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Getting Pregnant after Birth Control

There are many types of hormonal birth control options. Birth control pills are a very popular form of birth control because they are affordable, convenient and effective. Depo-Provera is another type of hormonal birth control. It is given by injection every three months and one injection prevents you from getting pregnant for up to 13 weeks. Women often decide to use Depo-Provera because it requires less commitment than birth control pills. Although it is more convenient in many ways, it may take longer to get pregnant after taking Depo-Provera than it would if you were using traditional birth control pills. One more type of hormonal birth control is the Mirena IUD. There is also a different type of IUD that is made of copper but it does release hormones into the body and it is not as popular as the Mirena IUD. The Mirena IUD is a small t-shaped plastic device that is inserted through your cervix and into your uterus by your doctor. The IUD works by releasing small amounts of hormones into your uterus. The IUD can be used to prevent pregnancy for up to five years. If you have decided that you want to quit using birth control so you can try to get pregnant, you may have some questions about when to stop taking birth control and how long it will take you to get pregnant. The answer to these questions will depend on a lot of factors including what type of birth control you were using and whether or not you were having normal menstrual cycles prior to starting birth control.

Frequently asked questions about getting pregnant after birth control:

How soon can you get pregnant after stopping birth control?

This is probably the most asked question about trying to conceive after taking birth control. The answer to this depends on what type of birth control you were using. You can get pregnant as soon as your body is ovulating again.

Getting Pregnant after Taking Birth Control Pills

If you were taking birth control pills, you may begin to ovulate as quickly as two weeks after discontinuing the pill. It is hard to say how long it will take for you to start ovulating again. Some women’s fertility returns as soon as they stop taking the pill and others take a few months. It is not uncommon for the first two to three cycles after going off the pill to be long or irregular. Once your period returns to normal and you are ovulating again, it shouldn’t take you any longer to get pregnant than it would any other woman.

Getting Pregnant after Taking Depo-Provera

If you were using Depo-Provera it may take longer for your cycles to return to normal. Keep in mind that Depo-Provera is designed to be a long-lasting form of birth control. Even though it is intended to help you avoid pregnancy for up to three months, it may actually prevent pregnancy longer. Depo-Provera is a synthetic hormone similar to progesterone. It is designed to keep your body from ovulating, but it also keeps your cervical mucous thick and thins the lining of your uterus to prevent implantation. Because Depo tends to keep the lining of the uterus thin, this is one of the reasons women generally have lighter periods while taking it. In order to get pregnant though, you need to not only be ovulating but you also need to be producing fertile cervical mucous and a thick uterine lining after you ovulate. The reason Depo-Provera is so long lasting is because of the way it works. The levels of DMPA (the synthetic hormone in Depo-Provera) gradually increase over a three week period, at which time they reach their peak levels. After three weeks the DMPA levels begin to decrease exponentially. It may take as long as 200 days before DMPA is completely at of your bloodstream. It may take up to a year after discontinuing Depo-Provera before your menstrual cycles return to normal and it may take as long as two years to get pregnant after stopping Depo-Provera.

Getting Pregnant after Using the Mirena IUD

The Mirena IUD works by releasing levonorgestrel (a synthetic form of progesterone) into your uterus. This causes your cervical mucous to become thick. Thick cervical mucous is difficult for sperm to swim through and blocks sperm from reaching the egg. The IUD also makes the lining of your uterus very thin which keeps the egg from implanting if fertilization should occur. It may also prevent ovulation but in most cases it works by blocking sperm from reaching the egg and by stopping implantation. After having the IUD removed your fertility should return fairly quickly. Most women begin having regular cycles immediately after having the IUD removed, but it is not unusual to have a few irregular cycles before your cycles return to normal. Once you start having regular cycles, your chances of getting pregnant are comparable to women who had not been using any birth control.

How long should you wait to start trying to conceive?

You will be happy to know that it is safe to start trying to conceive as soon as you stop taking birth control; however, you may want to wait until you start having regular cycles before you start trying. This is not something that you have to do and it doesn’t put your pregnancy at risk, but it is often recommended. Waiting until you have a few regular cycles makes it easier for your doctors to date your pregnancy. Likewise, it is also easier to predict ovulation if you have a regular cycle.

Should you finish the pack of birth control pills first or is it okay to stop mid-cycle?

This is entirely up to you. You can stop taking the pill at any time but you may want to finish the pack you are taking first before trying to conceive. Any time you stop taking the pill mid-cycle it can cause you to have breakthrough spotting. This can be annoying to deal with and you may find it easier to just go ahead and finish the pack you are taking and then start trying to conceive.

What if your periods don’t return?

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