Wanting to become a parent for the first, second or (with courage)a third time involves more than wishful fulfilment.

First you have to get pregnant and , with so many couples delaying childbearing until their 30's, and even later, becoming pregnant can be problematic. In any given cycle, women have about a 10 to 20 per cent chance of conceiving, with age playing a large part.

Most doctors suggest that a couple needn't discuss conception with their GP or ob-gyn until they have had unprotected intercourse for a full year without a resulting pregnancy;. But while this is advice may be fine for people in their 20's, couples in their 30's must be more proactive, says Toni Weschler, author of Taking Charge Of Your Fertility. In her opinion, waiting a full year wastes valuable time at a point in their reproductive lives when they cannot afford to do so. Also, waiting a full year produces undue stress every month. And, finally, it is totally unnecessary to try haphazardly to get pregnant, when you can so easily pinpoint when you are most fertile every cycle.

If a couple want to conceive, first chart the female partner's cycle. Then, if she doesn't get pregnant within about four months of timing sex perfectly, she is nearly a year ahead of the game in terms of being able to identify potential problems in her cycle.

Charting fertility involves observing the two primary fertility indicators: waking temperature and cervical fluid. For advice on how to do it, talk to your doctor.