Confused about the pill

[nappyaddict]

You are supposed to start the pill on day 1 of your cycle.

But don't you get period after 21 days of taking the pill?

So does that mean the first month you will only have a 21 day cycle and will start your period after 3 weeks instead of 4?

Also does that mean your cycle day is different to your pill day?

Cos cycle day 1 is the first day of your period. But by pill day 1 your period would have stopped.

day 1 of your cycle is the first day you start your period/take your pill for the first time. You then stop taking the pill after 21 days and your period will start a couple of days after that - it is not a real period though, just a withdrawal bleed as the hormone levels drop. You dont have proper cycles with the pill as the bleed is hormone controlled and there is no ovulation.

So what about coming off the pill and TTC? Is CD1 the first day you stop taking your pill or the first day you start your period?

the first period you would get after coming off the pill would be a withdrawal bleed so not a proper one. I think you are supposed to let your cycle settle down for a while after coming off the pill so that you ovulate again and have proper periods rather than a withdrawal bleed.

So if I started my period yesterday and it's a withdrawal bleed does that mean in around 14 days I won't ovulate so need to wait until next month?

everyone is different and you may or may not ovulate - there is no way to tell whether you will or wont. The only thing they use the date of last period for is to give a estimated date of birth - they can date the pregnancy using a ultrasound if you havent had a proper period before getting pregnant.

We want to get pregnant. When should I stop taking the pill?

I agree with seona. You may or may not ovualte this next cycle. It may take a couple of cycles to you to get inot a proper cycle, or you may OV straight away. Everyone is different :) x

OK so just because the first period is actually a withdrawal bleed you can still ovulate around 14 days later?

Indeed you can, it's just impossible to time things accurately.

Are those ovulating sticks reliable?

I've never used them. Some people swear by them, others find the window for picking up whatever hormone it is they pick up is so small you nearly always miss it.

Agree with AC, all you can do with the OPK is try them and see what happens for you, it's all very individual. Just don't assume that because the OV sticks don't show anything up that you AREN'T ovulating, you may well be but the sticks measure a surge in Luteinizing hormone that can be very short, or can be hard for the sticks to differentiate against your normal background levels. It can be normal for you, IFYSWIM, just not average.

But you can give them a try - cheap ones available from access diagnostics or digital ones from boots.