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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

Conceiving after long term contraceptive pill use

33 replies

pumpkinpieinmyeye · 06/10/2017 20:49

Just curious as to how long it took various ladies to conceive after being off the pill. I have been taking for around 10 years and have been pill free for one month, with the view to TTC after Christmas. Worrying what 10 years of pill use has done to my body! TIA x

OP posts:
goingagain · 06/10/2017 20:53

I had been on it about about 13 years, came off it in the September and conceived first month of trying in the December (had a few months off before to see what periods did etc).

ssssm · 06/10/2017 21:00

Similar to going but I had been on pill for 18 years bar a few months off here and there - was told it would take ages to conceive - conceived within 2 weeks of coming off pill - much to our shock - although obviously we were pleased but would have been better to have known. Was told fertility can shoot up suddenly after coming off pill but who knows?

Original poster
pumpkinpieinmyeye · 06/10/2017 21:02

This is positive news! Were you both taking ovulation test and actively trying when you were fertile? Or more casually trying?

OP posts:
HappyHedgehog247 · 06/10/2017 21:03

Conceived within 2 weeks. Nurse told me after there can be sudden surge of hormones so you may want to try asap/stay on pill until ready to try.

NiceCuppaTeaAndASitDown · 06/10/2017 21:11

Was on the pill for 15 years and got pregnant less than 6 months after coming off it. And we used condoms for the first 4 of those as I was worried about possibly having twins

Itsjustaphase84 · 06/10/2017 21:18

Within 4 months after 11 years on microgynon.

TheKidsAreTakingMySanity · 06/10/2017 21:18

Straight away. Decided on having kids on Valentines night so stopped taking my pill after about 10 years, I got a positive test in April.
Decided on another a year later and were pregnant the month after stopping the pill again. Sadly we lost that baby. Third baby took two months to conceive. Last pregnancy was the same.
Just remind yourself that plenty of women get pregnant after missing one single pill so don't worry.

Dolwar · 06/10/2017 21:30

I had been on the combined pill for about 14 years until last December. I still don't have regular periods and no bfp

Wreckingball25 · 06/10/2017 21:32

Had been on for 19 years including several of running pill packs together. Stopped November, periods came back in January, BFP in March (so second proper cycle) age almost 37.

jbee1979 · 06/10/2017 21:42

I conceived in December after stopping the pull in November, although I lost the baby in March, and it took 5 cycles to conceive again. I don't think it was anything to do with the pill, it was just one of those things. Sure, you can get pregnant by missing a couple of pills in a packet. I had concerns about conceiving as I have PCOS but my consultant told me, to "suck it and see" seriously Confused i suppose that's all you can do. Try not to stress!

squadronleader87 · 06/10/2017 22:00

I was on the combined pill for 15yrs. My 'proper' periods came back the following month. It took about 8 months before I was pregnant but that is because my cycle is quite irregular (between 25 and 35 days!) and it took a while to figure out when I was actually ovulating.

Dolwar · 06/10/2017 22:30

Well this makes me feel completely sh*t

Thumbellini · 06/10/2017 23:23

Similar to Dolwar, off pill since December/Jan, periods still irregular and no bfp! Have been told it's very normal so wouldn't bank on bfp right away...

NC1990 · 07/10/2017 08:36

I came off the pill in July 2014, didn't have anything close to a regular cycle until January 2016 (though I do have PCO). Started 'casually' trying in April 2016 and conceived Feb 2017.

ssssm · 07/10/2017 09:22

@pumpkinpieinmyeye not doing any tests/actively trying at all - was too early in the process for any of that :D

ssssm · 07/10/2017 09:27

@dolwar sorry Flowers Hope you get what you want soon

Oysterbabe · 07/10/2017 09:55

It took 5 months first time and 2 months second time.

Dolwar · 07/10/2017 20:37

DH is getting quite upset. He knows it's not my fault but all (literally all, the last one announced the birth this week) his mates have kids and he's really feeling it. It's hard as I work shifts so not always around and I've been unwell for most of September. If nothing happens before Christmas then we'll just have to see the gp in January.

SweetpeaandPeony · 07/10/2017 21:03

Sorry Dolwar.

First baby was conceived 3 months after coming off the pill. I'd been taking it for almost 10 years.

Came if in the pill in January of this year hoping to conceive a second. No luck so far in fact I've only had 4 periods this year.

I think you just can't predict how your body is going to react so assume nothing.

Original poster
pumpkinpieinmyeye · 07/10/2017 21:19

Sorry Dolwar, I didn't mean to upset anyone. I have four friends who have been TTC for over 12 months having been on the pill long term, and only one who has conceived very quickly. We are all so very different, and really hoping you get the news you so deserve soon xxxx

OP posts:
Dolwar · 07/10/2017 21:56

You haven't upset me don't worry I'm not that precious! It's just been a tough month with yet another birth announcement and DH keeps coming home with snippets of information about how to use an app to get pregnant etc that he happened to overhear women talking about at work Hmm

Dolwar · 07/10/2017 22:00

just realised that dh sounds rather insensitive. He's not at all he just doesn't get why no bfp yet and he's desperate for a baby.

Magpie24 · 07/10/2017 23:47

Came off the pill in April after being on it for 9 years or so. Periods back to normal but no BFP for me yet. Good luck :)

TurquoiseDress · 08/10/2017 00:08

I think it does vary hugely amongst women.

I was 34 and had been on the combined pill for 15 years.

Finished pack, had withdrawal bleed and waited for "real period"- it never came and I got BFP. We had sex once that month.

Second time, exactly the same thing happened- this was last year aged 37. Sadly I had MMC discovered at dating scan, and even more frustrating, have not been able to conceive since then.

TTC for 15 months now, am aged 39 now.

Also, I did not have any idea of what an OPK was until a few weeks after MMC last year!

ronniemipperton · 08/10/2017 07:51

Came off Cerelle in September 2015, periods are only just starting to come back at all (and still far from regular), still no bfp. After seeing loads of doctors one suggested I might be doing too much exercise and having stopped that does seem to have been what was causing the absent periods (I didn’t think of it sooner as not remotely underweight). All been extremely frustrating but hopefully things are heading in the right direction now. Good luck everyone 🤞