A possible explanation could be that Mary had been shunned by their community. I’m no biblical scholar, but I know unmarried, pregnant women would have been considered unclean by Orthodox Jewish communities such as the one Mary lived in. It’s entirely possible Joseph – who was given a dream by God about Mary’s virtue – brought her because nobody else would want to be associated with her. Further proof of this is the fact Mary was apparently given no help by her family when travelling the long journey to her cousin Elizabeth’s home.