How did you know when it was the right time?

[Pawsomes]

Hi all,

26 this year and DH will be 31. We’re married , homeowners and have started our careers and have started to think about children in the future (not ready yet but it would be nice to get ducks in a row!). I just had a couple of questions really. Was there a time where it just “clicked” and you knew it was the right time? When is the best time to come off contraception (Implanon in my case)? I’d be happy to wait until we’re 28 and 33 to start TTC, or would 27 be better? I’ve seen on some threads that people advise to start earlier in case it takes longer. Does a year make much difference?

Thanks!

Keep waiting for the perfect right time and it just won't happen.

With hindsight I am very glad our first child was a 'mistake' - the happiest mistake we ever made. Had we waited for the perfect time, we would still be waiting.

I agree that there may never be a right time if you try and tie in with finances/study etc.

I was definitely ready but it was an awful boss practically instructing me that I mustn't get pregnant that moved me into action!

I personally would suggest coming off contraception asap & using condoms…for some women it can take a year or longer for their cycles to go back to normal. Anytime under 30 should be fine unless you have any potential issues that you aren’t aware of. Over 30 is still fine but the older you are, the older your eggs are & they decrease in quality. I had a private fertility MOT before I started trying for this reason, when it all came back clear I knew that I could start trying when I wanted to rather than feeling pressured to start sooner because of an underlying issue. It’s good to put your mind at ease. So in answer to your question…it really depends on your body & your egg reserve as to whether a year would make much different x

Great news that you are homeowners and are planning ahead.
I'd advise coming off hormonal contraception 6-9months before you want to start trying to let your cycle settle down, and use condoms in the interval.
As you get closer to trying to conceive, start decreasing your monthly spending so you can get used to the lower income that you'll have factoring maternity/shared parental leave (overpaying the mortgage is a good way of doing this, or if your mortgage rate isn't too expensive, bung it in an ISA instead).
Age 28 is fine to start trying, had my first at 33.

Also if you want to do any travelling then this is much easier when you aren't pregnant so think about any exotic holidays you'd like to do before focusing on family. Good luck!

Thanks everyone, some really good insights here!

Hi OP, as others have said it is a good idea to come off hormonal contraception around 6 months if not more before you want to start trying. It can take a while for your body to have regular cycles. Having said that, I was on the pill for 13 years and when I came off it, my cycle was regular straight away. I used Natural Cycles so I was very aware of my cycle, you can avoid DTD or use condoms in your fertile window if you wanted to still avoid getting pregnant until you’re ready. But you might not know you’re ready, I didn’t know I was until I got pregnant by accident which ended in a loss but made me realise I was so desperate to be pregnant again.

there’s no right time! And don’t get into tracking etc from the start; it will ruin the fun. And unless you have known issues, don’t worry about private testing. The vast majority of couples will get pregnant within a year, but don’t expect it to happen immediately