August 2015
After discontinuing most forms of reversible birth control, your fertility should return quite quickly to what it was destined to be. In fact, some women manage to conceive within a couple of weeks after stopping contraceptives such as the birth control pill. It should be noted that your level of fertility still depends on many things that have nothing to do with your contraceptives, such as your age, weight and health and lifestyle.
Here’s when you can expect your fertility to return after discontinued use of some popular contraceptive choices:
- Birth Control Pills: The birth control pill prevents pregnancy by preventing ovulation. Without ovulating you cannot get pregnant. You should ideally complete the cycle so you don’t have irregular bleeding. Ovulation should begin within weeks, but for some it may take several months. The first sign that your ovulation has returned is usually the reappearance of your regular menstrual cycle, a couple of weeks after ovulation. No matter how long you have been taking the pill, the answers remain the same. If your menstrual cycle has not returned by three months or more, after you stop the pill, you should see a specialist to discuss what to do next.
- Depo-Provera: This contraceptive is injected into a woman once every three months to prevent ovulation. Depo-Provera can linger in your body for longer than the stated three months as it is deposited into the muscle. It may need a little extra time to work its way out. While pregnancy can occur three months after the last shot, it can take as long as six to nine months for others. Depo-Provera is not a perfect contraceptive for women who are considering getting pregnant soon.
- IUD (Intrauterine Device): When the IUD is removed your return to fertility should be fairly rapid. Within a cycle or so your uterus should recover completely. Removing an IUD is usually a quick and painless process at your doctor’s office.
Remember that one in six couples will experience infertility, for a variety of reasons. If you struggle to conceive after six months of actively trying (and once all hormones are out of your system in the case of the Depo-Provera injection), then you should see a fertility specialist. You should also see a specialist if:
- You don’t get your period back within three months
- Your cycles are irregular or you have other worrisome symptoms
If you are trying to conceive, we recommend you begin taking a daily supplement such as Stamino Gro. For more information visit http://medfem.co.za/recommended-supplements