When you and your partner decide to try and get pregnant, you usually want to become pregnant quickly. After all these years, you have been trying to prevent pregnancy by using some sort of birth control. Now, you have decided to stop all forms of birth control and get pregnant! But, how soon can you get pregnant after stopping birth control?
How birth control pills work
Understanding how birth control pills works is important. Most contraceptive pills contain two different hormones, estrogen, and progestogen. The purpose of taking birth control is so you stop ovulating every month. The birth control pills stop an egg being released from your ovaries every 28 days. You will still experience a period as the lining of your uterus will continue to shed monthly because an egg has not been fertilized.
How to stop birth control pills
A common misconception for women is to randomly stop taking your birth control pill during the month. If you end up doing it this way, you may begin bleeding and you may think you are having your menstrual cycle, but you probably are not. This light bleeding that is not your menstrual cycle is called withdrawal bleeding. The best way to stop your birth control is by finishing your packet of pills, get your menstrual cycle, and when your cycle is complete do not start a new packet of pills. This way you know the exact start date of your cycle and can start planning when you are most fertile and when your ovulation is.
When to start trying to get pregnant
It is also recommended that after your menstrual cycle and the month you decide to stop the birth control pill, to wait an entire month of being off birth control before you begin trying to get pregnant. There is no harm in trying to get pregnant during this period of time, but if you do become pregnant it may be a little harder to determine your due date.
Effect of birth control pills on fertility
The birth control pill has no effect on fertility. A lot of women believe that being on the birth control pill may screw up their fertility and they may have troubles conceiving. This is not true. If you had very regular cycles before you started your birth control, about a month of so after you stop your birth control, you will go back to your regular cycles. On the other hand, if you had very irregular cycles and you stop your birth control, you will more than likely become irregular again.
Irregular periods after stopping birth control
It may take awhile for some women to get back their normal cycle. If you have been on birth control years and years, your body has become accustomed to a routine. When you stop taking birth control, it will take time for your body to find its new rhythm. Some women may not experience periods, or regular periods, after stopping birth control. This can be common, but does not mean you are not ovulating. This can be a common condition called post-pill amenorrhea. This condition usually sorts itself out within a few months.
Barrier methods of birth control
If you are using a basic type of barrier method, then just not using a barrier while having sex will get you pregnant. There is not much to it. Barrier methods do not control your body hormonally. If you are someone who likes to rely on physical signs of ovulation, then using a barrier method as your birth control is ideal.
Depo-Provera birth control
Another hormonal birth control on the market is Depo-Provera. Depo-Provera is a birth control that is injected straight into your muscle via your arm or buttocks. The drawback with this birth control is that when you decide to take it, it lasts three months in your body and sometimes even longer. With a pill form of birth control you can stop taking it at any time, but with an injection there is no reversing it. Also, even though the injected birth control stops working in your body after three months, it still persists in your body because it was deposited into your muscle. It takes time for it to work itself out.
IUD birth control
An IUD (Intrauterine Device) is also another form of birth control used by women. After an IUD is removed, your chances of becoming pregnant return fairly quickly. When using an IUD, it ultimately affects your uterus and not your egg. After your uterus recovers, you should be able to fertilize an egg.
Effect of birth control on fertility
Some women who have been on birth control for years believe that it may have actually boosted their fertility. You will read lots of different information out there, but the most important piece of information to know is that when you and your partner do decide to conceive, it will happen in a very normal time frame for average couples. Most couples if they actively are trying to become pregnant will become pregnant between 6 months to 1 year.
