Eliminate alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and other drugs. Stop using hormonal birth control methods several months before trying to conceive. While using hormonal birth control methods at the time of conception has not been shown to cause birth defects, it may take you longer to become pregnant. After stopping these methods, your menstrual cycles may be irregular for a while. This can make it harder to detect your fertile times, and can make determining your due date more difficult.
Infertility is defined as unprotected, regular intercourse for one year without becoming pregnant.
A menstrual calendar can help your clinician determine if ovulation is occurring in a normal pattern. A brief counseling and education session with a health care provider can help you learn what steps to take next to help you become pregnant. Johns Hopkins Bayview Physicians provides basic infertility workups at all of our clinical sites , as well as more extensive testing and care when indicated.