You've yet to hear a single tick-tock, but lurking beneath your killer abs is a biological clock that will start buzzing eventually – and you can only hit the snooze button so many times.

So what do you do if you're not ready to push out a baby right this second but think you'll want to become a mom someday? Luckily, fertility isn't a total crap-shoot. And though you can't put off pregnancy indefinitely, there's plenty you can do to help keep your body in peak baby-making form.

Watch Your Diet

What's good for your arteries is also good for your eggs. In a recent study, the fat intake of nearly 18 000 women was tracked as they tried to get pregnant. Women who gobbled more healthy unsaturated fats (think olive oil and avocados) were less likely to experience infertility due to ovulation problems than those whose diets contained more Trans fats.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Stress interferes with the brain's bulletins that tell your ovaries to do their monthly job. If you're someone prone to stress and anxiety, figure out a calm-down solution that works for you, whether it's going through a few yoga poses or thrashing around to the Foo Fighters, finding your calm is good news for your rolling out healthy eggs.

Get Tested Regularly

You were probably worried about getting pregnant that night the condom broke, but if he slipped you an infection that went untreated, you might have the opposite worry later on. "STDs can cause scarring in your reproductive organs, blocking your fallopian tubes," says Dr Sherman Silber. The tubes can also end up filled with fluid (a residual effect of the infection) that can prevent implantation of an embryo.

Clear the Air

Sucking on Marlboro Lights can make your eggs go up in smoke.

"Smoking constricts blood vessels, including those that feed the ovaries, which accelerates the loss of eggs," Silber says.

You say you know lots of smoking mommies who fell pregnant, no problem? "Sure, women who smoke can get pregnant – when they're young," Silber says. "But smoking can cause you to become infertile earlier than you would as a non-smoker."

Pick a Winner

If you're in a monogamous relationship, get on – or stay on – the Pill. Oral contraceptives can cut your risk of fertility-damaging conditions like pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, and endometrial cancer. And because women on the Pill aren't ovulating, their risk of ovarian cysts and ovarian cancer is also reduced. More good news: "Many women get pregnant the next cycle after quitting," Silber says.

Count Your Eggs

During your next Pap, Silber says, ask about getting a vaginal ultrasound to determine your antral follicle count – an estimate of how many eggs you have left. Female fertility is a numbers game: you're born with all the eggs you'll ever have, and in addition to the one or two that are released during ovulation, others are dying off as you age. Some women have enough good eggs to last well into their forties; others run out sooner. If your count is low, you might consider putting your ova on ice.