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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Contraceptive pill and long term use

33 replies

constantlyseekinghappiness · 09/01/2018 17:58

Totally not an AIBU, I’m purely posting for traffic.

I was put on the contraceptive pill by my Dr when I was 19 - I would get really bad cramps and almost fainted a few times. The pill has been great and completely settled everything down.

But I’ve now been on it almost 10 years.

I’m in a serious relationship and discussions are starting re children and marriage etc. It occurred to me that my long term use of the pill might mean I could struggle to conceive.

Does anyone have any information on this? Just hoping for a bit of guidance really, I have no children now worry that I might discover using the pill for so long has damaging effects.

OP posts:

CherryVicky29 · 09/01/2018 18:00

I was on pill nearly 10 years and we decided to start trying August last year conceived after 3rd cycle off pill 😊 currently 13 weeks pregnant

As far as I’m aware the pill doesn’t cause any fertility issues for long term use I just had to wait for my cycles to adjust properly

curlycat · 09/01/2018 18:01

I was on the pill from 18 until I was 29. Came off it - pregnant 4 months later. Back on it til I was 33 - came off it - pregnant 2 months later. Both pregnancies were realitivly easyish

PrincessScarlett · 09/01/2018 18:03

I have 2 DC, was on the pill for over 10 years and fell pregnant immediately both times.

Rowgtfc72 · 09/01/2018 18:04

Was on the pill ten years. Took 5 months to conceive Dd but I was 34.

Loz604 · 09/01/2018 18:05

I’ve been looking this up lots recently. Lots of people share experiences of taking a while to conceive and periods taking a long time to return to normal. I came off my pill 27th December (after 8 years on Cerazette)with the intention to conceive in the next year at some point. Haven’t had any period or withdrawal bleed yet x

Lloyd45 · 09/01/2018 18:11

I've never had a problem, 2 children later, I've been on the pill for 25 years. It does take 3 months to completely leave your system, that doesn't mean you can't get pregnant in those 3 months though

Loz604 · 09/01/2018 18:22

Around 3/4 months seems to be a common experience. But the minute you come off you risk falling pregnant. There are lots of natural vitamins people suggest help such as AC. Starflower oil ....

NambiBambi · 09/01/2018 18:22

I came off the pill when I was 26 - had been taking it since I was about 18. It did take 5 months or so before my periods started again which was really frustrating. I had one period and then got pregnant.

Loz604 · 09/01/2018 18:27

Which pill were you on? Ah that’s reassuring 😊

PinaColadaSong · 09/01/2018 18:34

I'd been on it 10 years when I came off to have DS - no issues whatsoever getting pregnant.

In fact it's a standing joke in our house that I could get pregnant from sharing DH bath water.....

Staying pregnant was a different matter but that was more to do with other medical issues I have

Original poster

constantlyseekinghappiness · 09/01/2018 18:35

Thank you so much for all your replies.

It was something I’d started thinking about when my relationship became serious... the panic of ‘what if I can’t conceive and I don’t know it yet’

Your comments are reassuring!

OP posts:

MrTrebus · 09/01/2018 18:35

I was on the pill for 10 years came off to conceive and it took 5 years. Still happened naturally just one of those things! Nothing to do with the pill though I don't think OP.

specialsubject · 09/01/2018 18:36

No evidence, and if it worked when it wasn't being taken there would be no 'forgotten pill' babies. Logic implies that if someone was infertile after theill, they probably infertile anyway.

Can't be proved without a clone and a time machine , of course.

specialsubject · 09/01/2018 18:37

Sorry - crap mn coding and ads are really mangling posts .

Scribblegirl · 09/01/2018 18:39

I came off the pill due to unrelated gynae issues 6 months ago. Not TTC (looking like this time next year). Have had 3 cycles of 38, 45 and 40 days so far. I did worry myself a few weeks back that the cycles were so long so chatted to the doctor who said it was entirely normal and not to worry as it can take up to a year for things to settle down.

It did make me glad I came off when I did rather than waiting for the moment we agreed to TTC but I'm not unduly concerned

pigshavecurlytails · 09/01/2018 18:41

I've been on it twenty years. Ten years on it halves the risk of ovarian cancer and the excess breast cancer risk is tiny. Unless there's a medical reason to not take it, it's fine

HarrietKettleWasHere · 09/01/2018 18:43

Just following- I have been on it since I was 14. So will have been on it roughly 20 years by the time I try and conceive (hopefully in two years). Such a long time so I was worried things might be affected.

mrsmalcolmreynolds · 09/01/2018 18:49

I was on the combined pill (ovranette) for 12 years before TTC DC1 and it happened after 4 cycles - really the first time we were certain enough about cycle length to DTD lots at about the right time! Then on mini pill (cerazette) for 3 years in between pregnancies and took 3 cycles after coming off to conceive DC2.

DianaPrincessOfThemyscira · 09/01/2018 19:07

Took six months from coming off the pill I’d been on for ten years. No ovulation tracking or anything. First try for second pregnancy - but we were tracking then!

I was on microgynon.

Skowvegas · 09/01/2018 19:09

I have two forgotten/late pill babies, and one conceived the month I stopped taking the pill. I was in my 30s at the time.

I'm now using the depo shot.

Amanduh · 09/01/2018 19:14

I was on the pill for 11 years... stopped and was immediately pregnant!

Pleasedontdrawonyoursister · 09/01/2018 19:15

I came off the pill and it took me nearly 2 years to conceive. I had about 4 periods in that time, was having various tests but did manage to conceive naturally eventually. My periods never came back ‘normally’ until after I finished breastfeeding DD1 then got pregnant again straight away. I refuse to go back on the pill until we have decided to not to have any more children, I feel as we are getting older we don’t have that 2 years to play with any more!

treeofhearts · 09/01/2018 19:25

I came off after 11 years and had a period the following month then had one every other month for a year before they settled into a more traditional cycle.

bigbluebus · 09/01/2018 19:29

Been on pill over 12 years when TTC for the 1st time. Got pregnant in month 2. Went back on pill after 1st child then stopped again after 12 months and conceived DC2 in 2nd month again.

Spaghettihead1 · 09/01/2018 19:35

I was on the pill for 20 years - put in it young for the same reasons as you. I had the same worries as you when the time came to try for children. Also worried as my sister had never been able to conceive.
I came off it at 34 and fell pregnant after my 1st period.
Went back on it for another 4 years and conceived again just as quick with my 2nd.
Good luck!

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