Getting pregnant after the pill

I am currently trying to get pregnant and I'm getting rather frustrated. I was on the pill for about a year (it's been off and on alternating about every year since I was 15) and stopped taking it in May. I am only 27 years old, and I really shouldn't be having this much trouble conceiving!

So we're going on our 4th month of trying, and I just wanted to know if this is normal. Should I not expect results for a while? Maybe this is the month?

The reason is that I've been psyching myself out for the past few months and I've been very disappointed.

I just kind of wanted to know about other people's experiences with getting pregnant after the pill.

Original Post by kthompson92:

Original Post by machatica:

#1: Abortion does NOT lead to fertility problems. Pro-lifers seem to enjoy using that idea as a scare/guilt tactic, which I resent. I wish people wouldn't even put that out there.

 

 

It is my understanding that abortions that took place later than the first trimester can POSSIBLY lead to fertility problems.  I don't know about you, but my OB/GYN asks about all pregnancies and how they ended (miscarriage, abortion, etc.).  I presume they wouldn't ask unless it wasn't potentially necessary for them to know this info to best care for me.  I wasn't trying to guilt or scare the OP and, as I mentioned in my post, risks has to do with the type of abortion performed.

 Most clinics will not even do an "abortion" (such an ugly word) after the first trimester because after the first trimester it is considered partial-birth infanticide.

Mine were both in the first trimester.

Original Post by go2net:

Don't give up. I've been on the pill for 4 years then got pregnant on the 4th month, but sadly had a miscarriage at 10 weeks. It took us nearly two years to conceive again, but are now happy & proud parents of a 9 month old boy.

I was losing hope and getting frustrated that it took so long the second time. Anytime my period is delayed by 1-2 days I would do a test, only to be disappointed. It was getting harder to get in a romantic mood when you get disappointed every month and your ovulations falls on a weekday, when you;re both tired and stressed from work. My decision not to get scraped after the miscarriage may have something to do with it, or maybe not.

We consulted a fertility specialist because we were getting impatient (I'm now 41), and even considered IUI and IVF. But first he ordered both of us to go through some tests (sperm count for him, and HSG for me), and based on that he convinced us to combine Clomid and ovulation test kit first. It worked the first time! Even more amazing is I conceived during hay fever season when I was taking some medication and thought these would interfere with conception. Our baby may be premature by 6 weeks, but otherwise he's developing on schedule if not ahead according to his due date.

Good luck!

 Thank you so much!! Your story definitely gives me hope. We have yet to resort to a fertility specialist, but we will if it doesn't happen by the end of the year.

k first i have to ask are you getting ur periods regularly?  like every 28, 29, 30  or whatever days every month?? 2nd  have you tried tracking your ovulation?  theres a great ovulation calender on.. www.babyzone.com ..  I was on the patch for over a year.. i put my last patch on september 05.. had my last period in November of 05.. and had my daughter August of 06.. so it happened pretty fast.. check out babyzone.. if you dont like the site just google ovulation calenders and itll give you some great sites..

hey 4 months is nothing don't sweat it

I know how frustrating it can be when you really want get pregnant I went on depovera was never on anything before that and didn't go on anything after that ...I went on Depo 9months before my husband and I got married then the last three months I went off it and it took us nearly 3 yrs now D is alot different then the pill but sometimes it just takes awhile for it to get out of your system ....but it can be very upsetting when everyone around seems pregnant or just had a baby but 4 months really isn't to far along yet if your really concerned go tlk to your doctor he/she maybe able to give you some advice and ese some of your concerns

anyway good luck!

I've actually heard the pill...(Alesse) will not affect viability of your eggs.,

I think it just takes time to exit your system.....and i'd say not only get yourself checked out...but also ask him to get checked.  Not many men want to actually believe it....but sometimes its because their sperm isn;t strong enough, not enough of it, etc etc.  But...also could be bad chemistry with your uterus and his sperm....sometimes the environement is too acidic for sperm to successfully survive their journey.

Good luck wither way :)

Original Post by trustwomen:

Hi,

Ob/gyns ask about pregnancy history because it is good information to know. The miscarriage/abortion history is relevant because repeated miscarriages entails a higher chance of miscarrying again, and what they are really "after" is whether you had repeated miscarriages (which would indicate a tendency towards chromosomal abnormality). Or, if an induced abortion had complications afterward (about 0.5% will have some complication or other), that's good to know too. Uncomplicated induced abortion in first or second trimester does not cause fertility problems, again, unless you have a whole lot of them (seriously, double digits) AND they are badly done. Among women in many former Soviet bloc countries, where abortion was the only reliable and accessible means of controlling fertility - pills/condoms etc. not consistently available on the market - it was relatively common to have had 6-10 abortions (or more) in one's lifetime, before, between, and after one's children. The existence of so many women pregnant for, say, the 12th time (with histories of 8 abortions and three kids) puts the lie to claims that induced abortion harms fertility. Again, doesn't matter if it's second-trimester (though 90% of abortions are in the first trimester anyway), the methods have been refined to ensure an excellent safety record.

Thank you for putting this information out there for so many women who are either uninformed or choose to believe fallacy without investigating historical evidence!

Hi!

it took me 8 months after i went off the pill to get pregnant. i tried not to stress about it b/c i figured the stress would mess with the whole process. i know a couple of people who FREAKED if they didn't get pregnant the first month. i say just relax and it will happen when its meant to happen : ) i know- easier said than done! hang in there!!!

I am having the same problems.

My husband and I decided last summer that we wanted to start a family.

At this point I was on the pill for 9 years (14 to 23).
So since July 2007 we are trying to get pregnant, but nothing has happened yet although I was measuring my temperature.

I feel a little frustrated as well because I figure after over a year I should be able to conceive. The long term effects of the pill should have worn off by now.

But I also know there is the chance that other complications might prevend me from conceiving since my husband is a cancer surviver, for example.

I guess, if nothing happens till next year, we will see a doctor and get both checked out.

I read this fabulous book (just a novel, nothing scientific) about a lady and her husband who were trying to conceive, and were having problems. And throughout the book everyone else is getting pregnant and she's sad and then DRAMA DRAMA and then her and her husband just forget about the fertility stuff and have lots of passionate sex and then BAM she's pregnant. So maybe try that? HumpFest '08. Forget about cycles and ovulating and just have fun!

Oh and totally agreeing on abortions not effecting fertility... a friend of mine had an abortion with some complications (didn't stop bleeding for like 4 months, almost had to have a blood transfusion because she'd lost so much blood, started passing out and stuff) and she got pregnant pretty easy a couple years later. She was also 19 at the time though.