Waiting to start......

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-22-2003
Waiting to start......
5
Thu, 09-09-2004 - 4:43pm
I had been on birth control pills for over two years and me and my husband decided to get off of them (yasmin for a year and alesse for a year). We are wanting to get started on our fourth and final child. So the first day of my last period was Aug. 6th and I stopped taking my new pack of pill after just a few days. So my last pill was on Aug. 9th. I have not even had the slightest sign that my period is even going to show up any time soon. I took a blood test to see if I was pregnant yesterday and it was neg. So what, do I just keep waiting? Do I need to talk to a doctor? I am not sure. Does no period mean no ovulation? Any advice would help.

Thank You

Catrina

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 09-09-2004 - 5:30pm
Yep! No period means no ovulation. It's not unusual when you stop taking the pill to have ovulation be delayed a couple of weeks up to a couple of months. You might consider keeping track of your basal body temperature (we can help, just ask!) to get an idea of when you start ovulating again so that you don't waste a lot of money on pregnancy tests--for the price of one you can buy a basal thermometer.

If you don't have a period after three months, then it's time to get ahold of your doctor to see what's up, until that time they may just tell you that you need to wait. It's a good time to make sure you're taking prenatal vitamins and reduce the bad stuff in your diet.

Good luck! Remember--if you want help charting your temperatures, just ask us or get the book "Taking Control of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. It can make conceiving a whole lot easier if you know when to try!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-16-2004
Thu, 09-09-2004 - 5:37pm
Coming off of BCP your ovulation and periods will be unpredictable. Basically all you can do is wait and see. If you don't get it in another week, test again. At some point, I'd probly go to the doc and get a blood test if AF didn't show up... You might think about doing the charting thing some of these ladies are doing - I know it can help you get a feel for when you're ovulating which will help you know when you should test if you aren't pregnant yet.

I know this uncertainty is why a lot of docs recommend using condoms for a few months so your cycle can settle back into a pattern and you know just when to expect AF and thus when to test!

Good luck!! Hope it goes well and that you get pregnant easily and quickly!

Susan

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-22-2003
Fri, 09-10-2004 - 12:31am
Thank You so much for all of your help. I certainly feel better and not as concerned. I really love parentsplace and I have been a lurker for awhile. Now it is nice to be the one needing help and having wonderful people there to give great advice and be so supportive.

Thanks,

Catrina

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-22-2003
Fri, 09-10-2004 - 12:36am
I would love to learn more about BBT. I have been looking at a product called Ladycomp because I love the idea of keeping track and knowing what is going on in my body but I feel I could not be any good at charting. However,I would love to explore it more. Thank You so much for your input and any info would be great.

Thanks,

Catrina

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Fri, 09-10-2004 - 9:47am
Once you get the hang of it, keeping track of your fertility signs is a breeze! I've done it for several weeks to check and see if my birth control was working, and it can be as simple as using a spreadsheet program and a thermometer, some women use a monitor to double check, but it's not necessary. There is software available that will help you interpret the results, I think Ovusoft and TCOYF (tcoyf.com) are sources. Taking Control of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is available at libraries and bookstores (I have it--it's a wonderful reference) and is an excellent book on the subject.

Your basal body temperature is the lowest temperature that your body will see in the course of a day. It is taken as soon as you wake up, before you get out of bed. You would use a special thermometer, it's calibrated differently than a regular digital thermometer to be more accurate. If you leave the thermometer and a note pad and a pen on your nightstand, it's a 30 second task. Take your temperature, write it down, and go about your day. When you go to take a shower, you might check the position of your cervix. Some women need to squat down to find it, some can find it standing with one foot on the edge of the bathtub. During your cycle, the cervix will change position and texture depending on where you are, from an infertile state to a fertile state. And at some point in the day, you might pay attention to how your cervical mucous is (observing your underwear), if you're not near ovulation, it might be dry, sticky, pasty, etc. and closer to ovulation it may be more plentiful, it should be clearer, and it might resemble egg whites. All of these things might take you 2-3 minutes a day, and once you get a better picture of how your cycles look, for planning conception, you might need only one fertility indicator to tell you when to try.

More? Just ask!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control