Trouble Getting Pregnant: 6 Surprising Reasons So Many Women Struggle

If you’re having trouble getting pregnant, you are not imagining that this feels more common than it used to. It isn’t just your social media feed making it seem that way. The numbers are real, and so are the reasons behind them. Here’s an honest look at what’s actually driving this, medically, environmentally, spiritually, and even within the healthcare system itself.

The Numbers Are Real, and They’re Rising

Recent research projects that infertility among women ages 35 to 49 will climb to nearly 80 million cases globally by 2036, up sharply from about 53.6 million in 2023. The sharpest increase is expected among women in their late 30s, driven largely by more women trying to conceive later in life than previous generations did. Trouble getting pregnant at 35 or older isn’t a personal failure. It’s a documented, population-level shift.

Trouble Getting Pregnant Has Been Part of the Human Story Since the Beginning

Long before modern medicine had language for infertility, it was already woven into some of the oldest stories we have. Sarah waited decades before Isaac was born. Rachel grieved years of barrenness before Joseph. Hannah wept and prayed at the temple, misunderstood by those around her, before Samuel came. Elizabeth carried both the label of “barren” and, later, the miracle of John the Baptist, well past the age anyone expected. Trouble getting pregnant is not a modern crisis born from broken bodies or broken faith. It is an ancient, deeply human experience, one that scripture treats with unusual honesty, naming the grief, the waiting, and the eventual redemption without rushing past any of it.

Environmental Exposure Is a Growing, Newer Piece of the Puzzle

A significant body of 2025-2026 research has linked everyday chemical exposure, including BPA, phthalates, PFAS, and microplastics found in plastics, food packaging, and personal care products, to disrupted hormone function and reduced ovarian reserve. This is a relatively new area of concern that simply wasn’t part of the fertility conversation a generation ago, and it may help explain part of why trouble getting pregnant is showing up in younger, otherwise healthy women more than expected.

What You Eat Genuinely Affects Your Fertility, More Than Most People Realize

Diet isn’t a fringe factor in fertility, it’s an increasingly well-documented one. Research consistently shows that diets high in trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and added sugar are associated with worse fertility outcomes, while Mediterranean-style eating patterns rich in vegetables, healthy fats, fiber, and lean protein are linked to improved pregnancy and live birth rates, including in women using assisted reproductive technology. Specific nutrients matter too: adequate folate, vitamin D, iron, and antioxidants support healthy ovulation and implantation, while deficiencies are tied to disrupted cycles. This doesn’t mean diet alone causes or cures infertility, but it does mean what’s on your plate is a genuine, modifiable piece of the picture.

Many OBGYNs Aren’t Completing the Workup They’re Actually Supposed To

Here’s something rarely talked about openly: according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, women experiencing trouble getting pregnant should typically receive an initial fertility workup from their OBGYN first, including ovarian reserve testing, evaluation of ovulatory function, and imaging, before ever being referred out. In practice, this often doesn’t happen. Many women spend months or years with their OBGYN before finally being referred to a fertility specialist, only to have that specialist repeat tests that could have been started at the OBGYN level far earlier. This isn’t usually malice. It’s often a systemic gap in coordination between general women’s health care and reproductive endocrinology. But it costs patients real time, and time is the one thing fertility doesn’t wait for.

Awareness Is Higher, and That’s Part of the Story Too

Part of why infertility feels more visible now is genuinely positive: less stigma, more open conversation, and more people seeking help than in past generations who may have quietly struggled without ever naming it. More people testing and treating trouble getting pregnant means more people appearing in the statistics, even though the struggle itself isn’t new.

This Is a Shared Female Experience, Even Among Women Who “Have It All”

Trouble getting pregnant doesn’t discriminate by success, wealth, or public image, and some of the most powerful women in the world have said so publicly. Michelle Obama shared in her memoir Becoming that she suffered a miscarriage in her mid-30s and went on to conceive both of her daughters through IVF, later saying she felt “lost and alone” at the time simply because no one talked openly about how common it was. Kim Kardashian experienced placenta accreta, a serious complication, during her first two pregnancies, and was ultimately advised by doctors that carrying another pregnancy wasn’t safe, leading her to use a gestational surrogate for her younger two children. Beyoncé has spoken about experiencing multiple miscarriages before the birth of her daughter Blue Ivy, and later faced preeclampsia while carrying her twins. These women had access to the best medical care in the world, and trouble getting pregnant still found them. It’s a reminder that this experience crosses every income bracket, every level of achievement, and every kind of life. No woman is exempt, and no woman should feel alone in it.

A Gentle Reminder

Trouble getting pregnant sits at the intersection of biology, environment, healthcare systems, and something far older and more spiritual than any of those alone can explain. You are not broken, behind, or forgotten. Sarah waited. Hannah wept and was heard. Elizabeth carried both shame and miracle in the same body. Whatever season you’re in, you are part of a story much bigger, and much older, than the statistics or the tests can capture.

You might also want to read:

• What Not to Say to Someone With Infertility: How to Avoid Causing Unintentional Hurt
• Multiple IVF Failures: 6 Honest Truths No One Prepares You For
• 7 Empowering Ways to Conquer Fertility Treatment Costs with Confidence