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Expert Q&A
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| By Robert Jansen Fertility Expert | ||
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I am 31 years old. After being on birth control for 10 years, I have been off of it for 4 months. My husband and I are going to be trying to conceive our first child next month. However, my periods since I have stopped taking the pill are only 2 days long. Is this any reflection of my fertility?
It is unusual after stopping birth control pills for your periods to be lighter than they were on the pill. Usually the pill can be relied on to make your periods lighter. But if they are regular, then almost certainly you are ovulating again and your fertility will probably be fine. If they are irregular -- or absent (called "amenorrhea") -- then you are probably not ovulating, and your fertility would then be low.
There are two general observations for me to make to others coming off birth control.
First, you can be reassured that the birth control pill itself does stop the periods afterward. The two hormones the pill contains -- an estrogen and a progestogen -- are out of the body inside 48 hours of the last tablet. But the birth control pill does mask the various causes of amenorrhea, which could have been developing behind the scenes during the 10 years you were on birth control. The most common of these is weight loss, but it could also be the polycystic ovary syndrome, a raised prolactin level ("hyperprolactinemia"), or in a small number of cases, running out of eggs ("primary ovarian failure").
Rarely, there are more serious causes. A hormone workup is needed, including a serum FSH, a serum prolactin, a free androgen index, and sometimes a CAT scan or an MRI scan.Second, I need to question why you have left it 4 months to start trying to conceive after stopping birth control? For most people it won't matter waiting like this, but if you happen to have endometriosis then your fertility is going to be best when you first stop birth control. Four months can be enough for endometriosis to become active and to cause infertility. THERE IS NO NEED TO HAVE ANY "DETOX" TIME: the standard birth control pill does not cause birth defects even when taken accidentally during early pregnancy. For optimal preconception planning I advise you to stay on birth control until you actually want to get pregnant.
Related Expert Q&A
- I have heard about this pill that prevents a period from happening all year long. Is that safe? Will it mess up my chances of conceiving a child when I am ready to?
- My new husband had a vasectomy and is considerably older than me. What is the first step that we should take in order to find out if we are able to have children together?
- How long should we wait before trying to conceive after I have my IUD removed?
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- I have endometriosis and have been on birth control pills or Depo Provera for over 8 years. Do you suggest I stop getting the shot soon?
More Answers by this Expert
- My periods are shorter now that I've gotten off the pill. Is this any reflection of my fertility?
- Does a past history of terminating a pregnancy affect your current ability to become pregnant/does it cause infertility? If so, how?
- If when using an ovulation prediction kit I neversee the LH surge, does that mean that I'm not ovulating?
- Am I more fertile after having a miscarriage?
- How long should I wait to TTC after having a miscarriage?