Even when each potential parent produces and releases healthy sperm or egg cells, there is no guarantee they’ll be able to create a pregnancy. First of all, insemination has to be timed very carefully with ovulation or it won’t be successful. In a typical twenty-eight-day menstrual cycle, the fertile period is just three days long in the very best of scenarios, with twenty-four to thirty-six hours being the more common window of opportunity. This means that even perfectly fertile couples usually have to try for months before the female conceives.
