began trying to conceive. "When we first started trying, I was obsessive and bought many pregnancy tests even if I knew my period was coming," says Ashley. "We probably spent hundreds of dollars on tests. We viewed making love as work, and it took the pleasure and enjoyment out of it."

Eventually, they went to a specialist and discovered that James had a low sperm count. It may surprise you to learn that male-factor infertility affects up to half of all worldwide cases, and as many as 2% of people with testicles will have a low sperm count.

The couple faced the possibility that they may never have children. "I was at the point that I didn't even want to get out of bed some days. I was so depressed," she says.

Then Ashley had a moment of clarity. "I just kept telling myself that when the time was right, we would get pregnant," she says. "It's hard, and you often think that there's something wrong with you, and there really wasn't."

Much to the couple's surprise, they got pregnant a few months after resigning themselves to the idea of being childless. Daughter Natalie was born in September 2003. Years later, they received another surprise: twins conceived without the couple even trying.

The Browns

The time it took to get pregnant: 10 months

Amy and Lucas planned on getting pregnant within three months of going off birth control. "Every month, around testing time, I would either start my period or get in a hurry and take a pregnancy test before I started. Each month was more discouraging than the last," Amy says. "I remember estimating what my due date would be every time. I tracked my ovulation and temperature on an app I had on my phone."

After six months, Amy's OB-GYN started her on the fertility drug Clomid. While infertility usually isn't a concern until a year has passed, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends infertility evaluation and treatment if indicated after six months of trying to conceive for those over 35.

The Browns decided they deserved a vacation and booked a cruise four months out to celebrate their first anniversary. Amy began her fourth round of Clomid (with an increased dosage) the month of the cruise. Amy had been tired before the cruise, but she and Lucas enjoyed their time together, and once home, she took a pregnancy test. She was pregnant!

"The challenge of waiting and being patient tested the strength of our marriage, and it made us closer and more grateful for each other and the gift of life," she says. Their son was born in July 2011. Looking back, Amy says it's no wonder she wanted jalapenos on everything she ate on the trip!

The Murphs

The time it took to get pregnant: 15 months

When Melissa and Thomas Murph began trying to have a second child, they assumed it would be as easy as it had been when they'd gotten pregnant with their first daughter, Dakota. "We wanted to have another child, timed so they would be three years apart," says Melissa. But every month, she got a negative pregnancy test result. "I would cry and pray," she says.

The Murphs decided not to seek medical assistance and accepted that they may not have any more children. "I tried to stay positive by telling myself, 'At least I have a baby already. Some couples don't even have one,'" she says.

Soon after the couple began to come to terms with what they thought was their fate, Melissa noticed she didn't feel well and that her period was late. After having endured 14 negative pregnancy tests, she assumed she wasn't pregnant.

Yet she took one more test and, finally got a positive result. She took two more tests before being convinced to share the news with Thomas. "We both cried," she says. Baby Cheyenne was born in July 2010.

The Petersens

The time it took to get pregnant: 17 months

Six months into trying, Jen discovered she wasn't ovulating, a condition known as anovulation. While sometimes there is no known cause, some known causes of anovulation include:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Prolactin disorder
  
• Thyroid disorders
• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
• Adrenal tumors
• Cushing's disease

Her doctor prescribed Clomid, but she went six more months without ovulating and then saw a fertility specialist. Several tests and pills later, there was still no ovulation. "It was so disheartening and frustrating, and although I tried not to blame myself, it was tough not to feel somewhat responsible that my body wouldn't cooperate," she says.

Jen and her husband, Marty, took turns being strong for each other. "I made the decision to let myself cry and to be angry and sad the day of and the day after getting one of my many negative pregnancy results. On the third day, I forced myself to once again start thinking positive and regain all the hope I could muster up," says Jen.

Seventeen months into the process, Jen ovulated. "It was Mother's Day morning when I got the blessed smiley face on my ovulation test," she says. "I cried! I was so excited that for the very first time, we at least had a chance to get pregnant."

Later that month, she saw something else she'd been waiting for: A plus sign on the pregnancy test. Marty and Jen welcomed their daughter, Rya, to the family in January 2011.

"Weird as it sounds, we are grateful for the trial and hardship we went through trying to get her here," says Jen. "It makes us appreciate even more what an amazing miracle it is to have her with us now."

The Hernendezes

The time it took to get pregnant: 5 years

Dana and Chris had no luck for a year after Dana went off birth control. Then, they started fertility treatments, including Clomid and intrauterine insemination (IUI).

She took breaks from the treatments, but the couple never stopped trying to conceive or taking pregnancy tests. "The low point came every time one of my sisters, my friend, etc., announced that she was pregnant," says Dana. "During that five-year period, three of my siblings conceived, and my brother's wife actually conceived twice."

Dana kept a journal, which she found helpful. "No one could ever make me feel better when we were trying to conceive," she says. "It's an exhausting process, and it's very stressful on the relationship."

She had tested negative roughly 60 times; then, one day, a work acquaintance, Heidi, who didn't know Dana's plight, called with a message from God. She said God told her that Dana was going to have a girl.

The Hernendezes were on a fertility treatment break but were still trying, and two weeks later, Dana tested positive. This meant Heidi had called two days after conception. Baby Heidi was born in May 2008.

The Soucys

The time it took to get pregnant: 21 months

Sarah and Brian tried and tried to get pregnant. "Month after month, I would get negative tests, which was so frustrating," says Sarah. "I started charting my cycles every month with no luck. I tried cheap ovulation tests with no luck, and one month even got a false positive on a pregnancy test, which was so sad."

Surely there was an infertility issue to deal with, Sarah thought after 21 months of trying. So she booked an appointment two months out and kept up hope that she'd be able to get in sooner through her office's waiting list.

Two weeks before her appointment, she had a strange physical sensation and then received a positive pregnancy test result. "I took about eight more tests before I believed it and eventually got blood work done at the doctor's to confirm it," she says.

Sarah says she feels really blessed with how lucky they were and has always loved the thought that maybe my canceling her appointment allowed another person in her shoes the opportunity to get bumped up. Her son arrived in May 2011.

The Hixons

The time it took to get pregnant: 2 years

Tia and her partner started trying to conceive in February 2012, though she says she tried for years before that with her previous husband. "After many misdiagnoses, I was finally told in February of 2014 that I had PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)," says Tia. In addition to having a very high level of estrogen, which hinders a person's ability to conceive, she hadn't ovulated in years.

PCOS affects 1 in 10 people who can get pregnant, and it is one of the most common causes of infertility. Fortunately, it is treatable. Some options for treating PCOS-related infertility include:

• Losing weight
• Medication (like Clomid)
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Surgery to restore ovulation

"We tried every imaginable approach to conception: acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, acrobatics (an abundance of headstands happened in our bedroom!), ovulation tracking, basal temperature monitoring—you name it! But then we were prescribed Clomid—it was a game-changer! I took my first round of five pills on May 7 and had my first positive pregnancy test on June 8," she says.

Tia's advice for those struggling to conceive? "Play with each other. It's such an emotionally taxing experience to struggle with pregnancy. Pregnant people, kids, products for all things baby are literally everywhere, in your face all the time," she says. But, while it can be overwhelming, focus on what you do have: Someone who is willing to go at this really difficult thing with you.

In addition, talk about it—seek support from people you trust or find a fertility support group. It's essential to be able to express your feelings and embrace how hard you're working to achieve what you want with people who understand.

"The process of conception struggles can resemble grieving. Feel your feelings. Believe in the impossible. Trust your gut. Brace for the hormonal changes. Be kind to yourself," says Tia.

The Krahns

The time it took to get pregnant: 2 years

Because of their 10-year age difference, Chelsea and her husband started trying to get pregnant soon after they got married in November 2010. They soon discovered that Chelsea wasn't ovulating or getting a period, so it was close to impossible to conceive.

"We went through a lot of inconclusive testing—to this day, the only answer we've actually received from a doctor is 'you have really bad luck,'" says Chelsea.

After many failed drugs, they decided to take a break while they moved from Milwaukee to Charlotte, North Carolina, and as luck would have it, the day they stopped trying, she had a positive pregnancy test.

"Unfortunately, little did we know that would be the beginning of another long journey. From that point—August 2012—we were able to get pregnant, but not stay pregnant," says Chelsea. She had two miscarriages before having a successful, full-term pregnancy and giving birth to her daughter in October 2013. "We've had two more miscarriages since then, and we're still looking for an answer," she says.

According to ACOG, having two or more miscarriages is considered recurrent pregnancy loss. It is uncommon, with less than 5% of people having more than five miscarriages in a row. Doctors recommend testing to determine a cause if you have repeat miscarriages. The good news is that even without a known cause, 65% of people with recurrent miscarriages go on to have a term pregnancy.

"My husband and I agree that this is the most difficult and frustrating thing we've ever dealt with. Spotting at seven weeks is a disappointment that can't be described unless you have experienced it—I wouldn't wish it on my own worst enemy," Chelsea says. But, even though trying to conceive was stressful and emotional, she says she's still a firm believer that "everything happens for a reason."

Norva and Soji

The time it took to get pregnant: 5 years

In late 2010, Norva was the mom of a 10-year-old girl, and she and her husband had unsuccessfully been trying to have a baby for more than three years. "We had a couple of miscarriages, but I wasn't able to carry to term. It was then that I started having unusual symptoms, like pain during urination, lower abdominal pain, and a growing tummy," she says.

She was shocked when she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in her right ovary. She had it removed and went on to have chemo in 2011. She lost her hair and went into menopause during the treatment. "I was told that if my period did come back, I may be able to have a child after two years."

They tried the rhythm method and ovary stimulation medication, but it wasn't successful. "We still don't know what caused us to get pregnant, but four months after treatment, I was called back in for more tests, and my oncologist suspected that my cancer was returning. However, the great news was that I was actually pregnant!"

Norva successfully gave birth to her second daughter and returned for her first regular check-up when her baby was 4 months old. At her second check-up, she discovered she was pregnant yet again, and since then, she's given birth to another beautiful baby girl. "My oncologist jokingly commented that chemo was like fertility treatment for me!"

Her advice to those trying to get pregnant? "Make sure to talk to your doctors and let them try all of the tests. It is frustrating, but will be more helpful than anything else."

She also recommends doing what you can to keep stress under control because that also affects your body—and your relationship. And it's true. While research is not conclusive on whether stress can impact fertility, it is well-documented that infertility causes stress. Researchers say psychological interventions for those experiencing infertility can reduce anxiety and depression and may even lead to higher pregnancy rates.

"If you can, put the idea of wanting to get pregnant out of your mind for a minimum of six months and just relax. Do something different—throw caution to the wind! Really enjoy this period, and of course, have sex and let nature take over."