Has anybody else never been pregnant?

[Babysonfire501]

I'm in my mid 30s, and between the age of 18 and now have had around 12 sexual partners.
I've predominantly taken the pill except for a brief spell of being on the Depo injection, and take the pill at pretty much the same time each night.
Not so much recently but when younger I had the very odd missed pill/took it too late.
However I've never to my knowledge had a pregnancy scare or an accidental pregnancy.

You hear of these a lot, yet it's never happened for me. I've never TTC so I have no idea but I'm starting to worry, though I'm maybe just paranoid. Any advice?

I wouldn't worry. I had regular sex from the age of eighteen, using condoms (hormonal contraception never worked well for me), without any pregnancies or pregnancy scares, and I conceived the first month of trying aged 39.

Thank you! And that's great news.

I have never been pregnant, spent many years using contraception and never got pregnant when I was actively trying. I am a mum, though I have two children through adoption.

Same (except 38 rather than 39)

Before TTC at age 27 I never had any pregnancy scares. I fell pregnant with my first within the first month of trying, second was within 3 cycles and I'm currently 22 weeks with my only accidental pregnancy after we had unprotected sex once

I had my first child at 33 and had never been pregnant before ,and i know a lot of wonen with similar experieces.

Until I was 32, I was the same as you. I assumed it was because I was very diligent about contraception, and if there was ever a broken condom etc, I always bought the morning after pill.

I then started TTC. I lost 3 pregnancies, then had rounds of IVF. No cause was ever found, although later on, I was told my 'eggs were old'. My case is rare though because I won't have my own children now. TTC 12yrs.

It can actually be difficult to conceive, even if healthy and not using contraception. Sometimes, the chances are slim and that is why they don't start testing until TTC 12mths if under 35. It doesn't mean you have anything wrong with you OP.

To be honest, I was totally taken aback! I thought it would take months, at the very least, and was reconciled to the possibility it would never happen. DH and I sat on the edge of the bath looking at the line and saying 'Seriously??

I never had any accidental pregnancies before I had my children, despite some fairly reckless behaviour. All 3 of my pregnancies ( 2 live children) conceived in my 30's after 2-3 months of trying.

No pregnancy scares despite some missed pills and a few split condom incidents. I now have two kids. Had the first at 34 and the second at 37. Fell pregnant the second month trying each time.

Thanks everyone !

Was on the pill from age 17. Had an ectopic pregnancy (not on the pill then) aged 25. Had one ovary and fallopian tube removed. Gave birth a year later and had another baby aged 35 x

Similar story to @StrongLazyVague as had never even had a scare previously, but first month of TTC and bam! We had thought it would take at least a year, I think my husband was a bit disappointed that there was less trying! 😆

I was having regular sex from the age of 17 to 33 before I started TTC.

I was on the pill for 4 years, then the contraceptive implant for 9 years, then just used condoms for a few months, then got a copper coil for about 3 years.

I never once had any kind of pregnancy scare. I then conceived 6 times in 9 cycles (recurrent miscarriages) before having my first baby at age 35, used condoms for a year, then got pregnant first cycle trying for baby 2 at age 36, and have now got a copper coil again.

I think genuine accidental pregnancies when you are using contraception properly are very rare.

I read countless threads on here where people explain that their third, fourth and fifth babies were all conceived when they were on the pill, or that the reason they got pregnant three weeks into a new relationship was because their coil fell out, and I just think, "Yeah, right. You can't all be in the 0.1%."

Contraception works.

I used the pill for 15 years with no unplanned pregnancies and got pregnant aged 33 with no issues. The pill is over 99% reliable with perfect use and it sounds like you take it sensibly. The circumstances where other people I've known have had unplanned pregnancies have all been situations where they used condoms (less reliable due to splits), were more disorganised with taking a pill or didn't actually use contraception at all! I think many of them didn't mind getting pregnant either so weren't very motivated to prevent it.

I had DS1 at 36 and prior to that never had any pregnancy scares or accidents! It took about 6 months to conceive him.

However DS2 took a long time - about 4 years in total with several miscarriages. I have no idea why as both boys had totally different conception journeys.

Good luck 😊

I was never pregnant until I started trying age 31. First baby, it took just one month and second baby five months. So I really wouldn’t worry!

I wouldn’t worry. And important to remember that a ‘pregnancy scare’ is very different to falling pregnant. Scares are fears because you’re late or you’re just worried afterwards for any number of factors. But a pregnancy scare by definition is the build up to something than then comes to nothing - ‘oh no I’m worried I might be pregnant’, then leading to, ‘oh thank goodness, I’m not!’.

The other thing is actually falling pregnant and that then leads to other things.

So really you need to take scares out of the equation and ask, has anyone fallen pregnant without planning to?

A lot of people fall pregnant without wanting or trying to. And lots of people don’t. Lots of people go through their lives without falling pregnant before they want to and then fall pregnant easily once they start trying. And a lot of people never fall pregnant or struggle to and eventually do and some people fall pregnant without wanting to. And some people decide to continue pregnancies and others terminate and many lose babies.

What I’m saying is everyone is different and has different experiences. We might share similar or near identical experiences, but we shouldn’t base expectations or fears on what’s happened to others or indeed what’s happened to us before.

If I've understood correctly, what the OP is concerned about is the fact that she's never had an accidental pregnancy whilst using contraception correctly, and wondering whether that means she's actually infertile.

If you believe everything you read on Mumsnet you'd be forgiven for thinking that the pill has a 50% failure rate.

It doesn't.

Although no one can tell the OP whether she will be able to conceive once she starts trying or not, the fact that she has never become pregnant whilst using contraception probably just means she has actually been using contraception properly. The whole point of contraception is that you are not supposed to get pregnant whilst using it.

Yes, and I’ve responded to that. But the OP also says: ‘However I've never to my knowledge had a pregnancy scare or an accidental pregnancy.’ To which I’m pointing out that having a pregnancy ‘scare’ has nothing to do with anything because it’s purely based on one’s own fears rather then anything actually happening at all. A pregnancy scare (or a pregnancy hope) leads to being pregnant or not being pregnant. There’s no middle ground there.

I wouldn’t worry OP. I had protected sex from 17 to my early 30s and conceived both of my kids on the first try.

I had two friends who were together for four years in their 20’s and never used contraception. No pregnancy scares.

they split, married different people. One has 2 kids and the other 3 with no bother.

pregnancy is due to many things - contraception, health, timing and compatibility.

I suppose you could call a late period a pregnancy scare, at a stretch. But in these days of super sensitive pregnancy tests, if your period is late why wouldn't you just do a pregnancy test, and then as you say, you're either pregnant or not pregnant. And if course if you're on the pill there's no such thing as a "late period" anyway.

Not that I know of. Never been on any contraceptive either.

Never been pregnant until I started trying age 35. Got pregnant first month (miscarriage) and then got pregnant with my DS 11 months later.