Problems getting pregnant after BC?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-23-2006
Problems getting pregnant after BC?
6
Wed, 01-17-2007 - 8:54pm

Has anyone had problems getting pregnant after usage of birthcontrol?

How soon should the ability to get pregnant return?

I would like to really plan my pregnancy... I am currently on BC... If I quit BC, should I be able to get pregnant the following month...?

Difficult to answer perhaps but any thoughts are more than appreciated!

Thanks!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-12-2002
Thu, 01-18-2007 - 3:32am

Hi noulcha,

It can take 6-12 months for some cycles to correct themselves after discontinuing birth control. The length of time depends on whether you had regular cycles prior to going on the pill, your age, and how much of a change your body went through to accommodate the hormones from the pill.

Also, if you had any issues with irregular cycles prior to going on the pill, then these will come back, and that can impact on your ability to conceive. So if you did have irregular cycles, you should talk to your doctor about hormone testing and ultrasounds to make sure nothing is going on that will need to be addressed to help your fertility. You will need to give your body a couple of months at least before doing this, in case there is residual BC hormones in your body that screw up the hormone tests.

When trying to conceive you should start on preconception vitamins and supplements to help get your body into the right state for pregnancy. If you decide to wait for a couple of months after stopping the birth control pill, before trying to conceive, you might want to consider taking evening primrose oil and vitex (chasteberry) supplements to help to regulate your natural hormones again. Vitamin C can help the body to remove the artificial hormones from your body also.

You should also consider charting your cycles, as this will help you see how your body is recovering from hormones, and show you when you start ovulating again. If there are any hormonal issues, they will be more easily identified from your charts. To do this you need to chart your temperatures using a basal body thermometer, and learn to chart cervical fluid. A good book for learning how to do this is Toni Weschler's "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". This book will also tell you what kind of things might be going on with your cycles if there is any issues, so you will have some knowledge when discussing this with your doctor.


 


 


iVillage Member
Registered: 10-23-2006
Mon, 01-22-2007 - 6:32pm

Wow, Thank you!

What kind of doctor should be consulted for this type of matters...? A gynocologist...?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-01-2005
Mon, 01-22-2007 - 6:47pm
i got pregnant with my first child 2 mos after stopping bcp and it took about 3 mos to get pregnant with my 2nd one after stopping depo.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2006
Mon, 01-22-2007 - 7:22pm

A gynecologist is usually a good place to start if you can get a good one that takes any problems seriously.

A reproductive endocrinologist are the best ones to handle any hormonal problems.


 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-12-2002
Mon, 01-22-2007 - 7:37pm
Just apologising for wearing my hat in the last post. I was posting my own board when the email notification said I'd had a reply, and I forgot to switch usernames.

 


 


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-18-2003
Fri, 01-26-2007 - 3:23pm

My dr said the only reason to wait after stoppig bcp ( or in my case bc patch) was to date the pregnancy accurately. She said since they do early u/s that I didn't need to wait to start trying. I went off patch 6/29/05 and had a positive preg test 8/4/05 and delivered a healthy baby boy 4/14/05. I was 34 and dh was 35 when I got pregnant. I truly believe it depends on your body, not the pill. The pill is gone after you stop taking it, IMHO.

Best of luck!
Holly

Holly