Crazy question...

jenmgo

jenmgo

Cathlete
Hi all
My husband and I have decided to try to have a baby.
I have been on the pill for a couple of years now, and this would be my first pregnancy. Im new to this forum, but not to cathe's other forums. I'm sure i'll have a lot of questions if I do get pregnant.

I was wondering if someone could advise me - I stopped taking my new packet of pills. I just finished the first week and i stopped taking them after that. I've only skipped 3 days and I've started bleeding/spotting today. Im not sure if i am having a period again (I just had one two weeks ago). Does this normally happen when you stop taking the pill? And is it ok to stop before finishing a pack?
 
Yes, this is normal. It will take your body a bit to adjust to not having the constant flow of hormones in your system. It'll level out over the next month or so. Try to keep track of when you bleed/spot and when you don't. It'll help you to get a handle on your cycles for when you're trying.

And you can stop your pack at any time, it doesn't matter.

I would suggest picking up the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I got it when we were trying after rave reviews from many ladies out here. Whether you choose to practice the method it teaches or not, it basically explains all the funky stuff that your body does which is completely normal.
Basically, it's everything they SHOULD have taught you in health class!!!:)
 
Is the spotting normal? From what I've read, it is. The same thing happened to me.

As for whether it's ok to stop, I can't imagine any reason it wouldn't be healthy...hopefully, there's an expert out there who can give you a definitive answer.

I stopped using the pill last August (after 6 years of continuous use), and conceived in January. Sometimes it happens right away, and for others it takes longer for the cycles to get back on track.

Good luck :)
lisa
 
Thank you for the replies so far.
I just wanted to make sure I wasnt doing something unsafe and crazy. I should probably speak to my new doctor, but we just decided recently and I guess I'm overly eager!
 
Spotting is normal after stopping pills midway. If you haven't already been adviced, use a back up method for first 2 months as well as start prenatal vitamins to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Obviously after the 2 months, don't use a birth control method if you want to get pregnant. The book taking charge of your fertility as recommended is excellent. Good luck and be patient!
 
Why use a backup for the first two months?? Sorry, that is probably a dumb question. Its also beyond spotting now...its a period x(
 
<<Why use a backup for the first two months?? Sorry, that is probably a dumb question. Its also beyond spotting now...its a period x(>>

Most health care professionals recommend waiting..... this is for dating the pregnancy. There is no evidence of increased risk to a pregnancy if you become pregnant immediately after discontinuing the pill.
 
Once upon a time I prescribed birth control pills. :)

<<Does this normally happen when you stop taking the pill?>>

Yes. It is withdrawal bleeding.... which is what women have on pills.... women don't have true periods (unless they are ovulating).

<<And is it ok to stop before finishing a pack?>>

Yes.
 
<<Its also beyond spotting now...its a period>>

Every woman is different, but this does happen after dc'ing the pill. I reviewed a lot of crazy post-pill charts when I was teaching NFP. It can take up to 6 months for regular cycles to return, but please keep in mind it can happen sooner.

BTW, there are no dumb questions.
:)
 
Thank you. I didnt realize I would get a period so soon. I just had my usual one from the pill two weeks ago. I only missed two days of the pill, so i'm also suprised it came so soon. its also pretty heavy. So i wasnt sure if i made a bad choice or not. I know it'll take a while to regulate again. If i knew it would do this, i probably would have finished out the pack. I've also read that I will have this period until my scheduled period is supposed to happen. Is this true? I hope not, because its going to be 3 weeks of a period!

Thank you for your reply :)
 
Did you have regular cycles before the pill? Your body will most likely resume that pattern. You may have spotting until your cycles return, but you should not have heavy bleeding. Of course, if you are ever concerned about the amount bleeding or lenght of time bleeding, you should contact your health care provider.

In my experience, there is less spotting when you complete the pack. HOWEVER, I've known some women who completed the last pack of pills and have basically daily spotting until regular cycles return.

Oh, I do think charting is helpful post-pill. It can be frustrating but it can be very beneficial.
 
Hi Jen,
I stopped midway through, spotted for a few days, then nothing for 3 weeks, and then had a VERY light period when I would've normally gotten it. Like, a bit of brown blood, for 3 days and then nothing.

We did not use a backup method, either, and I got pregnant the month after I went off the pill. The docs ask you to wait because if you're not having a somewhat regular cycle, your actual date of conception can be difficult to tell since they have no idea when you might have ovulated.

For me, I was using an ovulation predictor kit, because I wasn't sure if I WAS ovulating at all. Turns out I was, the test showed positive, and we conceived at that time.

What you'll find at this point, is that pretty much everything and anything that happens with your body over the next few months is considered "normal", and unfortuantely, you'll have to just wait and see what happens.

Good luck! I've always found the ladies out here on this board to be very helpful and insightful when I was totally confused as to what was happening. Hopefully you will too! :)
 
Ditto everything the PPs have said. In addition to reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility, I would suggest checking out the Ovusoft chatboard: http://forums.ovusoft.com/ too. It's affiliated with the TCOYF book and I personally found it (well, the people who post on it!;)) extremely helpful when I first quit taking BCPs and started charting my cycles. I stopped at the end of a pack and didn't get a period for 55 days - but again, each woman's body will react differently as her hormones readjust. There's actually a buddy group specifically for women who have just quit BCPs - they've been very good to me and all of my questions!
 
I was told by my OB to wait 2 months before trying to conceive to build up the folic acid, thus the back up method but Autumn knows alot more than me on the topic.
 
I was addressing the pill and pregnancy since many women believe there is a risk to an established pregnancy associated with pill use. Many women panic if they become pregnant immediately after discontinuing the pill. I was addressing that. Sorry for any confusion.

That is the standard recommendation (re: folic acid) for any woman TTC whether she has discontinued the pill or not. Any woman of child bearing age should be getting the recommended 400mcg of Folic Acid.... especially since unplanned pregnancies occur. You don't have to rely on a prenatal vitamin for folic acid. In fact, IMO it is better to get this through diet and yes it is possible especially with the fotified cereals. It takes a couple of months for the folic acid to work. It has been documented serum levels of folic acid decrease with pill use, but the standard recommendations apply.

You ladies are very knowledgeable, so I'm not sure how much more I actually know. ;-)
 
Thank you everyone for your informative replies. Its nice to know i'm not doing anything stupid. I really should have spoken with the doc first, but I'm usually doctor adverse lol. Obgyn check ups are one thing that I'm faithful about though and my latest pap from a few weeks ago finally showed up as normal so thats good.

I probably dont get enough vitamins I need. I exercise a lot so i'm healthy in that sense and I eat healthy (most of the time) with a weakness for sweets. I'm sure I dont get enough of the good stuff, especially folic acid so maybe i should buy some pills or vitamins? I never really trust all that stuff though beucase through the ages I doubt women have been taking folic acids pills lol.

Anyway, to answer your questions I dont know if i had regular cycles before> its been years since Ive been off the pill. When I was younger i think they were regular, but then I got really underweight (110 pounds or so on my 5'6 frame) and my periods stopped for months. Then I gained and they came back and eventually I went on the pill which made my period come on Tuesdays.

This is the first time i've ever stopped using the pill since I started. I'm not spotting, its a heavy period so I was concerned, especially since I only missed 2 days.

Noone knows my husband and I are talking/planning for kids right now. I figured just try and see what happens and then let fam and friends know when its more definate.

I'm sure i'll have a lot of questions pertaining to workouts especially since i'm a cardio junky, weightlift and i'm a cathe-ite.

Thank you ladies
 
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