What Are The Signs Of Not Being Able To Have A Baby
Common Signs of Infertility in Women
- Irregular periods. The average womans cycle is 28 days long.
- Painful or heavy periods. Most women experience cramps with their periods.
- No periods. Its not uncommon for women to have an off month here and there.
- Symptoms of hormone fluctuations.
- Pain during sex.
There Is No Need To Cleanse Any Birth Control Methods Out Of Your System Before Trying To Conceive
Thinking back to the increased chances of conceiving right after stopping a combination birth control option , one would think that the best thing would be to try to conceive as soon as possible after stopping your birth control. It is actually recommended to wait until youve had one or two cycles before trying to conceive, but not because of safety concerns. This is to allow you to more reliably determine the length of your cycle, identify your fertile window, and be able to better date the pregnancy when you actually do get pregnant.
Can I Test My Fertility At Home
While some fertility hormones can only be measured through a blood test, LH and estrogen can be tested through urine. That means, if youre looking for information about ovulation, you can actually test for this at home. The Mira Fertility Plus system is almost like having a mini lab of your own at home.
Recommended Reading: When To Call Doctor When First Pregnant
How Long Does It Take For The Menstrual Cycle To Reestablish Itself
According to the United Kingdomâs National Health Service , a womanâs period may be irregular for up to 3 months after she stops taking the pill.
Doctors call a womanâs first period after stopping the pill a âwithdrawal bleedâ where she may experience bleeding patterns that are different from her period while on the pill.
Doctors call the next period a woman has âa natural periodâ that is more like her typical period.
It is possible that an irregular menstrual cycle, or reestablishing a natural menstrual cycle off the pill, can affect a womanâs ability to conceive.
Does The Pill Impact Fertility
Many people have an unfounded fear that taking the pill can reduce fertility. In contrast, the pill doesnt impact fertility. Especially for people trying to conceive, waiting a few months for the menstrual cycle to return to normal after stopping the pill can be frustrating. A woman who stops taking the pill has just as many chances of getting pregnant as a woman who doesnt use oral birth control. When in doubt, women and couples trying to conceive should speak with a doctor to discuss birth control and fertility concerns.
Read Also: How To Get Pregnant For The Second Time
Whats The Short Answer
Its common not to get a period after stopping the pill, explains Gil Weiss, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Illinois.
The phenomenon is called post-pill amenorrhea, Dr. Weiss continues. The pill suppresses your bodys normal production of hormones that are involved in your menstrual cycle.
He says it can take several months for your body to return to its normal production, and therefore several months for your period to return.
But, in some cases, there is another reason for late or missed periods.
It can be something as simple as lifestyle factors like stress or exercise. Or it could be an underlying condition like hypothyroidism.
Discover other factors that could be causing your post-pill period problem, and how to get your cycle back on track.
Stress can affect the delicate hormonal balance that controls your menstrual cycle.
Stress induces the hormone cortisol, says Kecia Gaither, MD, who specializes in OB-GYN and maternal fetal medicine.
This, she says, can interfere with the hormonal regulation of menses via the circuit between the brain, ovaries, and uterus.
Other symptoms of stress to look out for include muscle tension, headaches, and sleeplessness.
You may also experience signs of stomach discomfort such as bloating, or mood problems like sadness and irritability.
While small amounts of stress are unlikely to cause changes, long-term or significant stress levels can stop periods.
Does It Matter Whether You Get Your Period
Not necessarily. Some women dont get their period for a few months after they stop hormonal birth control. Thats because these forms of birth control impact your hormonal balance, and it may take your body a little while to go back to a pre-birth control-state.
But you can get pregnant before you have your period. In fact, if you started ovulating right after you stopped birth control, and had unprotected sex, you may have gotten pregnant — which would keep you from having your period. If you havent had a period since going off your birth control, and youve recently had unprotected sex, take a pregnancy test.
Whether you ovulate is far more important than whether you get your period. You cant get pregnant unless one of your ovaries releases an egg.
Continued
Read Also: Can You Have Postpartum Depression During Pregnancy
The Birth Control Implant
The birth control implant, or Nexplanon®, is a progestin-only hormonal birth control that goes in the arm via a surgical procedure. The implant releases a steady stream of progestin hormones for up to three years. A woman can become pregnant immediately after having Nexplanon removed. Regardless of how long a woman has used Nexplanon, she can still get pregnant .
Fertility By Type Of Birth Control
Natural and barrier methods
For those who rely on natural family planning methods, it might actually be easier to get pregnant since you already know when your fertile days are because you were avoiding them. Now you can do the opposite and start trying to conceive on those days. In the previously mentioned study review, 92% of women were pregnant by one year.
If you were using condoms , diaphragms, or spermicide, there is no effect on fertility. These methods work by simply creating a physical barrier to block sperm from reaching the egg. Therefore, they do not affect ovulation. In this group, 94% of women were pregnant by one year.
Another plus to using condoms is the protection against sexually transmitted infections , especially since STIs are a common cause of pelvic inflammatory disease and can cause subsequent infertility.
Combination birth control methods
This is the most common type of birth control used, primarily because it is cheap, convenient, and can treat a variety of other issues in addition to serving as contraception. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misconception about how these methods work and how quickly they can get out of your system.
Think about itif you miss the pill for just a few days or your patch falls off, the biggest worry is that you may get pregnant. If these methods lingered in the body for a long time, this wouldnt be a concern at all, and providers wouldnt spend so much time instructing their patients to be consistent in using them.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Your Abs Back After Pregnancy
Considerations When Stopping The Pill
Examples of the factors that impact the likelihood of conceiving after ceasing the contraceptive pill include:
- A womanâs overall health: Factors, such as thyroid disorders, pituitary gland disorders, or polycystic ovary syndrome , can affect the chances of conceiving. Women who are obese or excessively thin also may have difficulty conceiving.
- A womanâs reproductive health: Women who have a history of pelvic infections, blocked fallopian tubes, or endometriosis may have greater difficulty conceiving.
- A manâs reproductive health: Low sperm counts can affect a coupleâs chances of getting pregnant.
- How often a couple has sex: âRegularâ sex when trying to conceive is usually having sex every 2 to 3 days. Having sex less frequently is less likely to result in pregnancy.
- A womanâs age: Rates of pregnancy decline after women reach the age of 35 years. According to the NHS, 92 percent of women ages 19 to 26, will conceive within 1 year of having unprotected sex. An estimated 82 percent of women, 35 to 39 years of age, will conceive within 1 year after having unprotected sex.
Most obstetricians use the 1-year mark of having unprotected sex as a milestone in fertility assessment. If a couple has not conceived after trying for 1 year, they may wish to see an obstetrician for further evaluation.
Many factors go into getting pregnant. While stopping the pill is an important step, so is making sure a womanâs body is in the best possible health to conceive.
How Much Time Should I Wait After Stopping The Pill Before I Try To Conceive
You do not have to wait a certain period of time after stopping the pill in order to have a safe pregnancy. It is safe to get pregnant as soon as you stop. However, it may take some time after stopping the pill before ovulation begins. Some women may ovulate within 1-2 weeks after stopping, while for others, it can take several months. Ovulation may be delayed or not happen for a long time if you had started the pill initially because your periods were irregular and you already had problems with ovulation.
For some, getting pregnant after birth control, such as the pill, is as easy as stopping the medication and trying to get pregnant. For others, however, getting pregnant may take more effort.
The birth control pill has been around for more than 40 years. The birth control pill commonly referred to as simply The Pill, supplies hormones to the body essentially tricking the body into thinking its pregnant. When the body reacts to the hormones in the pill, pregnancy is prevented over 99% of the time. When women are ready to conceive, they must stop taking the pill to resume normal ovulation and menstrual cycles.
Don’t Miss: Can You Take Nutraburst While Pregnant
Don’t Forget The Fertility Lube
An issue that comes up frequently with couples that are TTC is vaginal dryness. In fact, a survey of 900 TTC couples showed that vaginal dryness was two times higher in these couples than in the general population. The survey also revealed that sexual intimacy was negatively impacted because of this.
Sperm-friendly lubricants are great for couples trying to conceive. Not only do lubricants help reduce friction and make sex more pleasurable, but the right lubricant can make sure that nothing is in the way of sperm meeting egg.
Shop fertility lubricant
So How Long Do You Have To Wait After You Stop Taking The Pill In Order To Get Pregnant
Women should wait at least one month before trying to get pregnant. The longer a woman waits, the more regular her menstrual cycle may become leading to more accurate ovulation cycles. Some women may find it difficult to get pregnant the first one to three months after stopping the pill due to irregular ovulation, which is another reason to give the female body some time to adjust without hormones present in birth control pills.
Don’t Miss: How To Help Migraines While Pregnant
What Are The Symptoms Of Depo Wearing Off
The reported withdrawal symptoms included: feeling of having a viral infection with fatigue, eye pain, visual disturbance, itching, restlessness, agitation, shaking, nausea and shortness of breath. The reporter refers to internet forums where other women report the same symptoms on stopping Depo-Provera.
How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant After Going Off The Pill
You can get pregnant within a month of quitting the pill, whether youre taking combined hormone pills, which contain both estrogen and progestin, or progestin-only pills, says Nicole Todd, an OB-GYN at BC Womens Hospital + Health Centre and Vancouver General Hospital. The best time to get pregnant
You can stop taking the pill at any point in the pack. If youve been taking combined hormone pills, which thicken your cervical mucus and change your uterine lining while preventing ovulation, you could start ovulating again one week after quitting.
Depending on the length of your cycle, you could start developing an egg a week after, which would be released about a week after that. If you time things right, you could potentially conceive two weeks after giving up the pill. But Todd notes that waiting a month before trying to conceive will make it easier to date your pregnancy because youll know the timing of your last period.
This return to fertility is similar to most types of contraception, such as contraceptive patches and vaginal rings and even intrauterine devices . But quitting the pill offers a faster return to fertility than Depo-Provera, a progestin-containing birth control method thats injected every three months.
That one can take anywhere between six months and one year for ovulation to return, explains Todd, as the medication may work its way out of a persons system more slowly.
Also Check: Can I Get Pregnant If I Have Irregular Periods
What To Do If Youre Trying To Conceive
The way you come off your birth control pill can also vary if youre trying to conceive. Suddenly stopping the pill in the middle of the pack isnt a good idea, because it can alter your cycle. Instead, its best to finish the pack and let your body run through a normal menstrual cycle first.
One common misconception is that the pill adversely affects your fertility. The pill has no impact on your fertility it just might take a couple of months for your cycle to get back to normal. You may or may not get pregnant during the first cycle after you stop the pill. In fact, women who were recently on the pill have the same chances of getting pregnant as women who havent taken oral contraceptives.
Your doctor is your best source for advice for ensuring a healthy conception. They can advise on how to best come off the pill and talk to you about starting a prenatal vitamin before you try to conceive. They may also make recommendations about healthy eating, abstaining from alcohol, exercise, and more.
Conception Misconceptions: 7 Fertility Myths Debunked
09 May 2014
There are many things couples trying to have a baby can do to boost their chances of getting pregnant. But there is also a lot of misinformation out there about fertility, so experts say people should be careful about which advice they heed.
Here are seven common misconceptions about getting pregnant:
It takes a long time to get pregnant after stopping birth control pills.
Many women think that, after they stop taking birth control pills, it will take them six to 12 months to get back to regular menstrual cycles, and that during this time, their chances of pregnancy are reduced.
But studies show this is not the case, said Dr. Jani Jensen, an obstetrician/gynecologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
In a study of 200 women who took birth control pills for at least a year, 40 percent had a period or became pregnant just one month after they stopped taking the pill. And by three months post-pill, nearly 99 percent had a period or became pregnant, Jensen said.
Jensen recommended that women who haven’t had a spontaneous period within three months of stopping birth control pills be evaluated to see if there’s a problem affecting their ability to produce eggs.
Couples who want to have a baby should always try for a year before seeking fertility help.
Doctors in the United States generally define infertility as not conceiving after one year of unprotected sex, but some couples should not wait an entire year to get evaluated if they don’t become pregnant.
Read Also: What Headache Medicine Can I Take While Pregnant
How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant After Stopping Birth Control
Getting pregnant after birth control pills can occur right away or it may take awhile. Thats why understanding how your body works can help set realistic expectations about whats going to happen.
Heres some information about different contraceptives and how they affect a womans body if youre wondering how long does it take to get pregnant after birth control.
How Soon Can You Get Pregnant After Stopping The Pill
The contraceptive pill stops your body from ovulating, but as soon you stop taking the pill this process kicks back into action. So it is possible to get pregnant as soon as you come off the pill.
As many as 84 out of 100 of couples will get pregnant within a year starting to have regular sex without contraception. These numbers vary depending on your age, but its safe to say, if you dont want to get pregnant and youre not on the pill, youll need to use another form of contraception.
You May Like: How To Become Pregnant With Pcos
How Can I Get Pregnant Fast After Injection
Here are some ways:
How Soon Can I Get Pregnant After Coming Off The Pill
Once you’ve stopped taking the Pill, there is no medical reason why you cant start trying straight away, even if youve been taking it for years. But there is a good reason you may want to wait for one or two months.
I suggest to my patients that when theyre coming off the pill, they use condoms until they have had their first proper period, says Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal College of General Practitioners. That way they have some idea what their cycle is doing.
When you come off the Pill, youll first experience a withdrawal bleed which doesnt count as a normal period, it’s just the effects of the hormones leaving their system.
Ovulation can be delayed when first coming off the Pill so it’s sometimes difficult to estimate a due date if you do get pregnant. Once your periods have returned to a more regular cycle, use our ovulation calculator to work out your most fertile days.
- Read more: The best time to get pregnant
You May Like: Is Lice Treatment Safe During Pregnancy
