Irregular periods - Will this be an issue?

[Redpony1]

I plan to start TTC after Christmas, I'm 31 and have been on Cerezette/Cerelle for 5 years....

Previous to the pill, my periods were sporadic, sometimes 2 weeks between AF and sometimes up to 6 weeks. Drs were not concerned at all. Started on the pill mainly because it was a real pain not knowing when i would come on.

A few weeks ago i finished a packet but couldnt get to the Drs for 7 days due to not working locally. Within 4 days, what i assume was af came on - heavy just like a normal AF. Surely this was too fast?

I am back on the pill again for the time being.

How will having irregular periods affect knowing when to DTD and when to test etc when i do start TTC?

I did consider coming off the pill now to try and get my body to go back to 'normal' but i'm not sure this is the done thing with the pill?

Stop taking your pill as soon as you finish this packet and start using condoms if you'd like to wait to TTC. It can take up to 6 months for your cycles to become regular again. And especially coming off BC you can have very unpredictable cycles. My first off cerelle was 50 days. You'll normally have a withdrawal bleed within a few days (probably what you experienced in your break) but I didn't have that.

Irregular cycles can effect TTC as you might have problems ovulating or tracking ovulation. I would suggest you get some cheap OPK from eBay and track ovulation from CD10. That way you'll know when you're ovulating and when to time DTD for the best chance of conception.

Good luck!

Thank you, very helpful!

I did think the tracking of ovulation might be the tricky part so will get some OPK from ebay when the time comes

I would buy and read Taking Charge of your Fertility.

And start temping. It's the only way to know what's going on inside.