Birth control pills are one of the most popular forms of contraception around.
In fact, about 16 million women in the US take birth control pills, and about 60 million women world wide are on the pill.
If you have been taking birth control pills and now want to stop taking them in order to get pregnant and start a family, you might be wondering if you will have difficulty conceiving due to having taken the pill.
First of all, let’s take a look at how birth control pills work:
The hormones in birth control pills are responsible for preventing pregnancy. Birth control pills are made up of a combination of Estrogen and Progesterone, which both act to prevent ovulation. If there is no ovulation, then there is no egg released.
No egg equals no pregnancy.
Although birth control pills are highly effective at preventing pregnancy, you need not worry about any permanent effects on your fertility due to taking the pill.
Birth control pills do not interfere with fertility once you stop taking them.
Statistically, approximately 90% of women who discontinue use of birth control pills will become pregnant within a year.
That being said, it does seem to take some women a little longer to get pregnant after they stop taking birth control pills.
The usual timeframe for full fertility to return after you have stopped taking the pill is around three months. However, some women may not get pregnant for six months after taking the pill, and some women get pregnant almost immediately.
So, it basically depends on each individual woman and her own particular natural cycle.
Many doctors as well as fertility experts recommend against getting pregnant as soon as you stop taking birth control pills, and advocate letting your body go through a couple of regular menstrual cycles before trying to conceive.
One thing to note, if you are trying to get pregnant after taking the pill, is to take a supplement with a bit of added folic acid. Birth control pills deplete folic acid in many women. Folic acid plays a large part in preventing serious birth defects, and it would be wise to get it built back up before conception. This is especially true if you have been on birth control pills for a long time.
Birth control pills are an extremely effective method of contraception, and do not cause permanent infertility.
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