Advice needed! Coming off the Pill.

[WishICouldThinkOfSomethinWitty]

I'm getting Married next year and we've decided to start TTC as soon as the knot is tied.
I was thinking of coming off the pill about three months before the wedding to give my body time to regulate itself again.
However, I'm slightly worried in case I get terrible side effects from coming off. I don't really fancy being a fat(ter) and spotty bride. Also, I would absolutely hate to have a period during the wedding or honeymoon. Atleast if I'm still on the pill, I can back to back them to stop AF visiting.
I've also heard that you get mega fertile as soon as you come off the pill. I'm fully expecting it to take up to a year to conceive but don't want to waste that really fertile window (if it's true that is!).
What side effects have people had coming off the pill? and how early did you conceive?
Is it worth coming off the Pill a few months before TTC?
Thanks in advance! x

Hi! I could have written this last year!
I came off the pill 6 months before my wedding to give myself time to regulate and am really pleased I did because it's now been 9/10 months and although my periods are more regular now my cycles are still far longer than they were before I went on the pill.

Not to scare you but I was on my period at my wedding . It sucked. But it wasn't the end of the world and I knew we'd have had too much to drink for any wedding night activities anyway haha.
It at least meant I was period free for all the honeymoon sex .
I did find my skin a little oilier, few small spots but I didn't get any mad breakouts and didn't gain any weight, but I think it really depends on your hormones, what your body was like before, what pill you're on and a bit of downright luck!

I'm not sure how true it is that you're really fertile as soon as you come off the pill. Most people I've heard from seem to struggle to get their cycles back whch would imply not, but who knows. Whatever you decide I hope you have a lovely wedding and good luck with the babymaking!

Hi, you'll see from the threads on here everyone's story really is so different, it happens very quickly for some people and not for others so it's hard to advise. But I've been off the pill for 8 months now and not pregnant yet so personally i wish i came off the pill sooner but on the other hand we used condoms for the 1st few months as i wanted to let my body get back to it's natural cycle, now i regret that because as you said i have heard quite a few people who've fallen pregnant in their 1st month off the pill because you're apparently super fertile then.

I didn't have any side effects of coming off the pill, apart from you obviously don't know when you're period is going to show up.

heavenforbid Thanks for responding.
Oh no! That does suck! I've seen that you can get a sort of period delayer prescribed to you but I'm not entirely keen on it!
Would you say three months before the wedding is not long enough then?
I thought that you took a while to ovulate again so I wasn't sure how true the peak in fertility was either!

Merrz Sorry if this is a bit forward, but how long did it take your cycle to get back to its regular self?
I'm glad you've heard about the mega fertility too!

I had normal withdrawl bleed after stopping the pill then nothing for 38 days, then 37, 33, 30, 30 30, and 32 days last cycle so my cycles weren't overly erratic but still a few months. I have 3 friends who came off the pill just before their wedding thinking it would take a while and fell pregnant on honeymoon but it might of just been luck.

It took a good 9 months for my cycles to regulate themselves. Didn’t start ttc until 6 months after my wedding but wanted to know that everything was in sync again. Had a little set back with seven seas ttc vitamins that sent my cycle to pot. (Had in mind to take these for 3 months prior to ttc but came off them after a month). Stuck with folic acid and vitamin d instead and I fell pregnant the first month of ttc. Due in February!

I’m sure you will anyway but make sure you use another form of protection if you come off the pill before you actually want to conceive. I was on the pill for 10 years and fell pregnant within 1 month of stopping the pill (I expected it to take a long time!)

Wish I think it's really up to you. As Merrz says everyone's experience will be really different. 3 months I think is probably average for people coming off before trying but I have a friend who came off the pill a good 9 months before her wedding/starting trying! She got pregnant in her second cycle.

I would just have a think about it for some more time, discuss it with your partner and see how you feel. If you come off it early and do have any unwanted side effects before your wedding like spots etc. you could always go back on it for a few months if you wanted? Either way, good luck!