Preparing to TTC when in pack to come off pill

[withsexypantsandasausagedog]

Hi all,

Planning to 'TTC' early next year. Currently on the pill, and have a few packs left. However one of the packs isn't complete as I used it as a spare when a couple of times a pill I went to take fell on the floor and was lost.

I want to just use condoms for a while as I know it can take a while for your cycles to return to normal.

Should I finish the pill at the end of a complete pack, or after the 'spare' pack, which has a couple of pills missing, or does it not impact how quickly your cycles settle?

ALSO-I don't know if anyone can answer this as I posted briefly before and no one seemed in a similar position: I enjoy gardening and find gloves a pain. I also have a cat. (And I can be lazy about scrubbing veg) I don't want to obsess too much about getting pregnant so I wanted to just try and take my mind off it, and therefore might not even be aware if it did happen for a while. I am worried about the risk of toxoplasmosis though, and not wearing gloves etc.

Has anyone asked for a blood test to check immunity before conception? I figured if I knew I was immune I wouldn't need to stress about gloves etc.

Sorry it's long! Would really appreciate any advice!

You can get a blood test for toxoplasmosis. Not sure I understand the question there?

You can stop taking the pill when you want to. Lots of people wait till the end of a pack, but you won't ruin anything if you stop in the middle.

Will the NHS do a blood test before I am even pregnant though? I haven't found anyone who has had one.

Will stopping the pill mid packet mean that it will really throw my cycles out of whack? Or will it not make much difference when I stop? I don't know how long it will take for my cycles to return to normal...

Thanks for your advice.

I think it's great that you're taking so much care in planning to TTC.

As far as I'm aware stopping a pill packet mid way through can mess up your cycle and may take a little more time for your body to find a natural rhythm. But it's not dangerous to do so.

As for the other stuff; it's always better to be safe than sorry so I would advise wearing gloves to garden in and change the cat tray when you do come off the pill. You can always have a chat with your GP about possible tests to check for immunity if you really don't want to wear gloves.

It's advised you start taking vitamin supplements 3 months before you start TTC (I think because that's how long it takes for your eggs to ripen?), so make sure you're taking Folic Acid, Vit C and Vit D or a pre-pregnancy supplement. Eat a well balanced diet and get some exercise and maybe cut down on caffeine and alcohol if you have a lot; but you don't have to completely cut them out until pregnancy. (ie allow yourself to still enjoy life! )

You'd have to ask your gp - but I don't think the nhs covers it as it's your curiosity - you have no medical need for this test.

I never realised how bad toxoplasmosis is!

Having read about it I'm trying to arrange a test to see if I'm immune (private as I live overseas). Not sure what to do if I'm not, DH works away all the time and we have two cats both of whom aren't very good at cleaning themselves so I often do it for them with a baby wipe.

If you're not able to get a test you should definitely take precautions (and even if I find out I'm immune I will still take precautions tbh). I think the chances of getting it are small but the effects on your baby if you do are potentially catastrophic.

Sorry, I'm probably catastrophising as I just read some very emotive article on it from a company offering toxoplasmosis testing.

Of course do your own research and weigh up the risks for you. I'd done some research before and wasn't too worried about it due to the low incidence but having read some more stuff I'm now freaking out.

Sorry for the multiple posts!

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I might have to shell out to get the test done privately. I feel like I should be immune (lots of contact with cats from childhood, playing in the dirt, not ever been that bothered about washing fruit and veggies thoroughly, and love rare meat) but I wouldn't feel happy about risking touching soil/ cleaning up after the cats(..maybe even touching the cats?!) without gloves/ washing hands afterward like a crazy person if there was a chance I could be pregnant.

I am the kind of person who can obsess, so I wanted to take a very laid back approach to TTC- ie not tracking, and not testing unless period was very late. I guess I will have to be obsessive in other areas (ie wearing gloves while gardening and scrubbing my veg... I am assuming I would still need to do this if I planned to cook them?)

Sorry for the very long post! All new territory!

I've done some research on this and apparently living in a house with a cat is not a significant risk factor for toxoplasmosis. When a cat gets infected its poo only contains infective particles for a couple of weeks. And as most cats are infected when they're young kittens it's unlikely the average house cat will be shedding infective particles.

Not sure what the biggest risk factors are - I guess eating undercooked meat and maybe gardening as the infective particles in cat poo can survive for many months.

Anyway I booked a blood test for the weekend to see if I've got it already.