Unexplained Infertility: When You’re Told Everything’s Fine, But You Still Can’t Get Pregnant

There’s something uniquely cruel about being told that everything looks “perfect” when nothing is working.

For many people trying to conceive, the term unexplained infertility lands like a fog. The tests are normal. Hormones are balanced. Tubes are open. Sperm is good. But month after month—still nothing.

It’s not just confusing. It’s emotionally exhausting. And for some, like Chloe Fisher—who has shared her story so vulnerably on the Life Uncut podcast—it becomes a diagnosis that doesn’t explain anything, except why hope is starting to hurt.

“Everything came back normal… and that in itself kills me. I hate being told you’re just unlucky. I wanted something to be wrong—something I could fix.”
— Chloe Fisher, Life Uncut Podcast, 25 July 2023

“Unexplained” Isn’t Gentle—It’s Devastating

At first glance, it might sound like a relief. If everything is fine, surely it’s just a matter of time, right?

But time becomes a source of grief.

Every cycle becomes a silent gamble. Every symptom—hopeful or not—leads nowhere. And when IVF is introduced, it’s often with the same ambiguity: “Let’s just try and see.”

Chloe described it well:

“I still don’t really know what’s wrong. I feel healthy. My periods were normal. There were no red flags. But here I am—four years later.”
— Chloe Fisher

As a therapist with lived experience of infertility, I deeply understand how this feels. 

It took ten years for me to have my child. It took multiple miscarriages and heartbreak. It also took a great deal of resilience to keep on going. I can clearly recall the intense sense of longing and loneliness while I struggled. This is one of the more motivating reasons that I have developed both individual and group sessions for people facing unexplained infertility. 

A Diagnosis That Feels Like a Shrug

In most cases, unexplained infertility is only diagnosed after 12 months of trying (6 months if you’re over 35), with no identifiable medical reason for subfertility. It’s essentially a process of exclusion.

But that exclusion doesn’t come with a plan. And the longer you go without answers, the more you start to question everything—from your body to your worth.

“You’re told you’re perfectly healthy. But then you think—so why can’t I do this? Why is my body not doing the one thing I thought it was built for?”
— Chloe Fisher

You’re Not Alone in the Unknown

It can be difficult to talk about unexplained infertility—especially when nothing is “technically” wrong. But that doesn’t make it any less real. In fact, it might make it harder.

You’re navigating a medical mystery. You’re managing grief with no funeral. And often, you’re doing it silently.

“I was hurting so bad… I thought if I could just help one person by saying, ‘I’m going through this too,’ then it’s worth sharing.”
— Chloe Fisher

A Moment to Reflect

If you’re living in this space—where the tests say yes, but your body keeps saying no—please know this:

You are not broken. You are not alone. You are not making this up.

What has unexplained infertility made you feel about yourself?
Write it down. Say it out loud. Or share it with someone who gets it.

Ready for support?