I was on BC for over 10 years when I first started TTC with my ex-H. The first cycle after going off the pill was HORRIBLE. My body apparently went into attack mode and 5 days after going off it (and we weren't using other protection) I had major issues.
I almost passed out at work several times....and had no idea until people said my face had gone completely white. I started bleeding heavily and my doctor thought I might be having a miscarriage....not sure why...maybe b/c we weren't using other forms of protection. I was in the ER twice and they did blood work and found out my body was trying to "fight off" some infection. They didn't do a PG test but my GYN said that as long as I had been on BCPs that my body was having issues adjusting to it...basically trying to make its own hormones.
I'm in NO way saying this is gonna happen to you...just sharing my story. I went on BCPs when DH and I were first together and the hormones were TOO strong but when I went off of them I had issues again although not as bad as the first time.
For me personally, only the month after stopping them was the bad one....after that it returned to a normal cycle with me ovulating every month.
Hi texasbee, oh my goodness!!!!! That's horrendous!! I'm really sorry to hear you had to go through that. I do wonder if the first month won't be very fun though, that was why I was thinking about coming off well before our honeymoon, I don't want to be feeling dreadful all the time we're away! Thank you for sharing your story x
My experience wasn't so scary but it's taking me a while to regulate post BCP. But my doctor strongly recommended to me that I go off the pill 3 months or so prior to TTC, which is why I'm recommending it to you. She recommended using condoms until we were ready to really try. Part of the reasoning was that should you conceive it'd be easier to figure out the baby's true conception, whereas the unpredictability of a cycle of BCP could be confusing.
If you're worried about it taking a while to regulate, you could absolutely go off the BCP earlier. Just make sure to use backup protection. And start charting once you go off so you start to get a sense of what's going on and what more fertile periods you might wanna avoid having sex.
@TheHaesterReturns: Because you have read TCOYF I would suggest coming off now. Start temping and figure out when your fertile days are and use that information to prevent getting pregnant before you want to. Coming off BC can really mess with your body. Thankfully my period regulated right away but not everyone's does. I always wonder if I would have gotten off BC sooner if we would be pregnant yet.
@canadablue thank you for your reply, if you don't mind me asking, how long did it take you to regulate? I think that at least 3 months ahead it a really good idea. We are definitely going to start charting as soon as I come off though, and will be using protection as I don't want to fall before our honeymoon!
@lindsey_k_16 thanks very much for replying and for your advice, I am very worried about how long it will take my body to regulate. I'm going to have a chat to FI about it tonight
I stopped my pills about three months before we started trying, and we conceived on our second cycle of trying. I don't really believe in that magical fertility period after getting off the pill, I think it's better to give your body a few months to regulate.
I voted three months before/wedding day.
ETA: I felt completely normal after going off the pill and my cycle regulated quickly, but everyone is different!
I'd wait til the wedding unless you're willing to use a backup method to prevent pregnancy up til the wedding. Personally, I tossed out the BC right after the wedding, cause I was really okay with being pregnant at any time. It's a tough balance, becuase in theory you can get pregnant the first month off of BC, but on the other hand it could take your body a long time to adjust to being off it. I say err on the side of stopping earlier!
FWIW, I've been off for about 3 weeks and feel no different.
I am SUPER irregular without BC. My first period coming off of BC didn't arrive for 7 weeks. I was taking pregnancy tests every week. When my period finally came, I cried (although I was grateful to at least know at that moment where I was in my cycle). I got pregnant my second cycle, 2-5 weeks after that period, depending on which U/S you went by (husband to this day is convinced the doctors were wrong the first 8 months of my pregnancy and when I gave birth at 39 weeks, I was actually only 36 weeks along).
I didn't do anything special- I didn't even finish my pill pack. I was maybe two weeks in when my husband suggested we start trying. I chucked that pack and never looked back. I do not think though there is any magic fertility surge after coming off the pill. My SIL went off the pill and got pregnant exactly two weeks after- her cycle was immediately normal upon taking her last pill. My mother on the other hand, did not get a period for months after going off BC and had to actually take fertility drugs to regulate her cycle.
@canadablue: I read your doctor's rationale for waiting to TTC after going off BC--to better know the date of conception. Is that the only benefit to waiting? It just seems to me if you're ready to be pregnant, waiting an extra few months for your body to regulate isn't worth it just to have a better idea of exactly how far along you are. Is there a reason that's important?
My GYN said to wait a minimum of two months after going off the pill to TTC. Some pills can cause a thinning of the lining of the uterus and you want to give it time to get back to normal. Also, there is a very slight increase in your chance of twins right after you get off BCP.
@TheHaesterReturns: I went off my BCP at the end of July and am still a little wonky. But I was wonky before I went on the pill so pretty sure it's a combo of my age, and what used to be borderline PCOS. I've had my period every month however, just the cycles haven't stabilized at a particular length. I'm on my forth cycle off the pill.
@hippomama: Her reasoning was solely to do with the due date. You could get pregnant right away off the BCP if you wanted (and people do). Old school thought was that you were more likely to have a miscarriage but that's not accurate.
I started trying as soon as I was off the BCP due to my age and because she said she'd be willing to 'see' me if there were any PCOS style problems if we'd gone 9 months without conceiving. Ideally I'd like to be pregnant before I turn 35 in June.
Thanks for the response, that makes sense! I'm impatient and didn't want to wait, so I'm glad to hear there's no significant reason you have to :)
My doctor recommended that I stop 6 months before TTC. Just to let your hormones regulate.
Good luck!
@TheHaesterReturns: Just be sure you use back-up BC if you want to wait until the honeymoon to TTC. I went off BCP after 12 years at the end of October. I thought there wasn't a chance we would get pregnant so why bother with other contraception. And yep, I'm pregnant. So, so excited, but we were planning on not actually TTC until Jan. or Feb. Long story short, make sure you're ready to be pregnant or use another form of BCP.
I stopped about 4 months before TTC, got pregnant on our second cycle trying. The first month off was the worse-- I got some really bad migraines, but otherwise not bad. My first cycle was about 40 odd days, then after that it regulated quickly and I ovulated in the first cycle. After so many years of not worrying about protection, it does take getting used to to have to use condoms, so that's something to keep in mind. Also, you can't control when you get your period at all, so remember you could have your period on your honeymoon.
But since you read TCOYF it sounds like you have a good handle on things. I think going off 2-3 months before the honeymoon makes sense.
Some people are super fertile after getting off the pill, but honestly, more often then not, they need time to regulate. I say get off the pill at the wedding.
Hi All, thank you so much for your comments and advice
@iheartnerds congratulations! Yeah, I thought the magic fertility period sounded a bit unrealistic too.
@hippomama, thank you for your advice, it seems coming off on our wedding day makes sense.
@tatum, congratulatios on your little one. Thanks for sharing your story, it's really good to hear that you stopped part ay through a pill pack as that was what I was planning to do if it worked out that way.
@westwood thank you that's really good advice.
@canadablue thank you so much for sharing, and really good luck to you ttc
@lauraq123 thanks very much, I am a bit worried about the side effects so thing I might leave it a bit later to stop them.
@summer82 congratulations! Yep, we will definitely be using back-up BC until the honeymoon.
@foodnerd81 congratulations, thanks for your advice, I think you're right, it is going to take some getting used to using condoms, but it's only for 12 weeks. I don't mind that much about getting my period on honeymoon (obviously would rather not though!) I'd just rather not have it on our wedding day.
@ChuckNorris thank you, I do think coming off at the wedding is the best thing to do, I've had a chat with FI and that is what we will be doing.
Thank you all so much again for your advice.
I don't know...normally I would say stop BCP three months before you plan to start trying. But since you want to try on your honeymoon....if it takes a while for your body to regulate, there is a chance that you could be on your period for your wedding/honeymoon. If that's okay with you, then stop three months before TTC. I personally like that BCPs told me exactly when I would start my period and gave me the option to skip said period if it was due at an inopportune time...like my wedding.
ETA: LOL...must have posted your reply while I was reading.
@MissApricot lol, thanks very much for your reply. I agree that 3 months before seems like the best time, conveniently (and a little weirdly), I've just worked it out that I will finish a pack of pills the day before our wedding!
I voted before seeing you're on cerazette; so I voted 6 months because I thought you were on the combined pill which can affect your fertility for 6-18 months after you stopped taking it. Cerazette on the other hand leaves your system very quickly, so there would be no real need to stop taking it massively far in advance.
I personally would not want to come off hormonal contraception right before the wedding as a) my natural periods are extremely heavy and extremely painful, to the point I am bed-bound and flooding through a super tampon and night-time towel in about an hour (so, if my period happened to fall on our wedding day, it is no exaggeration to say the wedding would possibly have to be cancelled, or else I'd literally just make it through the vows and that'd be it) and b) when you come off the pill it can take a while for your body to adjust, and I wouldn't want to risk mood swings or irregular bleeding on top of the wedding.
So, if I were in your position I'd probably just come off it either on the day of the wedding, or, 6 months in advance to allow plenty of time to adjust. IMO stopping it 3 months before could be risky.
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Hi Bees,
FI and I get married on June 29th 2013 (not long now! :) ) and we go on honeymoon on 26th September 2013. We have decided to start ttc on our honeymoon. I've been on the progestogen only pill Cerazette for about nine years. I've been driving myself crazy recently trying to decide when to stop taking the pill, FI is just as confused as to when the best time would be as I am!
We've read Taking Charge Of Your Fertility and I've started taking prenatal vitamins, FI has been taking the conception vitamins for men. We have also made some lifestyle changes to be healthier. I definitely want to chart, and I think it would be best to do that for at least a couple of months before ttc. Then I keep reading about this so called magic super-fertility period for three months after you come off the pill, but I'm not sure whether that is true or just an old wives tale. *Sigh*
I've been to see our Doctor and specialist, but they were both useless and told me I was thining way too far ahead, although I don't really think that just over 9 months is too far ahead.
So, any advice would be very much appreciated thanks bees!