My husband and I are beginning to think about adding to our family. I have been on a birth control pill since my son stopped nursing around age 1 (2 years ago) and I am just coming off of it. I know doctors generally recommend that you do not get pregnant for the first three months after coming off of the pill. Do any of you moms know why?
Is it just time for your body to adjust to being off of the hormones? Is there more of a chance of miscarriage? Is it because you won't be ovulating regularly? Is there more chance of birth defects? Something else?
I am not in a hurry to conceive and would actually prefer it to happen 3+ months from now...but I also would like to not worry about preventing it either. I ususally do most things "by the rules" and like to plan ahead, etc...but it would be nice to just let this happen when it happens. Is it safe to "let nature take it's course" and not actively prevent pregnancy during the next couple of months? Do any of you ladies have any experience with this or knowledge about it?
Thanks for your advice!
Thanks for all of your stories/advice/thoughts! I am glad to hear there is no risk for my health or the health of our future child if I were to get pregnant right awway. It sounds like it is quite likely it could happen right away...So....I guess we will see. :o) It is hard for me not to plan everything out, but I think it would just be so wonderful to have it just happen when it happens! It should be an interesting summer! Thanks, Ladies!
Most people I know have a hard time getting pregnant if they wait the 3 months. I got pregnant right after going off the pill. I don't know why the doctors say this, but my sister in law wished she didn't wait the three months because her chances definitely went down.
Hi Elizabeth!
I went off of my bc in Oct. 08 and got pregnant in Dec. 08. The only thing my doctor told me before hand was that it COULD take as long as 3 months for the bc to work it's way out of my system and I shouldn't worry if we didn't conceive immediately. He said there were no risks in getting pregnant right away. I'm in my 5th month and everything thing is looking great! Good Luck!
Hey Elizabeth-
I am not sure if there are actual "medical reasons' not to get pregnant so soon after stopping birth control, other than maybe its too hard to track your cycle, I dont know. But I do know that I took birth control for about 8 years and then when we were ready to "try" to start our family I stopped in January and was pregnant in Feb, so it was really easy and I had a great pregnacy and delivery and a healthy little boy with no problems. So I say if you are trying, then see what happens. It will happen when its suppose no matter how you try and plan it (I know I am usually a "planner" myslef).
Good luck with the 2nd, I cant wait to try for my second soon!!!
I got pregnant w/ 2 of mine the month i went off the pill. 'i heard you should wait 3 mo. but we let nature take it's course. i think it made me more fertile to go right off it and concieve. Dont have medical proof but for me, it happened right away both times.
I got pregnant right after I stopped taking the pill with all of my 3 children. They are 6,3, and 18 months now. All are healthy and beautiful children. I did hear that you could become pregnant with twins, but that was all I had heard.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
I got pregnant two weeks after going off the pill and the only side effect I got was twins! But both are happy and normal babies so in my opinion if there are risks they much be pretty minimal because I know a lot of people who have gotten pregnant either on the pill or just after going off. Good luck with a great pregnancy.
Most doctors agree that your body needs time to adjust to a new "normal" after being on the hormones. It's not necessarily bad to get pregnant right away, but it's just easier on your body. My husband and I plan very carefully with our kids, so when I go off birth control we buy a different contraceptive for that in-between time. I prefer to use a spermicide gel that you insert like a tampon. Whenever that box runs out, we start trying. It's worked well for all 3 of our pregnancies! I also pay attention to my cycle - you can chart it on lots of internet sites.
My understanding, and I may be up in the night with this, is that your risk of having twins is higher right after getting off of the pill. I have heard that because you have not been ovulating for a while your body is more likely to release more than one egg during ovulation for the first few months. It makes sense to me, but I have never really checked it out to determine if it is a valid statement.
My honest opinion is that the twins idea is untested speculation, but that it may be a good idea to let your hormones regulate for a few months before getting pregnant. Both the pill and pregnancy mess with your hormones enough that it may not be a bad idea to wait a month or two just for your emotional sanity.
Wow, there have been a lot of moms here that have gotten pregnant right off the pill. Add me to the bunch! I remember googling the symptoms of going off the pill, because I seemed to have a lot of weird feelings after stopping...I had no idea that those symptoms are very similar to the ones you have while pregnant. Took a test 6 weeks after my last pill and yup, positive! I think you'll be fine. Just let nature take its course. Start taking pre-natal vitamins as soon as you stop the pill, if you aren't already. And good luck adding to your family! =)
Hi Elizabeth,
I don't know why you are supposed to wait 3 months, although I have heard that too, but my experience was not waiting and everything was just fine. I stopped taking birth control in mid-January of 2007, after having taken it for nearly 13 years. I was fairly certain that it would take several months (at least!) before I would be able to get pregnant, but my son, who is perfect and healthy, was conceived in early February 2007.
Best of luck to you!
There is no truth to the myth that you're more likely to have twins after the pill. Your ovary will release what it had intended (usually, but not always, one egg). Personally, I got pregnant (not actively trying) right after I went off the pill. Good luck to you!
You can become pregnant, safely immediately after you stop using birth control. Though, some women don't begin to ovulate for some time after stopping usage. Some types of birth control actually drastically thin the lining of the uterus and there may be in increased risk of miscarriage if you are taking one of those. I have a slight problem with low progesterone and if I wait 3 months after birth control I tend to have MORE difficulty getting pregnant and if I do become pregnant I then have a higher likelihood of miscarriage. Of my 3 pregnancies, the only successful ones have been ones where I became pregnant within my very first cycle following birth control.
I would highly recommend a book called, Taking Control of your Fertility found at most book stores or you can go to their website to learn more at tcoyf.com. It teaches how to track your cycle for general female health as well as for pregnancy achievement or pregnancy avoidance. This is how I learned about my problem. I took my charts in to my doctor following my miscarriage and got an immediate diagnosis and suggested course of treatment. it was quite a relieve not to have to wait until 3 unsuccessful pregnancies.
Things to watch out for following birth control usage would be your basal body temperatures and primary fertility signs for signs of ovulation, or any unusual midcycle bleeding that can be a good indicator as to if your body is ready to carry another baby.
Good luck!!
My doctor told me that is a myth. She said it is possible for you to get pregnant immediately after going off the pill. (This is also why if you miss a pill during your cycle that you can get pregnant.)
A lot of people think it takes some time for the hormones to work their way out of your system and for your body to get back to "normal."
Based on my personal experience though, I went off the pill in January of 07 and we conceived in April of 07 ... exactly three months.
As far as I know, the only reason they recommend waiting is to see when you had your period so it is easier to see how far along you are. They can do early ultrasounds now though that are pretty accurate. I had only been off the pill for 2 weeks before getting pregnant though and I have a very healthy little boy now!
I have 4 kids. My fist was conceived while taking the pill and my second 2 weeks after going off the pill. Both are healthy and normal girls aged 3 and 4. Not sure if it is ok or not but we are ok having had it happen.
I have always heard that the doctors recommend waiting for three months after birth control pills because it lessons the chance of birth defects. I was never able to get pregnant for three or fours months after birth control pills anyway. Everyone is different and some women get pregnant while they are on birth control. Good luck!
Hello Elizabeth,
I have never heard that you should wait 3 months after stopping the pill, so I "googled" it and found this article on webmd.com. See the quote from the article below.
I would, of course, ask your doctor as well. She/he knows your history. Good luck!
"When it comes to hormonal contraceptives, your best bet is to complete your current cycle and then attempt to get pregnant, says Frank A. Chervenak, MD, professor and chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City.
"After the cycle, attempts can be made to start getting pregnant although it may be advisable to wait for the first normal menstrual period after you stop taking your pills," he says. But this precaution is not essential. Some women conceive within a week or two after stopping birth control pills.
"I advise women to complete the cycle so they don't have irregular bleeding," he says. In general, the middle of the month is when ovulation and potentially conception are most likely to take place, so the optimal fertile window is a couple of weeks after stopping contraception.
An important point to consider, however, is that "if there has been a previous pregnancy or miscarriage, wait about three months to give the body a chance to recover," he says. "This is where a waiting period makes sense.""
