Contraception and Conception / Shall I come off the pill now or wait ?

[Tillysmummy]

Hope I can be succint here and not too rambly. I am really torn as to what to do. DD is now 17 months and we are starting to think about trying for another in the summer. I am currently on the pill. I am just recovering from Pityriasis Rosea (a skin condition). During the height of this (I've had it now for 6 weeks) I went to see homeopaths, reflexologists, a Chinese doctor etc. The one thing they all advised was for me to come off the pill. I know that alternative medicine doesn't agree with it. I've been on it since I was 16 and Im now almost 31. I of course had a year and a half's break for having dd. My dilemma is what to do now. I was going to come off now and try and get back to my natural cycle and use the cap. Condoms are a possibilty but like a lot of men, dh hates them.
The dilemma I have is that before I had dd I had polycystic ovaries. I had tried to come off the pill before but my gynae put me back on because of my condition. When I came off I fell pregnant with dd almost straight away, accidentally, although we were going to start trying we hadn't yet. I was assured by my doctor the only reason they say that you should wait 3 months is for your cycle to settle down otherwise because ovulation may be irregular they can't date the pregnancy - is this right / has anyone else heard this ?

Because of my previous pc ovaries my doctor recommended I stay on the pill until I want to start trying again and then come off straight away and start trying. I don't know what to do. I had really wanted to come off before and get into my natural rythm but at the same time I think that if I was to have a lot of problems conceiving because my condition has reappeared then it would be very stressful. I feel like I am 'controlling' it if I come straight off the pill and do it that way so don't know if I should. At the same time if my pc ovaries are back I know it would be very stressful if we had a lot of trouble conceiving.

DH and my mum have both said independently that they think I should stay on for another couple of months and then come off and see what happens.

I really don't know what to do. Friends have told me to go on gut instinct but that's all confused !

sorry to be a pain but I thought id add to this to see if anyone can offer me any advice. I really am in a dilemma about it.

Tillysmummy

I wasn't going to reply to this as I don't really know much about it, but since you're desperate, here's my tuppence worth:

I used to have all kinds of problems with the pill - but I didn't realise until I stopped taking it. The pill can definately cause minor skin problems and maybe nasty ones, so coming off it would possibly help with yours even without the alternative treatment.

However given your other problems I would not come off the pill without going to your doctor first. Perhaps you could move onto the mini-pill (lower dose of a single hormone), or some other thing instead? Also it might just be an idea to find out exactly why the pill might help with your condition (maybe get a second opinion and mention you're worried about side effects).

HTH

I use the pill to control cyts on the ovaries (not the same thing as you have but not entirely dissimilar) and it works to improve ovarian health by damping down activity so the cysts don't form during ovulation (because there isn't any). The constant ovulation of modern women is pretty unnatural as before contraception we'd be pregnant more and b/f longer etc etc. This seems to be the 'healthier' state for our ovaries which is why the Pill is so effective at preventing ovarian cancer. There is no link whatsoever between the pill and birth defects - it has been researched and researched, so that needn't worry you. The natural cycle, is, as you heard, to help drs to date your pregnancy, not because the pill is harmful to foetuses - even if you take it all through pregnancy, as some women who didn't know they were p/g have done. There is also some evidence that you have a brief superfertile period just after coming off the pill, so if you want to conceive it may well be best to stay on it until you want to get pregnant. The pill hormones leave your system in a matter of days anyway, so that shouldn't concern you either IMO. If the pill suits you otherwise, and you are planning to have a baby, I would just stay on it until you want to conceive and then stop. I don't know if this helps at all.

The ONLY reason Doctors say to wait 3 months is for dating purposes - so really not a big deal - and there seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence of a fertilty surge immediatley after stopping the pill - worth bearing in mind! ( maybe what worked for you last time...)
Good luck!

Thanks ladies, it does certainly help. I have been thinking about it all afternoon and think it is the right thing to do. I will stay on it for a few more months and then stop taking it and see what happens.

Just one thing to add, I was on Dianette for a long time to control skin problems and I was definitely told numerous times that falling pregnant whilst using this pill WOULD cause possible birth defects. I don't know if this is the only pill like this, may well be, but may be worth checking yours out (as it sometimes goes by a different name and I belive it is used to control Rosea too so may be the one you were prescribed too) so you have, say, at least one clear month before falling pregnant.
I came off my pill and it did take about 4 or 5 months to conceive, I'm now pregnant second time around and fell first month of trying as hadn't gone back on the pill and I do think this may have played a part in falling so quickly. BTW, I have polycystic ovaries too and was told I may have problems conceiving but obviously it didn't make any difference so help that puts your mind at rest too!
Good luck.

Dianette is unique - particularly in that it is not supposed to be used for contraception, but for skin conditions (of course, it does work as a contraceptive but it shouldn't be prescribed for contraception alone). The Pill is safe to take until you want to get pregnant and has no long term negative effect on fertility. There would seem no reason to change to another form of contraception if you are planning to stop all contraception in a few months anyway. Good luck with trying to conceive.

Hi Tillysmummy - I thought I'd add another perspective here as someone who works within the 'alternative' health field as a nutritionist - I have worked with a number of clients with PCOS. The first thing to ask is whether you have just simply got cysts on the ovaries or whether you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which has an accompanying hormone imbalance profile - symptoms here would be if you were overweight, or have excess facial hair, acne that kind of thing (obviously only when you are off the pill).

It is a really complicated field - but I would probably recommend coming off the pill when you are ready and then performing a salivary hormone test after a couple of months to see what your hormone situation is like (not blood as this isn't always the best indication) - you could do this with a qualified nutritionist. then at least you know where you are and if you should be expecting to experience any fertility issues. Whilst you were waiting for things to rebalance if you didn't want to conceive , have you thought about the coil????

Anyway, have rambled a bit there and hope I haven't confused you further - just wanted to offer another view point.