Going off the pill...your experience?

faithea85

Hello! My name is Faith and I'm a forum newbie and newlywed here I am 30 years old and planning to go off Beyaz at the end of July, which I have been on (previously Yaz) for almost 10 years, and just had some questions for those of you who have been on the birth control pill for years and went off it to get pregnant:

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long?
2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away?
3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill?

I am excited to start TTC but also worried about possible side effects of going off the pill like acne, bloating, fatigue, stomach issues, hair loss, etc. Thanks so much! 

AliciaGoose

Hi! If you're looking for success stories of pregnancy after the pill, this isn't the right place. This is the trying to get pregnant board, and most women here have never been pregnant! You might have better luck asking this on the first trimester board.

mrsdaddario

faithea85 said:

Hello! My name is Faith and I'm a forum newbie and newlywed here I am 30 years old and planning to go off Beyaz at the end of July, which I have been on (previously Yaz) for almost 10 years, and just had some questions for those of you who have been on the birth control pill for years and went off it to get pregnant:

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? Sprintec, on for 13 years
2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? Long cycles, crampier periods. Didn't go away. Diagnosed with PCOS
3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? Have yet to get pregnant. Went off in September. 

I am excited to start TTC but also worried about possible side effects of going off the pill like acne, bloating, fatigue, stomach issues, hair loss, etc. Thanks so much! 

I've answered what I could of your post in red. Please take the time to read the Newbie Thread  copy and paste here: 
https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12613283/the-ultimate-ttgp-guide-newbies-read-this-first#latest

Many of the women (most) on this thread have never been pregnant, so they cannot tell you how long it's taken them to get pregnant after coming off of the pill. The search tools at the bottom of this page are truly helpful. There are probably hundreds of discussions for this type of question. Everyone is different when it comes to coming off the pill/IUD/etc. No one persons story has any bearing on your own.

With all of that being said, we like order around here as it saves up the boards getting too clogged. Which lately people have been clogging them because the Newbie Guide seems to go unnoticed. We love new members as long as you are participating! You give to receive, you receive to give. WTO (Waiting to Ovulate) and TWW (Two Week Wait) are our daily's. This is a good place to check in AND ask questions such as these. 

catem07

Hi Faith. You might want to check out the 1st trimester board for question 3, as many of us haven't been pregnant. I was on Mirena, which is different, but I think those are primarily side effects of being ON the pill (edit: actually I think acne is a potential side effect of going off, but hair loss, for example, is potential a side effect of Mirena), not off it. Since going off Mirena my skin seems clearer (except for PMS pimples which I didn't get while on Mirena because I didn't get my period). Otherwise no other "side effects."

If you haven't done so already, read the newbie thread and then start participating in the WTO/TWW threads once you start TTC. 

mtmama2

Welcome! These would be some  good questions to ask in the daily TWW/WTO daily threads (except#3). Please be sure to read the Newbie Guide pinned at the top of this board and jump in on the daily threads when you're ready!
FWIW:
1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? Sronyx (or some variation of that) for 10ish years
2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? Weight loss (about 6lbs), increased sex drive, ovulation pain during the first 2 cycles after going of BCP
3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? This is a board for women who are trying to conceive so many of us have never been pregnant (myself included). You could try asking this Q on the First Trimester board

Zoey1019

faithea85 said:

Hello! My name is Faith and I'm a forum newbie and newlywed here I am 30 years old and planning to go off Beyaz at the end of July, which I have been on (previously Yaz) for almost 10 years, and just had some questions for those of you who have been on the birth control pill for years and went off it to get pregnant:

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long?
2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away?
3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill?

I am excited to start TTC but also worried about possible side effects of going off the pill like acne, bloating, fatigue, stomach issues, hair loss, etc. Thanks so much! 

1.) Mircette - 10 years

2.) I had a 45, 65, and 38 day cycle before I started to regulate. My hormones were ALL over the place. I had crazy cystic acne. It has taken my body about 8-9 months to regulate. I went off in November of 2015.

3.) Well, this is "trying to get pregnant" so a good portion of us are still trying, and have never been. Honestly being on the pill has no bearing on how long it will take you to get pregnant...maybe just cycle length. 

Please read newbie thread that is pinned at the top and join in!

NamelessAria

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? Started on Yaz and took that for 4 or 5 years. Developed chronic migraine and my neurologist thought it was related to my BCPs so he told me to stop taking BCPs or at least switch to a lower hormone dose kind. Started taking Azurette for a year or two. Azurette absolutely murdered my sex drive which was a deal breaker for me. I asked my doctor to switch me and she switched it to .... I can't remember now. Whatever it was flared my Endo really badly so I switched to seasonique. Seasonique didn't work for me so my doctor switched me to Beyaz since Yaz has previously worked. Migranes started up again. Switched to Errin. My insurance stopped covering Errin so switched to Micronor. 
I took BCPs, of one type or another, for the better part of 10 years.

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? My normal cyclic symptoms changed. The first couple of cycles of BCPs I had a lot more "early pregnancy symptoms" (nausea, vomiting, extreme food aversions, and that sort of thing) but fortunately that only lasted a couple of cycles. My normal cyclic symptoms never returned to what was "normal" for me while on BCPs. Now about a week before I ovulate I start getting migraines. I have them till after I ovulate. Within a day or two of ovulating my back hurt really bad and it doesn't go away till after my period. Sometimes I get really sore breasts/nipples immediately after ovulation. My Interstitial Cystitis flares before ovulation and right before my period. I have a lot more heartburn and bloating during the luteal phase now that tends to extend through my period. Oh and the cramps. Since I haven't been on anything to suppress my Endo now for over a year every cycle I cramp for more days and the cramps are worse. I pretty much cramp intermittently throughout my entire cycle now. So that's fun. I suppose I also have Endo to thank for how around ovulation and around my period I also tend to have pelvic pain.

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? **TW losses mentioned** It took 9 months the first time.I had an early MC at 6w4d. I got pregnant again 4 months later. Chemical pregnancy. Next cycle another CP. And another CP the next cycle. So, 3 CPs back to back in 3 cycles. I'm now on my second cycle TTC after my most recent CP. At this point I've been trying for nearly 18 months to have a successful pregnancy without luck.

LittleChick2

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? Gianvi (generic Yaz) for 6 years and some other brand before that for 6 years, totaling 12 years 

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? Acne, heavier periods, cramps

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? N/A but this is my 4th month since stopping birth control

Basherbaby

1. I was on Nuvaring for around 3-4 years. Different forms of BC before that for 4 years.

2. My cycles went back to normal immediately and my sex drive went back to normal too. I started getting terrible acne (way worse than when I was a teen) so now I'm spending ridiculous amount of money on Murad. I've been getting some cramping and bloating before O which kinda suck. Periods have actually been lighter and I've lost a tiny bit of weight.

3. Still no baby so I can't answer #3. 

delujm0

1. I was on mostly OrthoCyclen from about 19 years old to just before my 32nd birthday.  For a few years it might have been Ortho Tricyclen?  I don't remember which years was which.

 

2. I didn't have the horrible cramps I used to have pre-pill, but did have some cramping and moodiness during PMS-time.  Moodiness could have been related to the fact that I wanted to be pregnant and wasn't, and not necessarily the hormones.

 

3. My outcome has zero bearing on yours, but I got pregnant in my 4th cycle off BC.  It took a few cycles for me to really know what was going on.  For example, I typically ovulated day 19-20, so when I assumed I'd ovulate on day 14 in my first cycle, it turns out I'd timed sex poorly.  I started temping in that second cycle.  Which was good because in the cycle that I conceived, I actually didn't ovulate until day 31.  So if I wasn't temping I probably would have been unsuccessful that cycle as well.  I was fortunate that my cycles came right back after going off the pill, and were reasonably consistent.  That doesn't happen for everyone.

Sugargirl1019

Welcome! I strongly suggest waiting 3 months after stopping your pills before you try, for reasons you'll see below.

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? Loloestrin Fe, for 2 years most recently, and then before that Necon 1/35 for about 8 years.

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? Acne is much worse and I've gained weight. My thyroid medication needed to be decreased.

**TW**
3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill?
I got pregnant immediately after stopping the pill. I didn't start a new pack, and I ovulated on CD 12. I was almost 9 weeks when I discovered baby did not have a heartbeat. Since then, I've found research stating that BCP thin the uterine lining making it not able to support a baby. Research has shown it takes about 3 months to build that lining back up to a good thickness, and therefore they recommend waiting 3 months after stopping BCP before trying to conceive. If I had known I would have that risk, I would have waited, but I was silly and eager and thought oh it won't happen the first month. The research articles are posted on one of the past threads somewhere here or the loss board. 

MrsFL2015

AliciaGoose said:

Hi! If you're looking for success stories of pregnancy after the pill, this isn't the right place. This is the trying to get pregnant board, and most women here have never been pregnant! You might have better luck asking this on the first trimester board.

This is great advice!  I can't give any good personal experiences regarding the pill.  I was on it for a very short time in my early 20's but stopped taking it because it f-up my body really bad (I don't do well on medication).  I do remember my period being super short after going off of it, I'm talking 2-3 days tops.  Prior to the pill, I would have AF for 5-6 days sometimes.  After a while (and I can't remember the time frame), I went back to AF lasting 5 days or so.   

My best advice is to start temping and getting to know your body and your cycle. 

TheJerilu

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long?
Not on the BCP, but used the Mirena (hormonal) IUD for 3.5 years
2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away?
Prior to using the Mirena, I had horrible irregular and heavy periods with super cramps.  On Mirena, I no longer had a period, maybe just one day of spotting.  After Mirena, I've had roughly 28-30 day cycles with regular bleeds.  Not too many horrible negative side effects/withdrawal.
3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill have you been off HBC and TTC?
I've been off HBC and TTC for 5 months now

RatParade

I'm copying @TheJerilu

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long?
I don't remember the brand, I was originally on ortho tricyclen but it made me nauseous so they put me on something milder.  I was on it for 7 years.

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away?
My periods had always been regular prior to HBC and except for my first month off them they returned to being mostly regular.  Cramping is much worse now, and my bleeding is heavier.  I've noticed I've become much more irritable the few days before my period, but that could be TTC related.

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill have you been off HBC and TTC?
I've been off it for 4 years, and I'm on my 6th cycle TTC.

mrsdee15

I'll play.  I saw your question about acne, I had horrible acne until I went on Accutane at 17, the same time I started BCP.  I still had breakouts through my mid 20s, but I went off the pill almost exactly a year ago and almost never have a breakout now.  I hope it's that I just grew out of it, but to answer your question, my skin didn't get worse.   

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? Low estrogen, then Microgestin, then the implant for like 3 months (hated it), then generic Seasonique.  13 years total.  

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? 
None, really.  My weight was the same (I did gain weight because we went on our honeymoon, ~5 lbs) and like I said above, no acne.  I noticed a HUGE positive impact on my sex drive, especially around ovulation, so that's nice.  My first few cycles off were long, but it turns out my natural cycle is also a little long. 

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? Never been pregnant, you may want to ask 1st Tri.  Like I said, been off it almost a year.  
ETA: Just saw the edited question.  So we were NTNP but had well-timed sex the first 4ish (I don't remember exactly) months, and the rest of the time has been full bells and whistles trying. 

LadyMillil

1. Marvelon. Had been on different pills for 7 years 

2. Acne around AF, some nausea during LP. Ovulated within 2 weeks, took 3 cycles for LP to be a normal length.

3. It's been 16 months and I have never been pregnant. The pills were masking symptoms of infertility.

Squiddly

*** TW loss and child mentioned ****

1. Ortho tri cyclen for 10 years, then after DD, mini pill for 4 months, then back to ortho tri cyclen for 14 months. 

2. increased sex drive was about it. 

3. Got pregnant first month we were TTC the first time, but had been NTNP for 2-3 months. That was a CP. Then took a month off, then got pregnant again the next month. That was DD. Now I'm on my second cycle of being off the pill again, and not pregnant yet. 

PensiveCrayon

***TW siggy, I'm a lurker who used to hang here***

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? Yaz, 5 1/2 years

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? It took a few cycles to get back to my regular 27/28-day cycles, but when I started TTC in January they started getting wonky again, and I'm not really sure what that was about. Also, acne, cramps, and some EWCM returned after getting off HBC.

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? I went off the pill in September, just to give my body time to regulate (sort of what @Sugargirl1019 was saying). We used condoms in the meantime. In January we started TTC, and in April, on my 4th cycle (3rd with H around -- he was gone for one of those cycles) I got pregnant.

Good luck, @faithea85. As PP have said, definitely hit up the first-trimester board and see what others have to say.

BigBadWolf12

1) Diane and Diane35 mostly... A bit of yaz and Yasmin in the middle,  but I couldn't tolerate it and it didn't do its job anyways.  I took it solely for acne control starting when I went on accurate at 16. Whenever I tried to stop the pill after accutane I would get brutal acne again,  so I was basically on the pill for nearly 10 years. 

2) I felt like I should have been pregnant..... The surest boobs ever,  nausea, etc. My period was heavier(no I was not actually pregnant)  and my cycles were all over the map for the first 6 months. 

3) on month 8 of trying.... Part of me wonders if I really messed myself up with the accurate and or hbc pill....

lalala2004

*lurker with a siggy*

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long?

Orthotricyclen. Several years, a few years off, then back on it for 2 1/2 years or so.

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away?

Really none, but I was on BCP for BC only, no other reasons. My cycle went back to what it was like before BCP (longer).

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill?

*BFP MENTIONED*
First I wanted to figure out my cycle so we used condoms while I temped for two cycles. Then the third cycle was when we removed condoms and I got my BFP. My son was born two months ago. We were very lucky.

RE waiting to start TTC: I just did it to get a handle on charting and see how my cycle was, not on the advice on my doctor. Whether or not this is the safest thing to do, I would ask your doctor as many BCPs work in different ways. Maybe even ask a pharmacist.

ChaoticWolf

*lurker here with TW in signature and BFP in answers*

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long?
I used a variety of methods, I was on the patch, the pill, and the ring, in that order, for about 5 years total. I went off the ring right before I got married in May 2015.

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away?
I had periods that got more and more unpredictable, and much heavier. I also had my acne come back with a vengeance, since the hbc was keeping it to a minimum during those 5 years. I was much less moody and crazy though, with less stress.

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill?
We actually gave ourselves about 8/9 months after I came off birth control for my body to fully adjust back into normality, during which we used condoms. After we started TTC in January, and didn't get a bfp until May 2016. We took 3 cycles/4 months to concieve, which from what I'm understanding, is pretty early. So technically we got KU exactly one year after coming off hbc.

Kenya715

***TW siggy, Lurker but recent TTGP grad***

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? I was on Nuva ring for 11 years

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? Definitely had more cramps in the beginning but they seemed to be less and less with each month. I was pretty regular from the beginning, which felt lucky because I was on BC for endometriosis. Some acne that chilled out after a few months. Gained some weight but there were environmental factors that played into that as well. 

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? I took out the last ring in November and we NTNP until April - both for lack of opportunity and then DH got the flu a few times. After 2 rounds of actively trying, we got a + the second month. 

Final words: It definitely took longer than I expected for my body to regulate and also to learn how my body works. Temping, using OPKs and learning about CM/CP was the biggest help. Once I realized my body was "normal" in that I was ovulating around the same time each month, AF came around the same time each month and lasted a regular amount of days, I decided to not temp to help relieve some of the stress. I got my BFP that month and BDing was a lot more fun. I hate the "just relax and it will happen" because I believe in science, but ironically enough, that's what I did and it was the same month as the BFP. 

canavara

***TW siggy, former TTGPer, loss mentioned too**

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? Yasmin. I'd been on it since I was 19 (so 10 years), got pregnant, lost the pregnancy, went back on it to give myself some time to grieve, and then went back off again after 4 months when we were ready

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? I got pregnant while on the pill the first time, we weren't TTC, so I can't speak to that, but when I went off of it after 4 months of being on it again, my first cycle off was very asymptomatic, and my 2nd cycle off was extremely PMS-y, and it mellowed out by the 3rd cycle. I could not reliably use OPKs the first 3 cycles off BCP--I was getting continuous positives from CD 10 all the way into the next cycle. My BFP cycle was the only cycle where I only had 36 hours of positives (I was temping too, of course, though)

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? First pregnancy was unplanned while still on the pill, second pregnancy--we waited a month to start trying since the first pregnancy was high-risk with twins that were almost certainly the result of hyperovulation caused from birth control hormone detox, it took us 3 cycles after that (this pregnancy is a singleton)

kiki75

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long? I started on Orthocyclen in 2003 because I was going on Semester at Sea and I wanted to be able to skip my period. A lot of the places were going to have squat toilets and facilities that would make dealing with a period especially unpleasant. Like the time we were on a road trip and when the bus driver pulled over for a bathroom break, it was just a field with a bunch of poky plants. I was on Orthocyclen for a few years and it really worked fine for me. Then in about 2007 or so I started switching around under the theory that maybe it was suppressing my sex drive. I tried Orthotricyclen (sp) and then I think later I tried Loestrin and then another time I got a prescription for Loloestrin. (Spelling for all of these is probably wrong.) On the Loloestrin, I had a period/spotting 75% of the freaking time. I kept blaming myself thinking that I just needed to take it at 24 hours apart on the dot and not 25.2 hours. Then I did one month perfect and I still had some amount of bleeding for three out of four weeks. So basically it was preventing pregnancy by making me not want to have sex ever. So I just quit it cold turkey. I was tired of being on hormones, tired of trying to remember it every day, tired of having sex and then immediately getting grilled about if I had been taking all of my pills right on time, and over the whole stupid thing. So while I probably could have called the doctor's office and asked to just go back to Orthocyclen, I just plain quit.

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away? It was years ago (maybe 2014?) so I don't really remember but that also means that there was nothing that interesting about it that it caused me to remember. As I mentioned in the previous answer, I had been having bleeding 75% of the time so I was just glad that that stopped. 

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill? N/A. At all. Were still TTA for another couple years, just in non-hormonal ways. So far, I'm at 5 cycles and counting.

laurad75

Hi Faith - welcome! 

1. What birth control pill were you on, and for how long?  I was on Zovia for almost 20 years and went off it in February in anticipation of TTC a few months later.  

2. What side effects (positive and negative) did you experience after going off the pill, and when did they go away?
I was really nervous about side-effects because I was planning a wedding for May and was certain (based on all the internet research I did) that I was going to break out terribly right before the wedding.  I didn't.  I have mild hormonal breakouts that I manage with cleansers and benzoyl peroxide and you can barely see the breakouts bc they are under the skin.  Everyone's experience is very different going off BC.  

3. How long did it take for you to get pregnant after stopping the pill?  After stopping BC in February we were NTNP for a few months and then began actively TTC in May.  I am on cycle 3 and WTO.  This is another scenario where everyone is different but you can get pregnant right away after going off BC.  

NYTino24

I got off BCP about 7 months ago after going on about 9 years ago. Maybe it's that or the fact that I had surgery a year ago, but I have lost a lot of hair since stopping.

 I can't remember all of them, but I know I was on Yaz, Yazmin, LoEstrinFe24 (AF never came those 5 months), and Syeda. I think I am missing one. Now that I see my body's normal cycles, I remember it being hard to predict when AF would show up. I always had heavy periods, but they maxed out at 5 or 6 days. I was skipping the placebo the last 6 months on Syeda because I had been getting headaches and canker sores during the week off. I have had more of a sex drive off BCP.

My doc said I only needed to be off for 1 month before TTC, but I am glad I went off sooner as I think my body is still regulating. Cue the PMS cramps now... I have never been pregnant.

MonaLisaRalphio

TW lurker/ticker/BFP:

1. I was on Seasonique for one million years (like, 12) and on Yasmin for maybe 3 years before that, and briefly on Ortho tri Cyclen, but only for a few months because it made me a nut job. 

2. I lost some weight (5 pounds or so) with no effort. I definitely noticed that I was more lubricated during sex. I was really worried about my skin going crazy, but it stayed really nice and clear. My cycles took forever to regulate - it was about 6 months before I completed a full, normal-length cycle. 

3. I got my BFP after 8 months, on my 6th cycle. I believe that my first three cycles, which took about 5 months to complete, were anovulatory based on symptoms and temps. So I got KU on my third "real" cycle. 

krys-2

1. I was on the pill (but I'll be damned if I remember which one.. I had to start in the summer of 8th grade for really bad ovarian cysts) for probably 6ish years. Whenever the patch became a thing, I switched over to that. When Nuvaring became a thing, I moved to that - probably 5ish years now?

2. I haven't really noticed anything "bad". My cycles are still adjusting, but have been about 26 days. Ovulation was CD17 my last 2 cycles (which were my first off BC), and this cycle is stil in limbo as it could be happening today/tomorrow/the next day depending on how things go. My drive is through the roof this month, and BC really, really killed it...so I am excited about that if it's not just a passing thing.

3. N/A - this is my 3rd cycle off any type of BC, and 3rd actively trying. For what it's worth, aside from my temps which are heavily impacted due to my travel, this is the first cycle where things are feeling more normalized.