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Tips for Getting Pregnant after Stopping Birth Control Posted on: 15-Oct-2020  You’ve got the job, the house, and the partner. Finally, the time feels right. You are ready to start trying to conceive. Now what? How long before trying to conceive should you stop using your birth control? Will using birth control in the past make it harder to get pregnant now? What can you do to get your body ready for pregnancy? The first step in trying to conceive is to stop using your current birth control. Each birth control method acts a little differently on the body to prevent pregnancy. You will need to know how and when to stop the specific type you use. Here is when you can expect fertility to return for these common types.
In addition to stopping your birth control, you will want to take steps to prepare your body for pregnancy. Start taking a prenatal vitamin three months before trying to conceive. Vitamins, along with a healthy diet, are crucial to help ensure that your body is ready tosupport a healthy pregnancy. Lifestyle choices like exercising, reducing stress, quitting smoking, and cutting back on alcohol intake are all very important as well. These will help increase fertility as well as give you a healthy start to your pregnancy. The third step as you try to conceive, is learning more about your body so that you can recognize when you are fertile. Timing sex during your fertile window (the five days before ovulation and the day you ovulate) increases your chances of becoming pregnant quickly. Tracking your menstrual cycle with apps that note changes in your cervical mucus and basal temperatures can help you determine your fertile window. Ovulation tests are another option to help recognize when you are most fertile. The good news is that long-term fertility is not negatively affected by birth control use. If you have decided the time is right to get pregnant, most forms of birth control allow you to become fertile again within a few days to a few months. It is then safe to get pregnant right away. Most women will become pregnant within a year of stopping birth control. However,the time it takes to conceive will depend on your individual body so if at anytime you have questions or concernsabout your fertility check with your doctor. Dr. Anil Pinto is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and the subspecialty of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Pinto has a special interest in the treatment of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), recurrent pregnancy loss, and advanced reproductive technologies, such as IVF. His peers recently selected him as one of the Best Doctors in Dallas in the field of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Dr. Pinto is married to Karen Pinto, M.D., a pathologist at Baylor University Medical Center. They live in Dallas with their son and daughter. Dr. Pinto enjoys fly fishing, classical music, and playing the flute. Deciding to start a family is a big decision, but you're (almost) ready. You've quit your birth control and now you want to start trying to conceive. But you've heard that it can take longer to get pregnant after discontinuing birth control. Some, for example, say the signs of ovulation are different after stopping the pill. So how long it will likely take to get pregnant, and when's the best time to stop birth control? We reached out to several experts to help us understand the ins and outs and getting pregnant after birth control. Read on for more. How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant After Birth Control?While it varies from person to person, for the most part, it's a bit of a myth that it takes a long time to get pregnant after using birth control, says Jill Purdie, MD, OB/GYN and medical director at Northside Women's Specialists. Most people will get pregnant within a normal timeframe after stopping "the pill," she assures—or other forms of birth control. "With birth control pills, rings, patches and implants, once the patient discontinues use of these items, they may become fertile as quickly as two weeks after stopping," says Dr. Purdie. "With IUDs, the return to fertility may be even quicker." This means that, despite popular believes, the chances of getting pregnant the first month off of birth control are very real. The one exception to this is the birth control shot, known as Depo-Provera, which can affect your fertility for a longer period of time, even after you've stopped taking it. "Each shot lasts for three months; however, the return to fertility may be an additional 3 to 6 months longer," Dr. Purdie explains. It's important to keep in mind that whenever we talk about fertility returning and getting pregnant after birth control, there are a lot of elements at work—it has to do with how intercourse is timed, you and your partner's reproductive health, as well as some elements of luck. In other words, fertility isn't just affected by whether or not you recently were on birth control. "Patients may become pregnant anywhere from almost immediately, to two weeks or six months after stopping hormonal birth control methods," Dr. Purdie offers. "Generally speaking, healthy couples have an approximately 25% chance of becoming pregnant each cycle that they try," she says. So that means that it can take couples up to 4 to 5 months of trying, whether they've recently been on hormonal birth control or not. When Should You Stop Taking Your Birth Control?It's common to have irregular periods after you get off hormonal birth control, says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., and clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University. "Periods can be a bit irregular for the first couple of months, but that doesn't mean you won't get pregnant," she explains. As such, she advises people who are taking hormonal contraception to give themselves a few months to get regular after stopping birth control, and to use a barrier method if they don't want to become pregnant within that time period. Dr. Purdie advises patients to stop taking hormonal birth control around the time that you are ready to get pregnant. "If you complete a pack of birth control pills, remove your patch or ring or have your birth control implant removed, you may potentially ovulate and be able to become pregnant as quickly as two weeks after that time," Dr. Purdie explains. If you had an IUD, that timeframe may be even shorter. "With the removal of an IUD, patients may become pregnant almost immediately depending on the time of the month in which the IUD is removed," Dr. Purdie says. However, if you are someone who uses an injection form of hormonal birth control (Depo-Provera), you will need to give yourself a longer timeframe, says Dr. Minken. Some parents will get pregnant right away after stopping Depo-Provera, but most need a bit more time. "It can even take 6 months, or rarely longer, for the shot to disappear from the body," says Dr. Minkin. "So, I always advise people who would like to get pregnant after immediately stopping their contraceptives not to use the Depo-Provera." Do Different Birth Control Methods Affect Fertility?Studies back up the claims that different birth control methods have only small effects on fertility. A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis published in Contraception and Reproductive Medicine found little difference in the time it took people to get pregnant based on the type of birth control method—whether barrier methods, IUDs, or hormonal birth control—they had used before trying to conceive. Some studies, however, have found that it may take a few cycles for you to return to full fertility, depending on the type of birth control used. For example, a 2019 study published in The BMJ found that people who stopped taking hormonal birth control pills and contraceptive rings usually returned to fertility in about 3 menstrual cycles and people who used IUDs (copper and hormonal) returned to fertility in about 2 cycles. People who used birth control shots took the longest to return to fertility—about 5-8 menstrual cycles. How Can You Tell If You're Ovulating?After you stop taking birth control, you'll probably be wondering at what point your fertility has started to return. One way to figure this out is by tracking your signs of ovulation. Ovulation typically occurs around 2 weeks after your period, though your periods might not be regular right after you stop birth control. Typical signs of ovulation include:
If you are looking for more definitive proof that you are ovulating, you may want to track your basal body temperature, says Dr. Purdie. "This is a temperature taken first thing in the morning before you get up," she says. "There will be a rise in basal body temperature around the time of ovulation." Another option is to get an ovulation predictor kit, which will usually turn positive the day before you ovulate, Dr. Purdie explains. Are There Any Risk Factors Or Concerns?Taking birth control rarely has any long term impacts on your fertility, assures Dr. Minken. Still, there may be other factors that influence how quickly you can get pregnant after stopping birth control, including common fertility issues such as hormonal issues, thyroid issues, issues with your reproductive organs, and health conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome that can make conception more difficult. Fertility is a two-way street, and problems with your partner's sperm or sperm production can contribute to fertility issues as well. Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after 12 month of trying. If you are over the age of 35, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that you visit a healthcare provider if you're having trouble conceiving after 6 months of trying; if you are over 40, it's recommended you see your provider even sooner. For most healthy couples, though, it's just a matter of trying each month, and mustering up a bit of patience, knowing that it's normal for it to take a few months to get a positive pregnancy test. If you are looking to maximize your chances of getting pregnant once you quit birth control and are ready to try, Dr. Minken has some tips: "I would encourage anyone trying to conceive to eat a healthy diet, don't smoke, don't drink, don't take drugs, and do take folic acid supplementation daily to help prevent birth defects." What are the chances of getting pregnant after stopping birth control?"Patients may become pregnant anywhere from almost immediately, to two weeks or six months after stopping hormonal birth control methods," Dr. Purdie offers. "Generally speaking, healthy couples have an approximately 25% chance of becoming pregnant each cycle that they try," she says.
How long does it take to ovulate after stopping birth control pills?Generally speaking, ovulation will resume two to four weeks after you stop the pill. It may take a bit longer for older women and women who have been on the pill for a long time, according to Columbia Health. In some cases, re-establishing a regular ovulation cycle can take a few months.
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How quickly can i get pregnant after stopping birth control
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