Once you decide to actively try for a baby the first step is to determine when the best days to have sex are. In other words the days on which you are likely to be most fertile.

This is called fertility charting and can be done either with a diary/ calendar or with one of the many free fertility charting applications on the internet.

There are only a few days each month when a woman is fertile and charting can help to pin down when these days are most likely to occur and so increase the chances of getting pregnant.

Some people who cannot or choose not to use contraception will use this natural method to predict when they are likely to be able to have sexual intercourse and not get pregnant.

Although the general guide is that women ovulate 14 days after the first day of their last period, women are not all made from the same generic mould and no estimate can be so precise so learning your own fertility signs through fertility charting can help you to be more specific.

Although you may notice changes in your physical or emotional self which are worth charting the two main things to chart are Basal Body Temperature and cervical mucous.

During ovulation you have increased progesterone in your system which, in turn, increases your Basal Body Temperature. You can measure this daily with a special Basal Body Temperature thermometer which can be bought from most chemists/ drugstores or over the internet. You should take your temperature before you get up in the morning. You can take your temperature orally or vaginally.

Cervical mucous changes in consistency and amount during your ovulation period and the charting of this alongside your Basal Body Temperature helps to confirm your most fertile days. You can check your cervical mucous either externally (by checking your toilet tissue when you wipe) or internally (by inserting two fingers into your vagina).