After spending years trying to plan the perfect time to have children, many couples are surprised to find themselves struggling with infertility. Fertility is particularly confusing because there are so many factors at play; from the woman’s anatomy to her hormone levels and egg-quality, to a man’s sperm quality and motility, there are so many parts that need to align just right for a pregnancy to occur.

However, there are plenty of options for couples who are struggling to conceive and carry to term naturally. Tracking ovulation and menstrual cycles is the first step, but fertility specialists can help couples explore hormone therapies, or assisted in-vitro fertilization (IVF). If a specialist has identified a specific issue with egg or sperm production, couples might explore donor eggs or sperm. Finally, couples may also explore surrogacy and adoption. The point is that some couples’ paths to having a baby are not what they expected, but there are many ways to become parents if natural conception isn’t working.