TTC after the pill

[Waiting4SJ]

I've been on the pill since I was 16, now at 21 I went off so DH & I could TTC #1. While on the pill, AF was on CD28. I'm not at CD28 and AF was no-show. I've heard horror stories of women who took up to a year for their cycles to get back on track. It's annoying enough to not know when to test, but my big problem is this:
Assuming my currently missing AF is not a BFP in the next week or so, and it's just missing-in-action for now, does that mean I'm no longer ovulating as well?
That means if it takes a year for my cycle to "fix" itself, it'll be a year before we can really start TTC... I need advice!

[jtc77]

It really does vary, but I don't know too many people for whom it takes a full year to regulate. It is possible that you have a naturally longer cycle and are indeed ovulating. I have 9 full months off the pill and my cycles have ranged from 27 days to 34. I have ovulated during all of them and consider that normal.

I recommend getting a basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer and charting your temperatures on www.Fertilityfriend.com when your next cycle starts (hopefully soon!) so that you can see if you are ovulating.

[karmab]

breathe. i think you are getting ahead of yourself. a year is very rare. sometimes the pill masks underlying problems you never knew were going on, but for the majority, it's just a matter of a little time to get into the swing of ovulating again. dont freak out yet! you're not even a day late yet, it could come tomorrow! just hang in there and see what happens. if nothing happens in another month, you might want to check in with your doc, but a lot of them will tell you to wait it out 3 mths or more. i wont even mention that indeed, you could be pg, because that will start the obsessing but you could even be. if you are interested in charting, check out fertilityfriend.com for their intro classes, or check out 'taking charge of your fertility' from the library. normally you would start a chart on cd1, but you could start now if you wanted for practice- and it might tell you some useful info, too!

[Sweet.Bee]

This was my first cycle off the pill (which I went on 6 weeks postpartum), and I ovulated on CD18, which is about right for me. So, it appears my body returned to normal right away.

My natural cycle usually ranges from 29 to 33 days. I wouldn't be freaking out on CD28...ok, maybe I would, but I (and you) don't need to.

As the others have said, if you're concerned as to whether you're ovulating, you can start charting.

Good luck!

[mclisa]

birth control pills are set up to cycle you every 28 days. Nice even number. Most women don't cycle exactly like that.

And yes, some women do have trouble conceiving after being on birth control pills and find out that they have really irregular cycles. Is it from the pills? In most cases, no. It's the reason that they were put on them back in their teens. If you were irregular before the pill, you will most likely be irregular after the pill.

I have longer cycles. I average between 33-35 days. That's my norm.

Try reading: Taking Charge of Your Fertility.

It's a great resource.

[arianascrunchymama]

i went off the pill 10 months before our wedding since I heard the same horror stories. 4 weeks later I was sitting and staring at a VERY dark positive pregnancy test (and we had using the so reliable pull out method)! I had been on it for 5 years straight.

Some women need a few cycles for their body get used to ovulating and having a real period. Some women are MORE fertile after coming off the pill if they get pregnant right away. I've heard lots of surprise multiples from the first month off the pill. So everyone's system is different. I think it's not over until AF shows or you get a BFP but my cycles now are about 32-34 days long. DD is still nursing about once every other day but my cycles have been like this for a few months now after shifting from 23 days to 48 days.

[Waiting4SJ]

I know I'm over-anxious.. My mind knows it irrational, but at the same time it's strange for my cycle to be off from what I've become so used to.

I was deffinetly not irregular at 16, but I also wasn't interested about exactly how many days my cycle was... I think I'm going to wait till CD35 (since that's longer but still average) and take an HPT again if AF still hasn't come... If it's still a BFN I'll start charting... And attempt to be patient (not one of my strongest suits).

Thank you for the book and webpage references. I'll be sure to check those out.

[Waiting4SJ]

Started using Fertilityfriend.com (Thank you for the tip!), and turns out I was a day off on my count.. I'm now on CD32.

BUT Thinking back... I had some signs of Oing about the 1st. Cramping and nausea (I thought it may be early BFP symptoms). IF that was O, and assumming no matter how long my CD is I still have about 14 days after Oing before AF, I should be due for AF in the next two/three days.

I really hope this is right. I feel so behind on the TTC thing. Everyone else has their cycles charted! And I'm just figuring out how long my cycle even is...

[nikigonzalez]

i 2 have just quit taking the pill i stopped taking it on the 22nd of May and i had bleeding from the 26th to the 29th.. i am not sure if that was withdrawl bleeding or a period...i did quit my pills mid cycle. i havent had any other bleeding since then so i should be due aroun the 23rd for my AF. I used the nuva ring before my 2 sons and calculating back it was the week i didnt put my ring back in that i became pregnant.... i am curious as to what will happen if i will get my period or not  :/

[lilacvioletiris]

Niki, like this thread suggests everyone's body is different.  I went off the pill at the beginning of April.  I also started tracking my BBT to find out if I was ovulating.  http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/LilacVioletIris  After 2 cycles off the pill, it seems like my body has regulated itself out with a clear pattern that shows ovulation.  My temperature went down today so I expect AF to show up today or tomorrow.  Now that I know what my cycles are like I figure my DH and I can catch the egg in the next couple of months.

You might want to read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility".  You can probably find it at a local library.  Give your body some time to adjust to its own hormones and see what happens.

Relax and don't stress this first month off.  Your BFP will come.

[nikigonzalez]

Thank you so much... i appreciate the help.