Birth Control and pregnancy
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Birth Control and pregnancy
| Thu, 11-18-2004 - 1:29pm |
Hello!
I have been on the pill for more than 5 years. It has been very effective! Now what do i do? How long do i have to stop taking the pill in order to get pregnant? Also, i had a problem when i was younger that may or may not effect my chances of getting pregnant. I do want children and i honestly want them soon! Is there a way of increasing my chances of getting pregnant? Thanks,
I have been on the pill for more than 5 years. It has been very effective! Now what do i do? How long do i have to stop taking the pill in order to get pregnant? Also, i had a problem when i was younger that may or may not effect my chances of getting pregnant. I do want children and i honestly want them soon! Is there a way of increasing my chances of getting pregnant? Thanks,

Most women, when coming off of the pill, can get pregnant within a few months of stopping. So make sure that you`re definitely ready for the little one before you stop using birth control and try to conceive! Some women have gotten pregnant the month after stopping and sometimes it can take to up a year. It just depends on a lot of factors. It may take a few cycles for your body to return to its normal cycle and begin the process of ovulation again. Just be patient if it doesn`t happen immediately. :)
There`s really no way to increase your chances of pregnancy, hon. Getting pregnant is the easy part! Just think, with no birth control, 80-90% of women get pregnant within a year. Those are great odds! The best thing that you can do is begin taking a daily multivitamin or, at the very least, a folic acid supplement to help give your child a great environment to start out in.
If you`re concerned about a problem when you were younger than might impede conception, talk to your doctor or gynocologist about it. I`m sure that they can give you some great advice as to whether or not this problem will hurt your chances of getting pregnant!
Relax! That's step one...
A lot of doctors recommend giving it about three months between the time you quit the pill and start trying to conceive. This is primarily to get you back on regular menstrual cycles so that it makes calculating the due date a LOT easier. And it's also a good time to be focusing on making sure you've quit all your bad habits, getting into a healthy eating pattern, and starting prenatal vitamins.
It's very common for women's periods to be screwy when they stop the pill. Some women will miss their first period, some will be a week or two late, and some women will ovulate in the first cycle off the pill. But don't panic if you don't start having periods again right away, it might just take a little time.
Another way to try to get the timing right is to read books on fertility awareness--we usually recommend Toni Weschler's book "Taking Control of Your Fertility" as a really good reference for how the menstrual cycle works and how to know what's happening in your body. You can only conceive around the time of ovulation, so knowing when that is may help!
Good luck, if you have any doubts about whether or not there are going to be problems, definitely check them out with your obgyn!
Co-cl for Birth Control
Thanks for the advice!
I have been off of the pill for about a week and everything seems normal. I have been starting my period the same time every month and it was nice knowing, but i am glad that you mentioned that things may be a little off because i would have freaked. I will keep everyone up to date. Thanks