Periods after the pill - anyone willing to share their experience

[missmouflon]

Hello all,

Stopped taking the pill at end of August and after some posts on here asking questions to try and relieve stress (!) had a period in November, on the fifth (CD1)

However, its now 31 days and still no next one. Although was sure it was going to start on Thursday. Not TTC at the moment so cant be pregnant! Would you be worried? Shall i make a doctors apointment?

Just wanted some advice really. Can anyone share their experiences?

Thanks

Missmouflon

This can be caused by hormonal imbalances; one possible cause is a condition called polycystic ovaries. Another than can affect periods is a thyroid imbalance.

Both of these should be checked for through blood tests.

There is no real evidence to suggest that the pill is responsible for failure to ovulate but what the pill can do is mask the symptoms of any underlying hormonal problem already present.

Stress is not usually the cause for such a long delay between cycles.

In your case I would go to the GP and ask for blood tests to be carried out. As your periods are irregular these can be done according to calendar days; standard tests done are a day 2 (which will look at and compare your LH level against that of your FSH level) and a day 21 which will look at your progesterone level.

I had only three periods in seven months after I came off the pill - my cycles were between 45 and 60 days long (having been 28 days before I went on the pill). It's just your body readjusting to doing things itself. You could go and get your serum levels tested at the GP but as you're not TTC there doesn't seem much point.

i went off the pill in early september. 1st cycle 50 days. In the middle of 2nd cycle - 42 days and counting.

i was going to dr anyways - and mentioned this. they said that if my cyles hadn't regulated in 6 months, to come back and they would start testing for ovulation.

The pill actually leaves your system very quickly after taking the last tablet, long cycles therefore are not a result of your body readjusting. I will reiterate these problems are more often than not caused by hormonal imbalances. It can also affect trying to conceive.

I came off of the pill in October and still haven't had a period. I asked my doctor about it when I was there and they said that it is VERY COMMON for your body to take a few months to adjust, some taking 6mths to a year. I have done a lot of reading and research and it depends on each person. Your body has to start producing it's own hormones to get your eggs ready for ovulation and this can take a while. The doc suggested that if I still haven't had a period after christmas to go back. I don't agree with Attila there are lots of women who take a while to adjust after stopping the pill.

I stopped taking the pill at the end of November and apart from the initial bleed, haven't had a period yet. I've been on the pill for about 11 years, am 33 now and would like to give my body a chance to get back to normal before TTC. To be honest with you, I would love to be pregnant right now but we're going to wait until the second half of 2010 before TTC.

I've felt relatively fine coming off the pill - I did have tender/sore breasts about a week ago plusa heavy feeling in my abdomen which felt like my period was coming (which it hasn't). This seems to have passed.

I stopped taking the pill in May after 11 years and had cycles of 30, 49, 54, 34 and 31 days (having been on 30 day cycles previously).... and have just got a BFP!

Yes the chemical hormones in the pill leave your system after 3 days but it can take your body a little while to restart ovulating regularly - I think it's different for everyone some return to regular cycles straight away, others are a bit longer, like others have said your GP probably won't investigate until it's been over 6 months. I do sympathise it can be so frustrating not knowing when AF is going to suddenly appear!

it took a year until my periods returned to normal, had very long gaps between periods initially and then the gaps got shorter and shorter and now my periods are as regular as clockwork. Just takes a while to settle down. I also gradually lost around a stone and a half over that same year, not through diet or exercise, so goes to show the effects the Pill can have (or at least had on me).

a year after coming off the pill my periods were still irregular (anywhere between 2-4 months) I had gone to the Dr who did test to check I wasn't menopausal (I wasn't) but Dr said there wasn't much more he could do until we'd been TTC for a year...

Then I randomly read a newspaper article about irregular periods & acupuncture, after a few treatments my cycles were down to 5 weeks, and within 3 months I was pg!

I think I'd been on the pill for so long (16 years) my body had forgotten what to do, and needed a few well placed needles to kick-start it into shape!

I stopped taking the pill on boxing day last year - it was over 100 days (can't remember how many exactly now) till i got a period and then next few cycles were from 50ish dropping down each month till they settled at 31 in about August, so it can take a while for your body to adjust.

I had some acupuncture which seemed to help things along as well. (And got my BFP earlier this month after what has felt like a very long and frustrating year!) so try not to worry too much, it can take a while, but it should sort itself out.