Can a cold/flu affect conception? :(

[IcyStar1]

Help, my fiancé's housemate has a "viral infection" which could meaning anything so I hope it's not covid. She's bunged up, has a sore throat and headache. I just know I'm going to catch it. Will it affect my chances of conception? :sweat:

@IcyStar1 if you have a flu or even Covid, it can delay your ovulation. Happened to me more than once. But I don't know if it affects the ability of getting pregnant. I'd assume the chances are lower because your body is busy with fighting the viruses.

I've just had a positive ovulation test so I think I'm ovulating now or tomorrow but just worried this will mess everything up from now :(

@IcyStar1 you're not sick though are you? You're gonna be fine :)

This is quite an extreme reaction to be worried? Any context as to why this would be so devastating not to conceive this month?

No idea in normal circumstances but I woke up with a stinking cold the morning of egg collection for ivf. We got 4 good embryos, one of whom is asleep aged 3 in my blooming bed despite having his own, and the other 3 are frozen and hopefully one going back in later this month. So in my experience, not a worry conception wise. Covid wise I’d keep away in case.

I had caught a cold from work which affected every one else minimally and me really badly and I still got pregnant 2 months ago.

I had a bad cold when I conceived my daughter. I remember saying to my husband that I couldn't be bothered but we might as well try.

@1940s

This is quite an extreme reaction to be worried? Any context as to why this would be so devastating not to conceive this month?

Really?! Wow.

@1940s

This is quite an extreme reaction to be worried? Any context as to why this would be so devastating not to conceive this month?

This is insensitive!

It's not insensitive at all. I'm currently battling infertility and feel a bit flat if I think a month is 'missed' but this seems a highly sensitive reaction. You're not sick. Your partner isn't sick. You don't even suspect it to be Covid. Surely there's more context here?

If you said 'this is our last month trying naturally prior to doing IVF' or 'my fiancé is about to leave for a different country for 6 months' I'd understand the context. If you said this is your second month TTC then I think you're being irrationally anxious as you're both currently in good health.

I think @1940s reply could have been worded more sensitively but I do echo the concern that this seems to be a very anxious reaction to someone else having a cold.

I agree @1940s. It took us nearly a year to conceive DD and while I felt really sad/grumpy on the couple of months where I don’t think I ovulated, I didn’t experience this kind of panic. OP, very gently, stressing out like this is more likely to impact things than the relatively minor risk from a cold.

A friend of a friend got pregnant whilst ill with covid, so not a hard and fast no!

I don't think @1940s was insensitive. I think you'll be fine OP. I know it's not what you asked, but wouldn't it be easier to conceive if you lived together and not with a sickly housemate?