If you have been trying to conceive for a while without success, you might be wondering when you should contact a fertility specialist. Some people in your life might be telling you "just relax" and it will happen in good time. Others might be telling you to seek out professional assistance right away. How do you know when to seek medical assistance?

If you have been actively trying to a conceive a child, most experts consider a couple to be infertile if they fail to conceive a child as defined below:

• After one year if the woman is under age 35
• After six months if the woman is over age 35

See ABC Health & Wellbeing: Infertility for more fertility statistics.

Some health insurance companies have tried to push for a longer period of time before considering a couple to be deemed infertile. By lengthening the time that a couple must try to conceive, the insurance company increases the odds of the couple eventually conceiving and saves itself a lot of money in coverage for fertility procedures. (Be sure to check your health insurance policy because many health insurance policies exclude fertility treatments.)

Some health professionals will begin screening for fertility issues early. I was 28 when I asked my OB-GYN about fertility screening. We had only been trying to conceive for six months, but he agreed to go ahead and run some diagnostic tests.

Some couples do not feel rushed to conceive and feel comfortable in letting nature take its course. I have a friend who gave birth to three children, all spaced several years apart, with her first one born several years after she married. She says that she and her husband never used birth control, and the children just came when they were supposed to. She could have been diagnosed as infertile, but she never really thought about it. Her family simply grew as the right time came along.

I do not have that relaxed attitude about life. I suspected that I was infertile after the third month passed without conceiving, and I decided to talk with my doctor about it after six months. I would not have taken it well if I had been told that I had to wait six more months to figure out if something was wrong.

If you feel comfortable with letting nature take its course, there is nothing wrong with waiting to seek out a fertility specialist. However, if you are chomping at the bit to have a baby, try asking your doctor if he will start screening for fertility issues now. The worst thing that will happen is that he will tell you to wait a little longer.

Related Topics:

• In My Late 30s... Do I Have A Chance?
• Which Insurance Will Cover Infertility?

Photo credit: Rosanne Mooney