Some pregnancies happen without planning. But for couples who are ready to become parents, myriad strategies exist to ensure that the process of conceiving is as effective and stress-free as possible. From maintaining a healthy diet to visiting the doctor, both men and women can take steps to make sure their fertility is at its peak.

Track Ovulation

One of the best ways to go about getting pregnant is to figure out when ovulation happens. First of all, stop taking birth control several months before you intend to get pregnant. A woman’s natural menstruation cycle might not happen on the 28-day clock of a birth control pill, so give it a few months to regulate. Then, by monitoring temperature and using tests to find your most fertile days.

Drink Less Alcohol

Obviously, women who are already pregnant shouldn’t drink. But women who want to become pregnant should cut out most alcohol as well. Women who drink are less fertile than women who don’t. Alcohol doesn’t only affect a woman’s fertility, either. Men should cut back on drinking as well, since testosterone and sperm count go down the more a man drinks. Plus, it’s good to get in the habit of not drinking, because once you’re pregnant, you won’t be able to anyway.

Start Physically Preparing

For the ladies, drinking less or not at all is only one of many ways to start preparing the body to house a little bundle of joy. Get a check-up and talk to your doctor about getting pregnant. He or she will be able to give you the best personalized advice for how to go about it. A good diet and an exercise regimen are great ideas as well, since women who are underweight or overweight are less likely to conceive. Stay away from toxins in your environment as well, like second-hand smoke and some cleaning products. For more information about getting pregnant, visit sites like https://yourlovingchoices.org/.

Heighten Sperm Count

Guys — making sure your fertility is at its max is just as important as tracking ovulation, and men should do some of the same things as women to help fertility. To boost male fertility, one of the first things you want to do is quit smoking. The toxins in cigarettes are bad for sperm and sperm DNA. As with your female partners, good diet and the right amount of exercise is important in maintaining a healthy sperm count.

Have Sex Often

It might seem obvious, but having sex often is important. That doesn’t mean having sex every day, but it also means having sex more than just around ovulation, though that’s the most optimum time. The goal is to ensure sperm is present during ovulation, and sex every few days is the best way to achieve those odds. An egg only lives for up to 24 hours in the fallopian tube, but sperm can live for five days. So, even if you miss having sex on the day of ovulation, having sex every few days makes it that much more likely that one of those sperm will meet the egg.

Fertility Treatments

If conception just isn’t happening naturally, it might be time to think about fertility treatments. Treatment options exist for both men and women, since infertility happens equally often in men and women. Once the source of infertility is determined (if that information is possible to discover), myriad options exist, ranging from oral medication to IVF to donor eggs and sperm.

Enjoy Yourself

Welcoming a baby into the world is a joyous occurrence, and the process of conceiving that baby should be enjoyable. Doctors now believe that stress plays a role in infertility. Instead of worrying about when it’ll happen, enjoy the process and look forward to being parents as much as you can. Conceiving goes differently for every couple. But strategies like tracking ovulation and keeping sperm count at optimum levels are good practices for beginning the journey toward conception. Enjoying the process, staying healthy, and looking into fertility treatments if things don’t go your way are all important steps to take to reach the goal of welcoming a new baby into your family.

Guest Contributor Amanda Brown is a freelance writer whom enjoys playing and coaching volleyball. She loves her friends and family including her dog, Charlie; as well as traveling all around the world.