Post Pill TTC Party

[TheDaydreamBelievers]

Come one, come all ! A thread for those TTC after coming off hormonal contraceptive pills.

Discussions typically include:

• Baffling temp charts
• Absent or oddly timed EWCM
• Whacky cycle lengths
• AF gone AWOL (current high score is 141 days post pill)

@Tinkertailor88 welcome! Good luck with the elimination diet, I never lasted very long even though I know it could my IBS 😂 I am mostly diary free and only eat gluten occasionally so I see that as an achievement in itself.
Hopefully the fertility appointment will help 😊

@Tinkertailor88 Welcome!! I think you will find a good home here, we have a hodge bodge of random issues and concerns ... but we have had 2 x successful pregnancies so far!

I'm 35 years and on my 2nd cycle TTC (4th cycle off the pill), i'm interested to learn more about your thin lining, was super light periods a symptom of that? Also, did you have any other symptoms?

Is there anything you are able to take to increase progesterone?

@TheDaydreamBelievers @MintGreenLife @Trying4one thanks for the welcome ladies I’ll let you know how I get on. No I don’t seem to have a short luteal phase BUT I have so much spotting I just don’t know anymore. It’s all so confusing. I have IBS too!!! My acupuncturist said the pill contributes a lot to IBS. Basically she said my body is full of toxins my liver has spent years breaking down synthetic hormones. My IBS has defs improved since cutting out everything so will see how it goes. I defs feel better for it so I suppose that’s something!

@Kay00 thanks and yes my symptoms were super light periods (basically brown spotting). I only seem to get actual red blood (sorry TMI) in my luteal phase occasionally when I wipe. Nhs referred me for a scan but mainly due to mid cycle spotting to check for fibroids. It was going to take months for the referral to come through so I jumped the gun and paid privately about £90 and she checked my lining to confirm what I thought. Light periods don’t always mean thin lining but it did for me. Acupuncturist seems to think it will improve over time but I’m not so sure. I think for low progesterone you can get suppositories to help but I’ll find out more at my appointment on the 9th and report back. So good to have others to talk to going through the same thing I’ve read so many success stories of people coming off the pill and falling pregnant immediately! Soooo encouraging you hear there have been pregnancies too. Here’s to hoping 🤞🤞🤞🤞

@Tinkertailor88 my IBS hasn't got any better since I come off the pill 😭 , i came off it in January and this is my 2nd cycle of trying. I tried acupuncture for my IBS last year but kept coming away feeling ill, she called it a healing crisis. I stopped going after 3 sessions and not attempted acupuncture since 🙈. Do you feel the acupuncture is helping?

Hope everyone is well today.

I had a text message from the doctor today to say to make an appointment to discus my results. Very surprised they have come back so fast! Naturally made me very anxious thinking something must have come back abnormal. I've called and can't get an appointment until next Monday, but was told by the receptionist it's not anything to worry about...fingers crossed!

@Tinkertailor88 the pill also apparently messes with your gut bacteria 🙄 I only developed IBS a couple of years ago while on the pill, but was on it 13 years in total. I'm confident my IBS is contributing to my cycle issues, so frustrating!

@Tinkertailor88 also hope you don't mind me asking, but as you are wheat and dairy free, what kind of things do you actually eat?! I've cut out dairy and am trying to reduce gluten as much as possible, and am struggling to find things to eat, which is making me feel like I'm not eating enough x

Hello everyone I’m new here! Hoping I can get some advice Iv been driving my self crazy looking things up but I think I just need some good advice from people who have expirenced this before.. basically my boyfriend and I are trying for a baby and I have just come off low dose hormone pill (combined pill) I just finished my withdrawal bleed yesterday and wondering how quick did it take for people to get positive results??

@Trying4one that’s weird for you what a pain! Literally. I didn’t really feel any different after the acupuncture tbh but I’ve only had one appt. The lady I’m seeing is at a natural fertility clinic so she spent a lot of time discussing general stuff with me looking at my charts and telling me which blood tests to get. We’re waiting on my day 3 work up which should give us a lot more info. I feel better purely because of the elimination diet. @MintGreenLife yes wheat and dairy free (and sugar and alcohol boo) and I also developed IBS while on the pill apparently very common!! She has me taking VS3 probiotics which are super strength and very pricey but I’ll try anything at this point. She wants to give me some herbal remedy for the acne but is waiting for my day 3 workout before she recommends supplements. And gluten free warbutons breads are ok the multi seed one is my fave, I use Flora plant based butter and I get the Asda free from pasta the spaghetti is really good if you don’t over cook it (goes slimey if overcooked). I eat a lot of eggs fish meats sweet potatoes stir fry (rice noodles) that kind of thing. Rice which I seem to tolerate quite well. Even bought gluten free soy sauce 😂 I’m struggling with chocolate and alcohol I do like a vino on a Friday night but I can feel it in my stomach now soon as I have any!

@Tinkertailor88 thanks for that ☺️ I shop at Aldi and they don't seem to have a gluten free section, so might have to pop to Asda and stock up on pasta and bread. I literally started on Monday and so far I've eaten a lot of rice, homemade soups and smoothies, but already struggling without bread and pasta 😢 Sounds like you've really thrown yourself into healing your gut post pill! Feel like I should be doing the same. I feel like I'm Ok with alcohol so still having the odd glass of white wine. I think my triggers are dairy and also anxiety/stress. What type of IBS do you have? I have IBS-D. Can't believe the pill can cause this! I guess the only way to get on top of it is to do what you're doing and hope in time you can reintroduce everything x

I couldn't imagine a life without dairy... it seems to have the opposite effect on me, it really calms my stomach down and I consume loads and loads every day - haha! It's my weakness!

@MintGreenLife I'm sure it will be ok, surely what the results are has no effect on the time it takes. There's no rhyme or reason to that stuff half the time. Hope the wait isn't too bad for you!

@MintGreenLife they haven’t told me a type they just tried to give me lots of different meds none of which worked I gave up going back in the end. Just learned to live with it. Cheese is my biggest miss I just love cheese. @Kay00 I hear u! She said I can start to reintroduce things after a few months (1 month minimum 3 months ideally) but that I should avoid dairy especially as it’s full hormones. Apparently my pituitary gland is confused after years on the pill and struggling to work properly so I have to try to avoid all things that may have hormones in. Supposed to try to eat organic too for the same reason which I did last week but to be honest I’d end up bankrupt if that continues an organic chicken was £14 🤦🏼‍♀️

@Tinkertailor88 I was never even given anything to help with my symptoms. Just told that's what I had and that was that 🤷🏻‍♀️ That's really interesting, I feel like that must be what's going on with me too possibly, as my body has really been struggling post pill. Don't think I'm ovulating every cycle, even though my body seems to give it a good go it just doesn't quite get there 😢 I've been off the pill 6 months now and TTC 5 months. So frustrating and upsetting sometimes. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and do an elimination diet like you x

@Lavinder welcome! I came off the combined pill in May and had two cycles at 35 then 30 days (these were definitely anovulatory) and then I had 2 x 6 week cycles and I've just had pregnancy confirmed this week! However, i never saw a peak on an opk and this cycle was the first I saw changes to CM and cervix movement (if you're happy to go that route). I was taking folic acid from may so that was already in my routine. I never noticed a short luteal phase but my follicular phase was about 28 days-apparently this is common after the pill and other than making a really long cycle, it doesn't impact chances of getting pregnant. Lots of girls on here are taking various supplements so theyve got all the best advice for that! Good luck 🤞

@Lavinder not quite sure what advice you are specifically seeking.

The majority of people come off the pill and cycles go back to normal in ~3mo. If that's you, you should get pregnant within a year if you have no fertility issues. If you havent conceived in a years time then I would ask your GP to investigate. You can maximise your chances by testing your basal temp each day and using OPKs (loads of threads on this in conception)

This group is for people who have obvious irregularities coming off the pill (super long cycles, no ovulation, weird phase lengths etc). If you find your cycles are really unusual post pill then this group may be for you.

@MintGreenLife I know it’s really frustrating. I feel your pain. Everyone keeps saying just wait it out your body will sort itself but it’s so hard not to worry. Especially as I’m older and my partner is 45. My temps did look like I was ovulating I got my LH peak but then my temps were quite a slow rise but they did rise so I was hopeful. I was so disappointed when I got my progesterone results tho as I was hoping it would confirm I’m definitely ovulating but it was a ‘grey area’ result can’t confirm ovulation and certainly not enough to achieve pregnancy apparently 🙄 but then I read loads online about the pulse nature of progesterone that it pulses throughout the day so a lower result could just be down to the time the sample is taken. No further forward really so I’m literally throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it. Hence the extreme diet measures! Trying caster oil packs, raspberry leaf tea, lots of water, exercise and yoga. If anything I’ll at least be fitter in a few months 😂😂😂

@Tinkertailor88 if you can see a clear rise then I would definitely take that as a positive! I really admire your commitment. I turn 32 in November, so not a million miles behind you. I'm feeling low today as tummy has been off today and yesterday, despite thinking that I had worked out dairy was my trigger and cut that out. You've inspired me to follow in your foot steps and I want to commit properly to an elimination diet, if not to help fertility, at least to help myself, as my IBS makes me miserable sometimes. I'm drinking red raspberry leaf tea too, and dandelion and burdock which is meant to be good for helping your liver detox. Have you tried seed cycling? That may support your luteal phase potentially? Also silly things like keeping your feet warm and avoiding frozen stuff is meant to help with the luteal phase too. Would you mind if I sent you a private message here as think we may be able to support and motivate each other? Absolutely no issue if not and won't be offended if you say no - totally get if you feel like it may not help you, or if you don't have time etc x

@MintGreenLife thanks that’s encouraging me too and yes definitely pm me sounds like we’re in very similar situations! I did try seed cycling but ironically the seeds played absolute havoc with my IBS!!! I tried grinding them but it was tough especially the linseed so I had to stop. Now I’m on the elimination diet I’m finding it so much easier to figure out which specific foods set my symptoms off. Like you my IBS has plagued me for years constant worry about going out for meals and what I can wear in case I bloat and having to leave early when I feel crap. My acupuncturist is convinced it’s all connected but I get eastern medicine is much more holistic isn’t it they look at the whole picture rather than treat one symptom

@Tinkertailor88 perfect, I'll send you a PM shortly ☺️ Ohh that's so difficult as frustrating! It's a nightmare trying to work out what sets you off isn't it. I totally think that's right though, and it makes so much more sense to heal gut issues holistically. I forgot you mentioned your skin above - I broke out really badly around three weeks go all of a sudden. I hadn't even realised but since I came off the pill I had pretty much been dairy free anyway after reading about all the horomes in diary, but then went on my honeymoon and enjoyed milk and yoghurt, and as a result suffered from a bad IBS flareup and a bad breakout 🤦🏻‍♀️ The more I talk about this the more I realise I really need to sort it out! X

@GlassLily Thanks for your message of reassurance :) I feel OK about it after the initial worry, at least Monday isn't too far away! x

Hi ladies. Just catching up over the last two days. I went out last night and got so drunk I was sick in the night...seriously questioning when I'm ready for a baby 😂😂

@MintGreenLife it is great you have a follow up so soon! Keep us updated

@Tinkertailor88 welcome!!

My BBT charting so really odd. My temp went down and now it is back up but at the same level as before. I do wonder if there are impacts from the pill still in my body given its only been 3/4 weeks since i stopped it 🤷‍♀️ did anyone else BBT straight from the withdrawal bleed? I wonder if thr hormones are throwing it off...

I'm just sitting patiently hoping for my first AF working out theoretical due dates when I havent even started trying 😂😂 im losing the plot already!

Here is a question for everyone. In the wait between ovulation and period, do you treat it as if you are pregnant and avoid things like drinking alcohol?

@Trying4one I think I would try to. But would not beat myself up if I had a glass here or there. But I won't drink so much I make myself sick...🤦‍♀️