Stopping Birth Control and Trying to Conceive
by Kathleen Roberts

Stopping birth control and trying to conceive is a common concern for many women. You may not want to become pregnant now, but you may in the future. Many women wanting to conceive a baby after using birth control will ask, “How will stopping birth control affect my ability to conceive?” The answer will depend on your chosen method of birth control.

Birth Control Pills

Most doctors agree that it is best to complete your cycle before you stop taking the pill. Then wait until after you first period (or two) before trying to conceive. This allows your body to return to its natural rhythm.

Waiting also makes it easier to determine the time of conception, and your due date, when you do become pregnant. Often women will experience spotting or irregular periods after they stop taking the pill. Sometimes women who conceive immediately after discontinuing the pill do not even realize that they are pregnant because they think they are having a normal period.

Length of time needed to successfully conceive after the pill varies a bit. This may be due to the type of pill you are taking and the amount of hormones it contains. Some women are able to conceive immediately while others may take a few months. A good average would be anywhere from three to 12 months

Removal of an IUD

An intrauterine device, or IUD, is generally considered a barrier method of birth control. As such, there should be no delay in the time needed to conceive once it is removed. This is so even with the Mirena IUDs which release low does of hormones to help create a sperm barrier.

Removing Norplant

The time it takes to conceive after removing Norplant will depend on if they are all removed and how long they were in place before removal. Typically, after six months fertility is returned to normal, although some women may become pregnant after only two months.

Discontinuing Depo-Provera Shots

Because this method of birth control is intended to last for three months, you might think you can easily conceive after that three-month period. In fact, Depo-Provera actually can cause a brief delay in your ability to conceive. On average, it can take as few as three months and up to 18 months for you to become pregnant.

How Will Your Fertility Be Affected Over Time?

If you have been on birth control for an extended period of time, will this affect your fertility? Generally, it will not. However, time itself does have an effect on your ability to conceive. By the time you reach your mid thirties, your fertility is on the decrease. Once you reach your forties, fertility is reduced even more with infertility likely by the time you reach the age of forty-five. The reason for this is your eggs become lower in quality as they age.

Another factor that may have a bearing on your ability to get pregnant is if you have had a baby before. If you have had a baby previously you are more likely to remain fertile longer. In a 1986 study researchers found that women who had already given birth before had very little delay in fertility after discontinuing birth control pills. Childless women aged twenty-five to twenty-nine had some delay in fertility but it was very brief. Older childless women, ages thirty to thirty five years old, had the longest delay in returning fertility when they stopped the pill. Age, and not contraceptive measures, seemed to be the contributing factor.

Plan Ahead

The best advice if you want to become pregnant is to understand that your body may need a bit of time to get back to normal if you have been using a hormonal method of birth control. Allow yourself some time, at least a month or two, to resume regular menstrual cycles. During this time, a barrier method of birth control like spermicidal foam and condoms should be used. Once you are back on track, well, you know what to do next.

Kathleen Roberts is a freelance writer and editor as well as the mother of five children. She writes about pregnancy, parenting, gardening and natural living. Kathleen enjoys spending as much time as she can in the outdoors with her family in the Florida Keys where she enjoys scuba diving, bicycling and anything else that will allow her to interact with nature.

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