The birth control pill is still the most popular contraceptive around, and many women who decide to try to conceive have to deal with stopping its use. Are you wondering how soon after coming off the pill you can get pregnant, and if there is anything special you need to know about wanting a baby after the birth control pill?
Do you have to "depill"?
Where does the idea that women have to wait for a while after quitting the pill come from? The only semi-medical reason I've ever found about waiting for a few months before trying for a baby is the fact that menstrual cycles often take a while to return to normal after the pill. That means that, on the off chance that you get pregnant in the first month or two, you may not know when you could have ovulated and doctors will need to rely on ultrasound to provide you with an estimated due date. That's hardly a disaster, though.
The practice of waiting apparently comes from somewhere else, though. In the past, doctors believed that women who got pregnant right after stopping the contraceptive pill had a higher risk of miscarriage. There is no evidence this is (currently, with the modern pill) true at all.
What else?
Even though the pill itself isn't necessarily a reason to wait (you don't need to use condoms in between ditching the pill and trying to conceive, for instance), there are some other issues. Most women ovulate within six weeks of quitting the pill, and often even within two weeks. If you use ovulation tests, don't freak out if you have to wait longer than a month before it turns positive.
While you're thinking about all that, go for a general preconception medical checkup, and ask your partner to do the same. You should think about things like blood tests for nutritional deficiencies, STD testing, and measuring your blood pressure. Your doctor will fill you in if you decide to do this.
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