How Pregnancy Occurs

During intercourse, millions of sperm are released from the penis and enter the vagina, optimally near the cervix, which is the opening to the uterus. Once through the cervix, the sperm must travel up into the two fallopian tubes, one of which contains an egg that has been released from one of the ovaries that month. Only one sperm is able to fully penetrate the egg and fertilize it. The fertilized egg becomes an embryo within a few days. About seven days after fertilization, the embryo descends into the uterus and is implanted in the lining of the uterus.

Changes in the level of certain hormones control each of these steps. If any part of this sequence does not occur, a pregnancy in the uterus will not occur. With all that is involved, it’s amazing that anyone does manage to get pregnant. Statistically, healthy women in their early 20s have a 20 to 35 percent chance of conceiving each month they try.1 While those odds seem low, most couples successfully become pregnant within six months of trying to conceive.

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