Pre-Conception Thoughts

[atcwag]

So, DH and I have tentatively decided to start "trying" in the spring -- well, let's get real...I said, "We're going to start trying in the spring".

So, I'm on the pill. Because of the nature of my job, I am quite busy and traveling a lot in the fall and winter. The spring and summer are much less busy for me, so the ideal situation is a spring baby. I'm not going to completely stop TTC if it doesn't happen in that time frame, but it would be a lot nicer for me if nature just worked out the way I would like it to.

Does anyone have thoughts/advice/experience that you can give? My current prescription for the pill runs out in mid-March - I can always get a new prescription if we decide not to start trying, but....

So.....hypothetically if I wanted to conceive in June/July (but earlier or later would be ok) when should I actually stop the pill?

Any other thoughts or advice? I'm nervous about it already, but EXCITED!

[CW&M Mom]

I dont' know about you..I'm pretty fertile myrtle within a month or so...once I stop the pill.

[abond0017]

It really is all gonna depend on your own body. Some people are like CW&M and can get preggers immediately, for some on the other hand it can take months. I stopped taking the pill quite a while before we wanted to start trying, cause I wanted to make sure I could get pregnant when we wanted. We just used condoms until the time was right. I know that isn't ideal, but it alleviated the possibility of having to wait a few months that we didn't want to. Good luck!

[JulieDB]

I've never taken the pill, but the first time I had unprotected sex, BINGO! The women in my family are very fertile

[foggierbard9]

It is totally dependent on your body. I've known people who get pregnant ON the pill, right after the pill, or it takes them a year after coming off the pill.

[amylynne01]

Honestly I would stop it sooner than later. I am like CW&M mom and have no issues with conceiving. However, any hormonal birth control does mess with your body. You should read the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility to get an idea of what goes on every cycle. The hormones in the pill can mess with what should happen, so things may change dramatically once those hormones are out of your body. I think most docs tell you that it will take a healthy couple 6-12 months to conceive, and that's if you know what you're doing. I mean, obviously you know what you're doing , but if you know your cycles, it's easier.

[abond0017]

Honestly I would stop it sooner than later. I am like CW&M mom and have no issues with conceiving. However, any hormonal birth control does mess with your body. You should read the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility to get an idea of what goes on every cycle. The hormones in the pill can mess with what should happen, so things may change dramatically once those hormones are out of your body. I think most docs tell you that it will take a healthy couple 6-12 months to conceive, and that's if you know what you're doing. I mean, obviously you know what you're doing , but if you know your cycles, it's easier.

This is also very true. I had BAD acne all over (face, back, chest) for about 6 months after stopping the pill. There were also other side effects that lasted a bit afterwards.

I was on it for about 13 years though, so it could have been that. But I wouldn't have wanted to conceive while my hormones where so out of whack like that, cause obviously something was not quite right during that time.

[MrsPinecone]

The general concensus is that you don't need to wait after going off the pill anymore. That recommendation was for when the Pill was much, much stronger than today's birth control pills. Current pills use the lowest dosage of hormones necessary to prevent pregnancy. You can safely get pregnant the month you go off the pill.

I would start taking prenatal vitamins ASAP to build up the folic acid reserves that you need. My doctor recommends that all women of childbearing age take prenatals just in case.

In a perfect case, you only have a 20% chance of getting pregnant on any given cycle. I would suggest that you read up on your fertile times... track cervical mucus or temps to learn when YOU ovulate. Not everyone ovulates on day 14 of a 28 day cycle. If you have a short luteal phase (ovulation to period), it can be more difficult to conceive. Taking vitamin B6 daily helps to even out the luteal phase and has the added benefit of reducing PMS and once you are pregnant, reducing the nausea of morning sickness.

[kschick96]

I stopped the pill on January 1st-and it took me until the first part of July to get pregnant. This was just me-everyone is different!

[atcwag]

What prenatal vitamins do you recommend? What levels of vitamins, etc. should I be looking for? I know folic acid is the most important, but I've heard 400 mg, 800 mg and 1000 mg levels....what other nutrients should I be looking for and what levels?