Getting Pregnant
You’ll dramatically reduce the risk of certain birth defects if you begin taking folic acid at least one month before you start trying to conceive. 
The biggest secret to getting pregnant is knowing when you ovulate (release an egg from your ovary).
Since you ovulate once each menstrual cycle, there are only a few days out of each cycle when sex can actually lead to pregnancy. Knowing when you ovulate means that you and your partner can identify the best time and then aim for it.
The easiest way to estimate when you’ll ovulate is to count back. First, figure out what day your next period will probably start. (If your period is very irregular, this method won’t work for you.)
A more accurate way to figure out when you ovulate is to track the patterns in your body temperature and your vaginal discharge for a cycle or two.
Temperature
If you pay attention to these cues and jot them down each day, you may start to see a pattern that can help you predict when you’ll ovulate next.
You won’t feel the change, but a few days after you ovulate, your basal body temperature rises. (Your basal body temperature, or BBT, is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour period.) This tiny uptick is only 0.4 to 1.0 degree Fahrenheit. You can detect it by taking your BBT every morning with a special thermometer.
Vaginal discharge
The discharge you’ll be tracking is cervical mucus, which changes substantially during your cycle. For most of the month, you may have very little of it and feel dry. But as you approach ovulation, you’ll notice much more cervical mucus. It’ll be clear, slippery, and stretchy – kind of like raw egg whites.
Test your hormone levels
The most accurate method for predicting ovulation is testing your hormone levels with an ovulation predictor kit (OPK).
These pee-on-a-stick tests give you a positive result the day before you ovulate, giving you time to plan ahead for baby-making sex. They work by telling you when your level of luteinizing hormone (LH) has gone up, which means one of your ovaries will soon release an egg.
From that day, count back 12 days and then another four. You’re most likely to ovulate during this five-day range. If you’re one of the many women who have a 28-day cycle, there’s a good chance you’ll ovulate on day 14. (Day 1 is the first day of your period; day 28 is the last day before day 1 of your next period.)
Once you know when your egg will be released from your ovary, you can plan to have sex during your most fertile days: from three days before ovulation through the day of ovulation.
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, waiting for an egg to float by, until around Thursday – or maybe even as late as Sunday.
How long to try before seeking help
If you’re going to get pregnant naturally, it’s very likely to happen within the first three months. About 6 out of 10 couples have conceived by then.
After that, how long you should keep trying before you seek help from a fertility specialist depends in large part on your age. Fertility declines as you get older, so if you’re over 40, get help from an expert right away. If you’re 35 to 40, talk to a specialist after you’ve tried for six months with no luck. And if you’re under 35, it’s probably fine to keep trying for a year before seeking assistance.
See the Top Tips for Conception to increase your chances of getting pregnant as well as getting a pre pregnancy check-up.