If you've spent most of your adult life trying not to get pregnant, it can be very vexing when you decide you actually want to have a baby, but your body is not cooperating! For some people, getting pregnant is as easy as falling off a log, but for about half of all couples it takes longer than six months to conceive.

There are a few things you can do if you start getting bored of waiting for Mother Nature to take her time.

First, chart your cycles. Don't just put a little X on the calendar when your period is, but write down something every day about the nature of your cervical fluid (no one ever said conceiving was ladylike). Is it creamy, thin or pasty? Or, is it more like an egg white? Is the spot it makes on your underwear square or round? Basically, it's the slippery fluid that makes round spots, and that's the kind that helps sperm make their journey up to do their job. If the fluid isn't the right thickness and consistency, sperm will get trapped.

Another way to get serious about conception is to take your body temperature every day before you get out of bed with a digital thermometer. Your temperature is lower by a few tenths of a degree just before you ovulate, and is a few tenths higher after. If you chart your temperature you can time intercourse for the day before your temperature is due to rise.

Next, get a checkup, and take your chart to your care provider. He or she will be able to help you interpret it, and can give you advice. You'll also be checked for any signs of vaginal infections or conditions that might make conception or pregnancy more difficult for you.

You may also want to send your husband in for a checkup. His sperm count is critical to the whole process. Drinking alcohol, smoking, drug use, wearing confining underpants and soaking in hot tubs can all devastate a man's sperm count. Or, it may just be low to begin with.

While it's true that it only takes one sperm to get you pregnant, sperm work in teams and help each other during the marathon swim to the finish. Make sure yours is a boxer's man, and that he stays out of bars. Tell him to inform his care provider of any medications he is taking, because common and seemingly unrelated substances can affect sperm count.

Check your chemical intake and your own lifestyle too. Some drugs, such as allergy medicines, and cough remedies can affect fertility by changing your cervical fluid's consistency. Tell your care provider about any over-the-counter drugs, herbal supplements or medicated skin creams that you use regularly. If you've taken a Depo-Provera shot, conception won't work until the hormones clear your system.

If you're trying to conceive, don't smoke, drink alcohol in moderation or not at all, and exercise regularly to keep your body fit and your weight healthy. Take a vitamin supplement and/or eat breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid and B-vitamins. Keep your mental and physical stress level low by avoiding conflict and practicing low-impact exercises like walking, swimming or yoga.

At home (or wherever), also practice your Kegel exercises. Having strong PC muscles (the muscles that surround your vagina and rectum) will help push cervical fluid down in to the vagina where it's needed most, and will help you hold in sperm to increase your chances of conceiving.

The timing of intercourse may increase your chances of having a boy or girl. An exact science it isn't, but worth a try if you both agree that you have a gender preference.

If you want a girl, shoot for sex about 12 hours before you're due to ovulate. The sperm that makes girls is heavier and slower moving, but also longer lasting. If you want a boy, try to conceive during or after ovulation, which will favor the faster-swimming but more delicate male sperm.

If you still can't conceive after six months to a year of trying, you and your partner should go back to your health care provider for further evaluation, and possibly a referral to a fertility specialist. Know that for some couples, it may just take longer.

Some moms suspect that they are actually getting pregnant, particularly if their temperatures are staying up between when they ovulate and have their periods, rather than dropping. It could be the fertilized egg is having difficulty implanting. If so this is actually good news-about 40 percent of fertilized eggs naturally fail to implant, but now you know that you can get pregnant. The odds are on your side that your luck will turn around very soon.

If you're worried about trying to conceive because you've had a miscarriage in the past, know that if you're relatively young (as in below your late thirties) and don't have a medical condition, your miscarriage was almost certainly due to nothing more than bad luck-missing information in the cells' genetic code. Give yourself plenty of time to grieve and get over your experience, but don't be afraid to try again.

About the Authors
	Sandy Jones and Marcie Jones are nationally-known pregnancy and baby care experts and best-selling authors. Their pregnancy book: Great Expectations: Your All-in-One Resource for Pregnancy & Childbirth, is available from Barnes & Noble.com. Click here to buy your copy today!