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My doctor told me to not to start trying until I was off of BC for 3 months. Your lining needs to thicken. I'm 30 and she recommended that I start taking prenatal vitamins a year or more before we started TTC'ing. It's neccessary to get plenty of folic acid building in your system prior to.
@mtwitter80's right on about prenatals and giving your body some time off of the BC. It's what I'm doing right now. I've been taking prenatals for some time now and just got off the pill. This first week off has been ick, hoping it gets better.
Hey!! Long time no see :) Coincidentally I just asked my sister these same questions. She suggested starting pre-natals right away, and she said it took her a year after stopping the pill before she was back to normal cycles.
@mwitter80: yea, my bm's dr told her at least 3 months before starting TTC. so if we are going to TTC next fall/winter, I should probably start pre-natals this fall/winter? and stop BC next summer?
@carrieknitscake: what are your symptoms? i am deathly afraid of going off the pill... :(
@OttawaBride2011: hey girl!!! just saw your wedding post and your SD post! Good luck with the move if it happens, SD is BEAUTIFUL!
We aren't TTC yet but I did go for my preconception appointment. I had all of our genetic testing done and needed to get a couple of vaccines, which need to be given 3 months prior to start ttc.
Prenatals need to be in your system for a year but the earlier you start taking them the better. And I was told that I need to have two cycles before we start trying. i have been on the pill for over 10 yrs so I am not sure how long that is going to take.
Also are you on a medicine? You can review your medications with your doctor to see what you can and cannot take when you are pregnant and how long those medications should be out of your system. For me I am going to stop taking all of my medication at the same time I stop the pill so it will give me a couple of months to get everything out of my system while I regulate.
@missjyc: Your timelines seem good. You can always start a prenatal whenever you want. They're just like any other vitamin. My hair and nails grow super fast since I started them.
I had really bad syptoms when I went off of the pill. The cramping was the worst. I also became really depressed for about 2 months after. Your body adjusting it's hormones can cause all kinds of strange things to happen.
The only thing you really need to do now is make sure that both you and your husband are healthy or getting there. Go to the doctor and dentist regularly, get to a healthy weight (being under- or overweight can impact your fertility), and make sure you are getting enough exercise (you need a good base if you want to work out during your pregnancy). If you smoke, stop.
You only *need* to be off BCP for a month before you TTC (and if you get pregnant that month, it's not a big deal) - most doctors tell you to wait longer because it is easier to determine your due date if you know your post-BCP cycles. That being said, I went off BCP a few months before I wanted to actually start TTC, and started charting right away - it gives you a good sense of when/if you ovulate, how long your cycles are, etc. Be prepared that it might take a while for you to ovulate and/or for your cycles to become "regular."
As for prenatals, you can start anytime you want (they are great for your hair and nails) but you "need" to start at least 3 months before TTC so you can build up a good base of folic acid. You may also want to start taking calcium (most prenatals don't have any) and Omega-3s (for brain development).
As for other things my doctor recommended, but said they were just suggestions - cut out coffee/large doses of caffeine about a month before TTC (it can make your system acidic and *may* cause implantation problems) and drink a cup or two of green tea a day to increase CM. Cut down on your drinking, and stop drinking when you are actively TTC.
You might want to check out "What to Expect Before You Are Expecting." Most of it is pretty common knowledge, but it has some good tips, explains how to chart, and offers some good explanations of why it recommends certain practices.
@missjyc: The cramping's been the worst. It's like a weeklong period without any blood release. It strikes at weird times. I'm a little moody than usual. I tend to be moody in the morning, so that's nothing new. I was Google Chatting a friend and wanted to gut her from afar when she was saying some things I really disagreed with. So, my emotions are obvious now than before. Dare I say, they felt dulled on BC. I had my withdrawl bleed end on Sunday thereabouts, so right now is body adjusting without hormone. The beginning of the week was bad. Today's not so bad, still crampy and living off of Advil and caffeine to get through them. Hoping it ends soon.
@septcabride: Thank you so much for your feedback/advice! I will definitely be getting that book and following a lot of your suggestions!
@carrieknitscake: ugh, girl, that is exactly what I am afraid of. On top of being a preventative measure against pregnancy, BC has been my savior against overly uncomfortable, sometimes unbearable periods... :(
@missjyc: I can't remember what my periods were like at 22 when I started BC. I knew that I cramped. They got better with age though. When I was 17, I had to go home from school because I turned pale white with pain from cramps starting in theology class. I think that was my worst bout of it ever. Today's not so bad. It's beginning to dull and be less stabby. I just wish that they would stop, so I can focus on getting my period back!
Wow, everyone's doctor seems to give really different advice. My doc said to start taking prenatals right away but said to come off the pill whenever I was ready and start trying right away. She said there was no need to wait before trying. Maybe it is because I am no a low dose hormone pill. Who knows.
I would go to a preconception visit and start prenatals a year before you plan to TTC. You don't have to but since you are planning on to why not have your body at it's tip top shape?
Go get all your blood work done any concerns you might have of birth defects based on you & your husbands family history.
You have the option of being as prepared as you can be take advantage of it! :)
I read What To Expect Before You're Expecting and it's a great book! I love the whole What To Expect series.
I also suggest couple months before hand to really start pinpointing your period dates, cycle lengths and ovulation dates down.
Good luck on your journey!
Folic Acid you can take right away; it's a pre-natal vitamin and my naturopathic doctor friend said that BC robs the body of this so we should all be taking it anyways.
After that, I say listen to your doctor.
My friend's doctor said to try right away, and mine said to wait for 3 months.
You also have to make sure that you are immune to german measles and chickenpox....your doc will test. If not, you need a booster, and you must not TTC at all within 3 months of the booster.
@missjyc: Just wanted to let you know that since I came off the Pill, my periods have been lighter and my cramps have pretty much disappeared. I was on the Pill for almost eight years and prior to taking it I had pretty bad cramps and heavy periods.
On the flipside however I now get ovulation pain that feels worse than period pain...
@missjyc: I was so nervous of going off the pill too, but I actually felt great when I did! It was like I was back to my old self. I had been on them for 9 years too, but I didn't have any terrible side effects. It took 3 months or so for my periods to get back on track (as in me having a real one ~once a month) and at first they were really close to one another (like 25 days apart) and super short. About a year later, I finally started getting my "normal" period (though still lighter than when I went started BC when I was 16), and I think everything is how it should be now. Good luck with the transition!
My DH and I chatted about all of this last night. I thought he might be freaked out when I start taking Pre-natals a year before we even want to get pregnant, let alone go off the pill!!!! He wasn't! He agrees it's good to plan ahead. I will be going off the pill in 2 months, starting vitamins ASAP, and buying TCOYF soon :)
It's kind of crazy how different the information is that our doctors give each of us!
Mine only said to get off birth control for 3 months and to start taking prenatals once I'm off the pill. I've never heard of anyone around here getting tested for anything or getting anything but the flu shot. No one goes in for preconception visits, either. I just told my doctor (last time I went in for my annual exam) that we would probably start trying soon and he said, "make sure you take your vitamins.
And to the OP:
I've been off the pill for close to 3 months now, and have had a bunch of randomness take place. I was on the pill for 9 years.
1. My hair is falling out in chunks.
2. I have gained 10 lbs that doesn't want to budge.
3. I am constantly, and often painfully bloated
4. My periods include cramps now (never had any on the pill).
5. My cycle stayed normal...ie I've had my period when I was supposed to (this is a good thing).
6. TMI alert: My nipples hurt so bad during ovulation.
7. I am always hungry
8. I am always tired
I will say that it now seems like these symptoms are finally plateauing and perhaps my hormones will start to even out a bit soon. My doctor said not to worry until after the 6 month mark, and then they might test me for any hormone or thyroid issues. She assured me that all my syptoms are common side effects of coming off BC, thought.
@regberadaisy: I also read what to expect before you're expecting. Great resource and it gave me lots of questions to ask my doc during my regular visit.
I also just picked up what to expect when you're expecting - the first chapter re-caps pre-conception preparation and just gives good ideas on changes you can make now so when you get pregnant you don't need to make those big diet-changes then.
I wish that I had started charting my temperatures daily.
My first cycle off the pill seemed totally normal to me. This 2nd one is already 35 days long and I am so bored of waiting for my period.
My doc said to go off the pill when we were ready to TTC (nothing about waiting 3 months to TTC). I too had been on for about 10 years. I would say, however, in retrospect, I would have gone off the pill at least 3 months before TTC. Primarily b/c your body is pretty out of whack the first few months and it takes a while for your cycle to regulate. Off the pill, my period cramps are much worse AND i now have more of a sweet tooth.
I also went on prenatals about a year before TTC.
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DH and I have been married for 9 months. We don’t have plans to TTC until after our 2 year anniversary. But, I realized that it’s less than 1.5 years away. And I know that time will fly by!
I heard bits of advice from friends who are in the same process of TTC and wanted to get your (those TTC, pregnant, or with children) advice on what steps to prep for “TTC.”
I’ve been on bc pills since I was 18. (I’m turning 28 in August). How many months before TTC do I need to stop taking them? When should I start taking pre-natal vitamins? Etc. Etc.