stay fertile till you're ready

If you want to fall pregnant in a year, do everything on the lists before plus...

Save Your Kilojoules For Ice Cream Our favourite bit of health news ever: if you add one serving of full-cream dairy to your diet each day you can actually increase your chances of falling pregnant, according to Chavarro's research. So feel free to pour full-cream milk over your cereal instead of your usual low-fat option. There is, however, one caveat. "You have to make adjustments to the rest of your diet so you don't gain weight," Chavarro says. He also stresses that this should not be a lifelong change – once there's a bun in your oven, you can go back to drinking two percent and eating low-fat frozen yoghurt.

Rethink Your Birth Control Now that you're getting closer to wanting a little munchkin, it's time to think about what's prevented you from having one in the past. Barrier methods (such as condoms or a diaphragm) are easy: simply stop using them the day you're ready to fall pregnant. If you have an intrauterine device (IUD, also known as the coil), your fertility will return as soon as your doctor takes it out. The same goes for Pill users: whether you've been taking it for one year or 20, don't believe the rumour that it'll be months before your ovulation revs up, says Nosarka. "Women may have a few irregular cycles at first, but ovulation can happen within two weeks after you toss your last pack." But, she points out, there is one form of birth control that takes time to exit your system: if you've had Depo-Provera injections, it can take up to 12 months to become fertile again.

Cut Down On Booze And Caffeine Some studies show that having one to five alcoholic drinks per week can reduce your chances of conceiving that month by as much as 50 percent. While other studies have found little connection between moderate drinking and fertility, Chavarro points out that sobriety certainly can't hurt – and it may even help. While you're at it, cut back on the triple-shot lattes. Although there is no real consensus, some studies suggest that consuming more than 300mg of caffeine a day (about two 250ml cups of regular coffee) may increase your risk of endometriosis or Fallopian tube problems.

Reduce Stress "There's nothing a couple trying to get pregnant wants to hear less than, 'Relax, you're trying too hard,'" says Nosarka. But stress can put a damper on fertility by messing with the brain signals that tell your body to ovulate. A study in the journal Human Reproduction showed that couples are more likely to conceive during months they consider themselves to be relaxed. An effective way to start reducing stress now is to focus on what you appreciate in your life today. Every day, write down three things that you love about your life (no nappies to change; the chance to spend endless, uninterrupted hours reading a great novel) and take at least 15 minutes to meditate, do yoga or listen to relaxing music. Believe us, a few years from now, when that baby you waited for is finally here and you’re groggily dealing with colic and nappy rash, these relaxation skills will come in handy!