When to come off pill if TTC with PCOS? Any other tips?

[SkeletonSkins]

Hi all,
Bit of a random question but I’m hoping to start TTC in September. I have PCOS and I’ve been on the pill (Yasmin) for a long time which regulates my symptoms. Prior to being on the pill I had huge gaps between periods so I’m conscious that this is likely to take a while.

My question is should I come off the pill a few months before to let my cycles settle, or wait until we are TTC? I planned to come off early but having done some reading some seem to suggest if you have PCOS then it’s best to wait until you’re actually TTC as the pill will be keeping my hormones vaguely normal, even if artificially. Anyone any advice on this?

Also is there anything else I should be doing/taking in the run up to TTC? I’m just above a healthy weight thanks to lockdown so I’m going to get my weight down and do regular exercise. Just want to do everything I can to be in the best position in September!

I would come off the pill ASAP. It is just masking your PCOS so you won't know what you're dealing with until the hormones are out of your system.

Clare Goodwin has just written a book on getting pregnant with PCOS that may be of interest.

Thank you so much for that book recommendation, I’ve spent the last hour reading it already and am going to come off the pill straight away!

My situation is slightly different in that I came off the pill in 2015 when we wanted to TTC, before knowing I have PCOS. I knew it could take a while for periods to get back to normal after the pill but I remember it taking around 9 months to have any sort of bleeding, and then it was very random.

Since being diagnosed with PCOS in 2018, I’ve been taking Inofolic and lost weight, and eventually I started to have regular periods about 7/8 months ago. If I had known in advance about my PCOS and how long it would take to even get a regular menstrual cycle, I would have come off the pill a lot earlier.