[pearlieq]

The nice thing is that a lot of the basics for infertility testing/treatment are cheap and/or covered by insurance.

If a couple is having frequent relations for a year (or 6 months if they are older) and have not been able to get pregnant it's usually recommended they get checked out.

The first easy and cheap thing the woman can do is keep track of her cycle. Check out a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility from the library or just google "fertility charting". That will give you a basic outline of how to track and chart your cycle and how to keep track of signs of ovulation/fertility. You and/or your doctor should be able to tell if you're ovulating regularly from your charts and will be able to get lots of useful information.

Also, a basic semen analysis for the man is pretty easy, inexpensive, and minimally invasive. Having that done can rule out a lot of problems quickly.

Once you have that basic information, you can either move ahead with corrections or continue futher medical treatment.

One fairly common condition that causes trouble with women trying to get pregnant is PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). It can cause women to ovulate infrequently or not at all. Some clues that you might have PCOS: Irregular, infrequent periods, overweight, excess hair on arms, chest, or face, trouble with adult acne, and brown patches of skin. You may not have all of these, but if you've got more than one, it's probably something to ask your doctor about. The good news is that a lot of progress has been made in treating PCOS--it can often be treated with very inexpensive medications and lifestyle changes.

Best of luck to you!