Short Luteal Phase after Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills are the number one contraceptive of choice for women that wish to prevent or delay pregnancy. When trying to conceive, a woman will normally discontinue the birth control pill and be advised to wait a period of six months to one year before trying to become pregnant. There are several questions a woman will have when discontinuing birth control pills and some may be:

How long will it take for normal menstrual cycles to return? Will use of birth control pills prevent her from conceiving? How long will it take to become pregnant after quitting birth control pills? Should fertility or ovulation charting start as soon as birth control pills are stopped?

There is some very good news for women that previously took birth control pills, some 57.9% of all first cycles after discontinuing the pill were ovulatory and the woman did not experience a short luteal phase after birth control pills. Only 10.2% of all first cycles after stopping birth control pills were non-ovulatory and there were significant differences in the following 2-3 cycles. When a woman does experience a luteal phase defect related to birth control pills, it generally lasted less than eight cycles, but if longer it is generally a problem which can be corrected. Other problems could also play an important role in the amount of time it takes for fertility to return after discontinuing birth control pills.

Such things could include the age of the female, length of time the pills were used and if any other conditions are present in the woman. A short luteal phase after birth control pills is not unheard of but if it lasts longer than nine months, the woman will definitely want to discuss treatment options with her medical professionals. There are many reasons why a woman could have a shortened luteal phase after quitting birth control pills, but there are also many ways in which to treat the problem successfully. Once a physician has determined exactly what factors are involved, a proper treatment regimen can be prescribed and the woman should be able to conceive and sustain a healthy pregnancy.