If you have been preventing pregnancy with the birth control pill, you may be used to just popping a pill and not having to worry about conceiving. It’s been that way for months or for years. Now it’s time to start thinking about a new plan–a plan to let your body return to its former state and make a healthy home for a healthy baby.
How They Work
All birth control pills use a mixture of two hormones–estrogen and progestin–to prevent conception. These hormones are normally pumped into your system by your ovaries and work to regulate your monthly cycle, including the egg drop during ovulation and your period. According to the University of Illinois McKinley Health Center website, birth control pills use hormones to stop ovulation so eggs can’t be fertilized or changing the cervical or endometrial mucus, so the uterus is uninhabitable.
How They Stop Working
You take each pill daily to give your body the hormones it needs, tricking it into thinking it already received the hormones from your ovaries. Once you stop taking the pill, your body prepares to start making these hormones for itself. When your body starts producing estrogen and progestin, your monthly cycle comes back, including the onset of your period and ovulation. Your body returns to its natural state, including the thickness and density of your mucus.
How Long After
As soon as a woman stops taking the birth control pill, her body can begin its menstrual cycle, reports the Georgia Health Info website. This means that a woman can ovulate and get pregnant just two weeks after she stops taking birth control. For some women, it takes two or three months, or longer, for their bodies to return to a full period and get pregnant.
In the Meantime
If you are trying to get pregnant, you might find it useful to wait a few months after you stop taking the pill before you try to conceive. This allows your cycle to return to normal and helps you get to know your ovulation times. You can have intercourse with no limitations to try your luck or you can use an alternative birth control method, such as condoms, until you are ready.
Side Effects
After being on the pill for so long, getting off it can feel overwhelming. The emotions for preparing for pregnancy can be exhausting. As your body returns to normal, you may experience hormone-induced emotional and physical changes. Prepare for the irritability, cramping and nausea of your monthly period. Talk with your doctor if the changes seem too much to bear.
Photo Credit
- pills image by Olga Shelego from Fotolia.com
