When to end the pill?

mckenzienh89 · December 2013

I'm getting married in a few months and we're going to TTC right after the wedding. I've been on the same BC pill for 8 or 9 years. Would anyone recommend staying on the pill, until after the wedding when we're ready to start trying? Or would anyone suggest that I end the pill now and let my body be free of the pill for a few months?

Please, if you haven't gone through this yourself then please don't respond. Not to be rude, but I don't want to hear opinions of "Well I think you should... Well I heard... Someone told me once..." I've done research. I'm looking for real experiences from real people

Jags8 · December 2013

mckenzienh89 said:
I'm getting married in a few months and we're going to TTC right after the wedding. I've been on the same BC pill for 8 or 9 years. Would anyone recommend staying on the pill, until after the wedding when we're ready to start trying? Or would anyone suggest that I end the pill now and let my body be free of the pill for a few months?

Please, if you haven't gone through this yourself then please don't respond. Not to be rude, but I don't want to hear opinions of "Well I think you should... Well I heard... Someone told me once..." I've done research. I'm looking for real experiences from real people

By "gone through this yourself", do you mean only people who wanted to get KU immediately after their wedding can respond? Also, telling people how or if they can respond doesn't usually go over well. And "real people"? As in no robots or zombies can respond?

By anyway, if you have been on the pill for a while, it may take your body a few months to regulate. But personally I would wait until the cycle after the wedding to not risk being pregnant at my wedding.

EDIT: for spelling

missnacholover · December 2013

I'd probably stop the pill after the wedding because 1. I'd want to know when my period was coming in regards to the wedding and honeymoon. Cramps on a wedding day/honeymoon does not sound fun, and 2, I would want to drink w/out reservation.

But, I didn't stop the pill til a year after marriage, so I guess I shouldn't have answered.

mckenzienh89 · December 2013

Whoa! I wasn't trying to be rude! Like I said, I just wasn't wanting the "well someone once told me" stuff. I thought I would hear more of "this is what I did when I was TTC."

DebateThis · December 2013

Yeah, you're not going to last long here. If you've "done research" why are you even asking? Anecdotes from strangers on a message board do not outweigh data and statistics.

mckenzienh89 · December 2013

Because I would rather hear what women have to say, versus statistics. (Well I thought I'd like to hear it anyway.) I wasn't aware this site wasn't made for asking questions? I thought "babies on the brain" was the correct forum.

Jags8 · December 2013

mckenzienh89 said:

Whoa! I wasn't trying to be rude! Like I said, I just wasn't wanting the "well someone once told me" stuff. I thought I would hear more of "this is what I did when I was TTC."

Telling people how and if they can respond is, in fact, rude.

DebateThis · December 2013

mckenzienh89 said:

I'm getting married in a few months and we're going to TTC right after the wedding. I've been on the same BC pill for 8 or 9 years. Would anyone recommend staying on the pill, until after the wedding when we're ready to start trying? Or would anyone suggest that I end the pill now and let my body be free of the pill for a few months?

Please, if you haven't gone through this yourself then please don't respond. Not to be rude, but I don't want to hear opinions of "Well I think you should... Well I heard... Someone told me once..." I've done research. I'm looking for real experiences from real people

If you want recommendations but you don't want opinions, what exactly ARE you asking for?

Jags8 · December 2013

mckenzienh89 said:

Because I would rather hear what women have to say, versus statistics. (Well I thought I'd like to hear it anyway.) I wasn't aware this site wasn't made for asking questions? I thought "babies on the brain" was the correct forum.

By all means, ask questions. Your question was completely legit. Telling people who can answer and how is what rubbed everyone the wrong way.

mysticl · December 2013

I stayed on the pill through my wedding/honeymoon so I could be sure I wouldn't have my period. I finished that pack and didn't start a new one. My first pill free period was at 26 days which is my normal.

111emd · December 2013

mckenzienh89 said:

I'm getting married in a few months and we're going to TTC right after the wedding. I've been on the same BC pill for 8 or 9 years. Would anyone recommend staying on the pill, until after the wedding when we're ready to start trying? Or would anyone suggest that I end the pill now and let my body be free of the pill for a few months?

Please, if you haven't gone through this yourself then please don't respond. Not to be rude, but I don't want to hear opinions of "Well I think you should... Well I heard... Someone told me once..." I've done research. I'm looking for real experiences from real people

By alienating an entire group of people (people who don't fit exactly into your strict parameters) you are really selling yourself short. If your main concern is the timing around your wedding then it sounds like you have your answer. Stay on it until after your wedding.

If your concern is how easily you might get pregnant after going off the pill or how long the hormones take to leave your system. There's hundreds of women who could tell you how they went off BC, unfortunately you just "instructed" them not to comment because they weren't in your exact situation...SMH.

My neighbors moms co-worker told me that this kind of attitude probably won't work out very well for you here.

-T- · January 2014

I didn't start trying until 3 years of marriage so I wasn't in your shoes. If it were me, I wouldn't get off bc until after the wedding. I wouldn't want to stress about my period on my wedding. If that doesn't matter to you, then by all means, stop taking the pill.

laurasuzanne2006 · January 2014

i also got pregnant the first month off birth control but as previous posters have said it is possible for it to take a while for your cycle to regulate. Which with all your research you must know that. so whats the question????

bugandbibs · January 2014

Happy New Year to me!

SmileyJay · January 2014

My actual real world unscientific experience is this:

DH and I would love to conceive this month or within the next few months. Of course, I know all of the stats about how long it could take and won't be alarmed if it doesn't happen quickly, but I wanted to do what I could to aid our success. I stopped taking the pill back in October and started temping. This is not necessary but I really wanted to know what was going on with my body and how it may have changed over the last 5 years I was on the pill. I wanted to know this information to help us plan our family and have a good idea of how regular I am before getting pg. After 3 cycles temping, I have a lot of useful information to start actively ttc this month. I know that I have ovulated consistently, what my bodies signs are leading up to ovulation, and what day to expect to ovulate. My periods returned like clockwork to the same length they were before the pill.

If I were you, I would get off the pill 3 months in advance and start temping. Your FI needs to know whats up also so that the two of you can decide what other methods to use in the meantime.

On the other side of things, if you are not curious about your cycle you can just stop taking your pills 2 days before your wedding day to give yourself a chance of conceiving on your wedding night. Coming off pills just before ttc, or even getting pg while on the pills, is not linked to issues for the baby or you. You may also want to consider if you come of the pills now your cycle my regulate and you may have your period on your wedding day. Just something to consider.

SmileyJay · January 2014

Oh another thing - going off the pill can wreak havoc on your skin as your hormones adjust. If it were me, I guess I would wait until the Honeymoon to stop the pill unless you are just bent on ttc on your wedding night. We have been married almost 3 years and just now ttc so I can't answer your exact situation from experience. There are a lot of possible side effects that you may not want to deal with on your wedding day - surprise visit from aunt flo, irritability, headaches, dizzyness, acne, weight gain... the list goes on. I was lucky as AF returned exactly on schedule and I lost 3 lbs from water weight but there were a few days early on where I was dizzy/nauseous from Estrogen withdrawal.

mrssl3813 · January 2014

If I were you I would wait until after your wedding to go off the pill and then talk with your GP/OBGYN about when to go off the pill in relation to starting TTC.

I had a lot of very unflattering side effects from going off the pill. I have never had acne in my life and I have at least a dozen zits right now that are less then flattering. I have also been nauseated and well just flat out moody. Not exactly the characteristics of a beautiful bride...

Also you may be set on starting TTC on your wedding night but...regardless of when you go off the pill you may or may not conceive that night. So I say wait... but that's just my opinion.

bck142 · January 2014

Hello, there. I'm a little late in responding to this post but thought I would try to help anyway. I'm more of a lurker than a poster at this moment and one time I posted something that people didn't like as well. Dont take it personal, it happens.

I just got married in August and had the same plan. To TTC right after our honeymoon. So hopefully this helps. The bad part if EVERY SINGLE person is different, so you never know how your body will react.

First I asked my OBGYN when I should stop taking the pill. I had been on it for 10 years. Her ersponse was do not stop taking the pill until you are ready to get pregnant. So yes, as I'm sure you know, there are many, many women who get pregnant first cycle off. There are many women who get pregnant by missing just a few pills. It's all about timing and a million other factors.

I did what she said. I got married in August, stopped the pill in September. I will reccommend not stopping in the middle of a pack. Finish the pack out, get your 'period' and then just dont start a new one.

When I was on BC my cycles were pretty much always 28 days (give or take). My first cycle off was 29, my second was 30 and my third was 36. When I hit my 29 and then 30 I thought, "whoo hooo, i'm totally regualar already. So then when my third cycle came and it was longer, I thought I might be pregnant. Well, I wasn't. Which is okay! It takes time. And many women go much much longer with no cycle.

So, my point to this long, long post is that I personally wish I would have stopped BCPs a few months before hand so I had time to understand what is going on with my body.

I'm not temping yet which is really the only way to know if you ovulate, but I will start temping in a few months if I am still TTC. Right now, we start having sex around day 12 and try to do it every other day until my period comes or atleast through day 24 or so.

I hope this helps.

barely · January 2014

I personally regret not getting off of the pill sooner and giving my body time to regulate before I was actually trying to get pregnant. It made things a whole heck of a lot harder because my cycle is still out of whack 8 months later. I didn't want to stop BCP until I was 100% ready to get pregnant though and there isn't anything wrong with that either. It was probably better that I waited, but I think my regret comes from lack of patience. Once I knew I was completely ready to get pregnant I wanted it to happen RIGHT NOW and your body just doesn't work that way. Bottom line you have two options 1. Get off BCP and as PPs said, risk being pregnant/nasty side effects, AF on your wedding/honeymoon. Or 2. Stay on BCP until after the wedding and don't be surprised if it doesn't happen right away. All choices have consequences, make your choice based on the possible consequences you chose to accept. Do, however, know this...you (probably) still have lots of time to get pregnant. You (probably) will get pregnant within a year, but will only ever (hopefully) have one wedding. In the grand scheme of things, id probably chose to wait until after the wedding, as to not possibly ruin my only wedding day with possible side effects.

Ardmhs83 · January 2014

My OB said to stop taking the pill 2 months before TTC. It lets the uterus get back to normal and makes it a safer environment for a baby. It also lets you chart your cycle to figure out what is going on since the pill messes that up.

toribrite · January 2014

My OBGYN said off the pill for two months as well. That said, I waited until after the honeymoon so I didn't have to deal with potentially irregular, random periods. Been 1.5 months now that I've been off and so far they are regular and predictable. GL.

aggiebug · January 2014

A friend's aunt told me abstinence is best. Even after marriage. I hope that helps.

veetveet · January 2014

First pregnancy I was off the pill 2 months- Second pregnancy I got pregnant on the pill- missed 2.

Every body responds differently.

Mrsjilly3 · January 2014

Oh another thing - going off the pill can wreak havoc on your skin as your hormones adjust. If it were me, I guess I would wait until the Honeymoon to stop the pill unless you are just bent on ttc on your wedding night. We have been married almost 3 years and just now ttc so I can't answer your exact situation from experience. There are a lot of possible side effects that you may not want to deal with on your wedding day - surprise visit from aunt flo, irritability, headaches, dizzyness, acne, weight gain... the list goes on. I was lucky as AF returned exactly on schedule and I lost 3 lbs from water weight but there were a few days early on where I was dizzy/nauseous from Estrogen withdrawal.

I went off BC in August 2013 and my skin went NUTZ, I would not recommend it right before your wedding. Also, unless you are ready to really chart and take your BBT to get an idea of when AF is coming, that's not a "something new" you want for your big day (or honeymoon).

Want a personalized experience?

When to end the pill?

Re: When to end the pill?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards