I am 23 years old, and my husband is 30. What is the chance that I will conceive in any one month? How long does it take for couples our age, on average? How long should we try before we consider infertility testing?

R.G.

The chances of conception vary by age. At your age, your odds of conception are about 25 percent each month. Here are the statistics:

• Odds of getting pregnant in a given month, by age:
• early 20s: up to 25 percent
  
• late 20s and early 30s: up to 15 percent
  
• late 30s: up to 10 percent
  

Number of women who achieve pregnancy within the first year of trying, by age:

• early 20s: 94 percent
  
• late 20s and early 30s: 70-85 percent
  
• late 30s: 65-70 percent
  

Average number of months to conception, by age:

• early 20s: 4-5 months
  
• late 20s: 5-7 months
  
• early 30s: 7-10 months
  
• late 30s: 10-12 months
  

If you have not conceived after a year, it would be appropriate to consider fertility testing. Your initial evaluation will consist of a medical history, a physical examination and a transvaginal ultrasound exam. The next steps are a semen analysis for your partner and a hysterosalpingogram X-ray to evaluate your fallopian tubes. After reviewing these findings, your physician may request additional testing or suggest treatment. If all the tests are normal, you may wish to delay treatment for an additional six months.