See your healthcare provider You can lay the groundwork for a healthy pregnancy even before you get pregnant. You’re more likely to have a successful pregnancy when your body is up to the task. Schedule a preconception checkup with a doctor or midwife to find out whether you’re in your best baby-making shape – and to learn what changes may help.

You may not be able to get an appointment right away or resolve any health issues immediately, but taking these steps as soon as possible can help you conceive more easily in the long run.

 Plan for a healthy pregnancy When you’re trying to conceive, eat nutritious foods, maintain a healthy weight, get regular exercise, and try to kick any bad habits (like drinking, smoking, or using drugs). Limit your caffeine intake.

At your preconception appointment, discuss any medications you’re taking and find out if they’ll be safe to use during pregnancy.

You can dramatically reduce the risk of certain birth defects if you begin taking folic acid at least one month before you start trying to conceive.

Find out what else you can do ahead of time to give your baby a healthy start.

Figure out when you ovulateThe biggest secret to getting pregnant quickly is knowing when you ovulate (release an egg from your ovary).

You ovulate only once each menstrual cycle, and there are just a few days during that time when it’s possible to conceive. Knowing when you ovulate means that you and your partner can time intercourse to have the best chance of getting pregnant that cycle.

You can use a few different methods to figure out when you ovulate. Our article on predicting ovulation walks you through them. This ovulation calculator also does the math for you by determining when you’re most likely to be fertile.

(If you have irregular periods, pinpointing ovulation could be difficult. Then you have to ask your Doctor for advice.)

Have sex at the right time Once you know the time frame your egg is likely to be released from your ovary, you can plan to have sex during your most fertile days, which is usually about three days before ovulation through the day you ovulate.

You have a range of days for baby-making sex because sperm can survive for three to six days in your body. (Your egg survives for only about a day.) That means if you have sex on Monday, sperm can survive in your fallopian tubes until Thursday – or even as late as Sunday.

If you’re not sure when your fertile period will be, just have sex every other day. This means you’ll have healthy sperm in your fallopian tubes whenever your egg gets released.

(If you want to have sex more often than every other day, that’s fine. It won’t improve your chances any more, but it won’t hurt, either.)

Another tip: If you and your partner are waiting to have sex until your most fertile time, make sure you haven’t gone through too long of a dry spell beforehand. Your partner should ejaculate at least once in the days just before your most fertile period. Otherwise there could be a buildup of dead sperm in his semen.