Conception after Cerazette - positive things to say. Literally.

[lemonmoon]

Hello lovely Mumsnet,

I've been reading for a while but I've been too shy to say hello before now.

I just wanted to put my own experience here since I checked the internet religiously for info once I decided to TTC, and I read so many horrible things about coming off cerazette that it scared me witless and I thought I would never get pregnant. I'm 36 (and a half) so time was not on my side either.

September: decided to stop taking pill on a Wednesday. On Sunday have hot flushes like you wouldn't believe, and two weeks after that breasts become so tender I can't touch them. They stay that way for another two weeks until AF arrives. (so just over four weeks in total)

In the meantime I've begun to panic and combed the internet for info about coming off cerazette and none of it is encouraging (but I suppose the people who don't have problems don't feel the need to talk about it).

October: become addicted to reading threads on MN. Let things take their course this month and AF arrives 27 days after the last one. Realise I might not be able to pinpoint ovulation without help...

November: use cheap Ov tests, but never get more than a faint line. We try of course, but I decide I am all dried up and begin to feel gloomy. AF arrives 27 days after the last one (mood wise I am horrendous).

December: since age is against me and I'm feeling panicky I fork out for clearblue ov test, a thermometer and a VIP Fertility Friend membership. Begin charting which makes me feel more in control, and takes away some of the anxiety. Get a smiley face on Christmas day (such timing!), and am very happy to see temp rise on the following days.

January 9th: BFP. Can't quite believe it.

I know that I'm lucky to have it happen so quickly, and I just thought it might help someone who has the same questions I did. There are so many threads out there of people saying that cerazette is terrible and messes you up for years, and I would really have appreciated a happy story to set my mind at ease. Just goes to show that everyone is different...

Thanks to all of you who post on a regular basis, for all of your wise supportive words and information. I'm sure I wouldn't be in this position without having absorbed your collective wisdom

Different people react differently to various brands of pills. I was fine on cerazette and I enjoyed having no periods.

I also managed to conceive whilst taking it. So did not quite do what it says on the box but could have been carelessness on my part. Unfortunately it didn't last, but now I'm actually ttc, I do miss the lack of pmt/periods!

For people who don't get on well with it there are other brands available. I really didn't get on well with Microgynon, made me feel rather depressed, but I was fine on Cilest.

Good luck to anyone else ttc after the pill.

hey, i hope it is just the people who have had trouble with cerazette who are posting... I also asked my nurse about the after effects of taking it and was told that it would no longer prevent a pregnancy after missing one pill so i would be able to try straight away. we have just started, since end of jan. feel a little bit different but probably psychological! so exciting, trying not to worry too much about it, should be fun!

Hi,

I was on cerazette for 5 months, stopped taking it 25th feb, had a light period about 2 weeks later, just had another one which lasted 3 days. I have read alot of horror stories about trying after cerazette and it worried me quite alot, i know everyone is different and it just takes time, but i cant help wondering if things would have been different if i hadn't taken cerazette.

Hi. I have just stopped taking cerazette. Iwas on depo before that but switched to cerazette just over a year ago as we were thinking of starting a family and was advised to give a year to get depo out of my system and told if i take cerazette i could just stop and wait for period then start trying as soon as we were ready. After reading all of the stories online was starting to worry that it would all take a very long time,so it was really great to read all of your positive stories. I stopped cerazette three weeks ago and my period has just started, so its encouraging, and im glad my body is getting back to normal so quickly after not having any periods for over ten years due to contraception.Hopefully everything else will happen as quickly for me.

glad to see there are some positive stories about Cerazette. I was on it, and would never go back on it again, I had awful side affects when on it, was miserable and it was a very dark time in my life.
I took 2.5 years to get pregnant after being on Cerazette (am 39 weeks). When I had DD, it only took me 2 months to fall pregnant, and I'd literally just come off a different pill. I don't know whether it was the Cerazette or other factors that led to a longer time to get pregnant, but I know I wont go on Cerazette again.

Everyone is right that people with good news stories don't tend to post on these forums so you may be getting a fairly one-sided view of what can happen. I have another POSITIVE cerazette tale here for you ladies....it's not all bad! I was on cerazette for a year and had no periods at all during that time. I came off it in March and a few weeks later still hadn't had a period and felt very bloated and assumed it was due to coming off the pill. I also read all the horror stories on these forums and at age 36 was scared I had messed up my body and hormones completely and as such wasn't actively trying to get pregnant as I just assumed I wouldn't be able to for a while BUT, 7 weeks after coming off cerazette and feeling sickly and tired I discovered I am pregnant with my first baby! So I obviously conceived within weeks of stopping taking cerazette. Everyone is different, stay positive, try not to stress about what is 'causing' you not to conceive, sometimes when you are least anxious about it and not 'trying' so hard is the time that it happens.
Good luck everyone xx

Hello!!

Another positive story from me :)
I was on cerazette for 4 years before me and DH decided to try for a baby. I came off the pill on the 11th August 2008 had a bleed on the 15th August lasting 3 days, ovulated on the 29th (i used the ovulation strips) and got a BFP on the 13th September :) !

I was on the cerazette since i was about 20 i am now 23, it gave me slight side effects like weight gain and moody maybe went off sex a bit too but worked so far but i was starting to feel strange and achy dull pulling period like pain in my lower back and stomach. I just by chance took a pregnancy test (well 4 clear blue) and im pregnant. :) i didnt think i was ready for it with me only been 23 and my life just started panning out but i now cannot wait, 2012 is so exciting.

xxxxx good luck to all you ladies out there trying and merry xmas xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I've started taking Cerazette about 3 years ago after switching from the combined pill I'd been on for 3-4 years. I had no side effects or periods which was great, but all the negative posts on the internet made me worry how long it would take for my cycle to return to normal.

Before taking the pill my cycle was always 28 days to the day. After a few weeks of feeling bloated my period started exactly 28 days from my last tablet. Next month we started TTC, 9 days later got BFP and little bod is due later this year.

I just want to reassure others searching like I did that it's not all bad news with Cerazette and we're all different. Saying that I've decided not to go back on the pill, partly cos we want more kids after this little bod :)

I was on the combined pill for almost ten years (minus two year gap in the middle for breeding purposes) and early last year started with constant migraines, lasting up to four/five days at a time.
Doctor said I was days away from having a stroke (though her statement needs citation) and I was given Cerazette. Having not known anything about this pills and putting all my trust in someone that bases their career on my best interests, I assumed all would be fine.

Stopped Cerazette five days ago, no AF since starting in Oct, so hoping one shows soon.

My mum has filled me with confidence, though; she went on Cerazette right after having me, and was on it for seven years and after TTC in Dec, got her BFP in Jan. I also got my BFP only six weeks after coming off combined pill (scan showed pregnancy began less than two weeks after stopping the pill!).

I'm hoping this means I'm an extremely fertile breeding machine. Fingers crossed for less complications next time around :)

Hey, Need your help!!
I was on cerazette for about a year and half on thursday 8th march i stopped taking it but from monday 5th march i have experienced
-heartburn off and on

• nausea off and on

-tierdness off and on -headacges behind my eyes I took two tests this week and they were negative i have went to doctors but he just says tests were negative and i cant be which are not useful at all..... i was on cerazette at the time so im wondering how i could have conceived but me and my other half dont wear protection. I never had heartburn before and my last period was about 3 weeks ago... so i should have been due his week but am late.... i just feel so paranoid please help :(

If you had these symptoms from 5th but didn't stop taking Cerazette til 8th then they aren't going to be pregnancy symptoms??

I recently came off cerazette and had similar symptoms to these except for the headaches, plus I had sore boobs and no period for 40 days. I took a test which was negative and sure enough my period eventually started.

I think it is quite common to have pregnancy-like symptoms when coming off this pill. I don't know why you would have had them before you came off it though.

Sounds like it could easily be hormone withdrawal from the pill...but that doesn't really explain why you started feeling like this while still taking it. Very odd!
Heartburn could easily be from something you're eating; curry, juice, fruit, it can all be the cause for that. Likewise with the tiredness, and possibly the nausea. And if you're tired, you'll get headaches (I do, anyway).

With that in mind, there's always a slight chance of conception while taking contraceptive; they're not 100% effective.

Give it a while, take another test, maybe try one designed to detect pregnancy early on.

Hi just to add I was on the devil pill for 5 years no af at all. Started ttc 2010 came off pill in oct waited 40 days for af fell straight away then mc at 8 weeks. Early mc appears very common after taking cerrazette and falling very quickly.

Mc really messed me up so only just started ttc this month!!! Just a word if caution don't start ttc as soon as u come off this pill. It prevents progesterone being produced by filling you with a synthetic one. It can then take ur body a while to begin producing it again naturally and without high levels of progesterone your body cannot sustain a pregnancy.

Sorry for the doom and gloom but I'd hate for anyone else to have to go through what I did on Xmas day

MumTumWanted - sorry to hear that, it sounds like you had an awful time.

Do you know how long you should wait before trying?

Mrsb thank u for ur kind words with time I can see now though it was a little daft of me to have not let it come out of my system

There are no actual guidelines for how long u should wait but I believe it is recommended between 3-6 cycles. Certainly this time I have waited 6 just to be sure
However af arrived this morning so not my turn this month either - though dh2b will be upset when I tell him later no doubt he will be cheered by the thought in 8 days time j will be demanding his body daily

Good luck on your ttc journey x

My GP didn't seem to think you had to wait for it to be out of your system at all; in fact, studies have shown you're actually more fertile in the months just after you come off the pill...

i conceived immediately after coming off the combined pill for my first pregnancy so for he mcpopcorn's view was proved to be correct. must depend on the person and their circumstances, perhaps?

Mcpoc and nowwerare I agree docs day no need and others have had success but for me I didn't and when I started looking into why the reports and others experiences proved what I had been through.

It is of course personal choice but I was just trying to advise caution with this particular pill purely because of the nature of how this one works

I stopped taking it at Christmas so hopefully I should be OK either way.

Having been on some sort of contraceptive pill for the last 15 years I felt that I wanted to to have a few 'natural' cycles before ttc.