Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

Anyone TTC after stopping the pill?

209 replies

Nazz10 · 07/06/2020 11:59

Hi,
I’m a newbie to mumsnet and a newbie to TTC.
My partner and I are TTC after deciding to postpone our wedding to end of summer 2021 (was originally May this year) due to covid. Our plan was to TTC after marriage but we’re so impatient and thought we would give it a go now.
I have been on the pill since I was 16 (I am now 27). Switched to implant in October 2017 then got it removed in January this year to go back onto the pill. Anyway, I stopped taking the pill on 13th May. However... I had gone straight onto the next pill pack to avoid the withdrawal bleed 7 days prior to this so hadn’t had a bleed for 5 weeks. Had a withdrawal bleed 16th-19th May. I have been checking CM, no EWCM that I’ve noticed yet. Have also been using ovulation test strips daily and all been negative so far.
I’m using the Clue app (always have done since switching to implant to track periods) and it’s saying that I’m currently in my fertility window with today being my most fertile day yet no signs or positive ovulation test. Could the extra 7 days of pill-taking messed up my cycle more than it would have done coming off the pill?

Anyone else TTC after stopping the pill? Or have conceived? What are your experiences? Any tips?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
16
MintGreenLife · 07/06/2020 15:28

@Curiosity101 I stayed away from Pregnacare for that very reason. Am just taking folic acid and Vit D.

Fantastic you conceived so quickly after coming off the pill ☺️ I'm not massively hopeful as bit strange I had two LH surges this month, but a small part of me is optimistic. Nervous to test. That's great advice, we have slowed down the DTD after doing it every other day and a few bouts of every day from CD6, but should probably be keeping it up just in case I haven't ovulated yet x

MintGreenLife · 07/06/2020 15:25

@Nazz10 ohh you're far more sensible than me re planning around the wedding. We are hoping to still get married in September this year but with a small ceremony of no more than 10, but obviously only if we're able to by that point. Then we are postponing the 'wedding' with all our friends and family for September next year, and I've basically decided that that'll no ahead regardless of whether I have a baby or a big bump. Obviously if I'm about to pop or we have a newborn we will have to have a rethink. I picked my dress and paid for it in December and it's meant to be ready next month 😢 I'm sure I'll fit into it one way or another next year 😂

I read a really good book called 'the impatient women's guide to getting pregnant' and found that really helpful. We also used preseed this month as after coming off the pill you can be a bit dry urgh. Other lubes aren't sperm friendly. I only had EWCM for two days in this cycle, and it was 5 days before I got a positive OPK so no idea what happened there! X

Curiosity101 · 07/06/2020 15:20

I've just seen your newest post. A number of people report that 'pregnacare conception' extends their cycle length. It's probably not the case for everyone but I'd have a quick look online and see what you think (if you haven't already).

Curiosity101 · 07/06/2020 15:18

I was on the combined pill for 14 years. I came off of it last year when TTC. I had my withdrawal bleed as usual a few days after finishing that month's pack. Then my first period was around 36 days later, no idea if I ovulated during that 36 days but I assume I did. The next month I conceived so I don't know exactly how long my cycle was/would have been but I reckon it was around the 33/34 day mark based on my dating scans.

It often does take awhile for your body to fully regulated back to whatever your normal cycle length is. But that doesn't mean it needs to get there for you to stand a chance at conceiving.

The best advice I can give is to DTD every other day throughout the month (not just when you expect to be fertile). I estimate I ovulated on CD19/20 (ish) when I fell pregnant, so well out of the fertile window of the tracker app I was using, but I wasn't using OPKs, Temping or checking cervical mucus.

Good luck with everything!

Original poster
Nazz10 · 07/06/2020 15:14

Thank you @MintGreenLife. That’s been really helpful and reassuring. I’m not too stressed about it to be honest. We have given ourselves 3 months to TTC based on when I would need to start shifting baby weight pre-wedding to fit into my dress (I picked up my dress a week before lockdown). In which case I would just go back onto the pill for a few months and then come back off a month or two before the wedding. But obviously we would both love to have one ASAP. We will just see how things pan out over the next few weeks/months.

Are you doing anything else to help speed things along or anything else that is helpful/vital? We’re both taking pregnacare conception and still researching and learning new things everyday

OP posts:
MintGreenLife · 07/06/2020 15:05

@Nazz10 message above x

MintGreenLife · 07/06/2020 15:05

It's so nice to find people to talk about this stuff with isn't it ☺️ My second cycle off the pill seems to be longer, as I didn't ovulate until CD20, but then possibly even later considering the second LH surge! I'm going on the first surge so will most likely test from the 11th which is two days before AF is due. That gives me a 33 day cycle this time. Apparently you can get AF without ovulating. I spoke to someone the other day that was having her periods like normal, but no ovulation for several months. These kind of things are quite normal after coming off the pill from what I understand, so don't worry too much if your cycle is quite long. Also shouldn't matter how late ovulation is, as long as your luteal phase is a decent length 12-14 days. But saying that I've also read that it's totally normal to have a short luteal phase in the first cycle or two after coming off the pill ☺️ It's all easier said than done isn't it. Every tiny thing I'm like 'why's that happening?!' But then manage to remind myself that it's all totally normal post pill x

Original poster
Nazz10 · 07/06/2020 14:24

Hi, @MintGreenLife ahhh so glad I’ve found someone in a similar situation!
That’s reassuring that you got your first AF 30 days later. I am currently on cd22 so a bit too early to say if my cycles are back to normal. Just a bit worrying that I haven’t got a positive OPK yet. Clue predicts that I’ll get AF on cd36 but I think that’s because of the late withdraw bleed I had due to taking the extra week. Prior to the pill I remember my cycles being pretty bang on 28 days but I was obviously much younger then so I’m not sure now. Technically speaking, if they remain 28 day cycles then AF should arrive next Saturday/Sunday. Time will tell I suppose.

When are you going to test?

OP posts:
MintGreenLife · 07/06/2020 14:12

Hey @Nazz10 very similar situation here ☺️ We were due to get married in September and although we haven't officially postponed we most likely will be doing so in the next week or so and have pencilled in a new date for 2021 with our venue. Because we knew we were likely to not be able to have the wedding this year I came off the pill in April. Like you we were going to get straight on TTC after the wedding. This is our first cycle TTC and I'm currently in the TWW at around 8/9DPO.

I had my withdrawal bleed a few days after stopping the pill, and then first natural AF arrived 30 days later. I've been trying to track ovulation using OPKs and BBT. I got a positive OPK on CD20 but then another surge 5 days later, so no idea if I actually ovulated or what went on there. Think your cycle can be a bit all over the place after stopping the pill, so it's worth doing everything you can to catch your ovulation, as well as DTD every other day of course. Can make it more challenging as will probably need to DTD for longer throughout your cycle to avoid missing an opportunity, but you never know your cycles might come back quickly ☺️ X