How long did it take your cycle to settle down after the pill?

[Percypig29]

Just wondering how long it took for everyone’s cycle to establish after they stopped taking the pill? I got married in November but DH and I knew we wanted to start ttc pretty much straight away after, so I came off the pill in June last year. We used condoms unless I was sure I had already missed the ovulation, eg my boobs get very sore and heavy the week before my period starts.

I had a period after about 6 weeks of stopping the pill (after the initial withdrawal bleed), then they have been fairly irregular since, usually starting every 4 - 6 weeks. It’s making trying to time things difficult as I don’t know when I’m going to ovulate and also I’m not sure if it means something is wrong? When I first came off the pill I noticed I was spotting for a week before my bleed but that seems to have stopped happening the last few cycles, I also had terrible acne but that’s also clearing now, I’m not sure if that means everything is settling down.

Loads of people I know seem to have got married and immediately got pregnant so it feels frustrating to not know where I’m at! Any experiences welcome except perhaps the ‘I stopped taking the pill and immediately fell pregnant’ ones!

Hi @Percypig29. My period took 12 months to return in any form after being on the pill for 14 years on and off. I had my first one back in December and since then they've been irregular and on the long side (37 - 42 days.) I was referred for a scan after 6 months without a period and diagnosed with PCOS which was a shock because I didn't have any symptoms except absent periods and also bad skin. I just thought it was normal for things to take that long to settle down but it turns out it wasnt!

Possibly worth investigating further if things dont settle down soon? Because I got help early in the journey and had a formal diagnosis I am now already being treated by fertility so it's opened up access to help.

Good luck!

Took about 9 months for me for periods to return and then had a 34-38 day cycle for the next 9 months.

Then I got pregnant after 18 months. I found it most useful to look out for ovulation symptoms/signs rather than relying on dates when ttc. Good luck!

I was also diagnosed with PCOS whilst they were investigating my lack of periods. This is all good advice!

When I came off the pill first time (combined pill) I had the withdrawal bleed then started to have periods straight away but my cycles varied from 22-45 days! I eventually used ovulation sticks and the first time I got a positive on those I conceived. You can get them cheap on Amazon so might be worth using every day for a bit to see what’s going on.

this time I came off the pill almost 2 months ago (mini pill) and not even a withdrawal bleed yet. Going to see if I can see a doctor soon I think.

Not much help but I'm experiencing the same. I came off in Jan, had a withdrawal bleed then it was cd40 before I had a period. I'm now on cd45 with no sign. Think I will make an appointment soon to see the gp.

Another one here who had really irregular cycles after being on the combined pill for years!
Came off it in September, started TTC in August and fell pregnant first cycle. My periods still weren’t regular, ranging from 25-65 days! I used natural cycles to track my cycle and so my temperature indicated when I was ovulating, and I started to notice signs in myself as well!

I'm not sure, as I found out I was two months pregnant after being off the pill for two months and two weeks. So cycles may be irregular but that doesn't mean you can't get pregnant. I can recommend the 'just shagging' method (just enjoy having sex, no protection or counting/measuring, and see what happens).

Thanks for the replies. My DH sometimes works away mid week so it’s useful to know when we need to fit in DTD if he’s about to leave for a couple of days!

I tried natural cycles but didn’t get on with the temperature checks, 6 months solid taking my temp and it couldn’t find a trend. I have the easy @ home ovulation strips so will start using them more often. I’m on my period now and this cycle has only been 28 days, the last one was almost 40! I am hoping this means they may be getting shorter.

I've come off the pill several times- even after years of constant use. My periods have always returned the next month and as regular as before. I've never had an issue, but seems some do.

It's not so much the pill, as just it's more the "norm" to have slightly irregular cycles. We're conditioned to think a typical cycle is 28 days, but majority of women are outwith that.

Have you tracked ovulation? I used to clear blue sticks and they were really handy