BC pills and fertility? - long and a bit TMI
cameragirl21 wrote: ok, this might be TMI but I've been on the pill for about ten years now nonstop. I've never given it much thought but now that I've been perusing these boards for a couple months or so I've noticed a number of people ttc, some of them for a year or more. This really scares me. So I am contemplating getting off the pill.
The thing is I don't want to get pregnant yet. But I am wondering if being on the pill for so long nonstop may be messing with my fertility. It just never occurred to me that I would ever have a problem conceiving when the times comes and now I find myself a little uneasy.
I've done a great deal of research and am finding that all experts agree that the pill has no effect on fertility and that if a woman has had regular periods prior to getting on the pill then she should assume that she is fertile. They also say that if you have problems conceiving once you're off the pill it means you had fertility problems to begin with and that the pill has nothing to do with it. They also say that the longest the pill has lingering effects is three months, meaning that after a maximum of three months there should be no problems conceiving.
My concern is that I don't know who these experts are or where they get their information from. I know for a fact that docs get kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies and I know it sounds paranoid but I guess I'm asking if anyone here has ever known anyone who had problems conceiving after being on the pill for a long time. It certainly doesn't have to be your own experience but I figure that when things like this are a problem, they're often discussed among friends.
I'm also wondering if anyone has heard of someone who had regular periods before the pill but then have irregular ones after getting off it, like for example, is it possible your body becomes completely dependent on this controlled hormonal mechanism and no longer wants to do the work itself, if that makes any sense.
I would ask my doctor but she considers me a friend of hers and has hired me to take pictures for her family and I feel she may be insulted if I ask her because it is she who put me on the pill for all this time and I wonder if she'll feel like saying something like, "do you think I'd keep you on the pill all this time if it were bad for you?"
The thing is that the pill greatly reduces a woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer...by about 80% so I'm of the opinion that every woman should take it for at least three months in a lifetime just for that purpose. It also makes for really light and predictable periods, which is something I'd miss if I were to go off it.
And getting on and off it is not so easy for me because I had a lot of spotting my first month on it so I'd rather not get off it unless it's a possible impediment to my fertility as getting on it and going through the spotting again is not something I'd relish. I've also heard of women breaking out really badly when they get off it which is why I mention that I may find myself right back on it (to stop the breakouts) after getting off it.
If it's not harmful to my fertility, I'd rather stay on it. I understand that this is a highly personal and private subject and completely understand if any or all of you don't feel comfortable discussing it here or with me.
I just don't really know which direction to go and figured at least some people here must have some experience with this.
Thanks and take care,
Jennifer
MyBabeMaddie replied: This probably isn't much help but, I got my first period when I was 10, it was always regular however I had monster cramps so I started with BCP at 14 - I took it for 5 years regularly however last year around this time I kept forgetting to pick up my BC from the pharmacy so there was a whole month where I didn't take it, but I got back on it right away so I didn't take the pill for the whole month of september... I got my period October 28 (and thats the last period i've had cause I got pregnant) So taking the pill for 5 years did nothing to my fertility... Also my mom said she started on BC when she was about 15 and she took it regularly for 10 years and actually got pg with me while on it. I think you should be fine but I am not a Dr. GL!
Boo&BugsMom replied: It only took us 2 months going off of BC for both of ours! My mom it took her over a year with me and longer with my brother. I think everyone is different and it will depend on your own body.
Cece00 replied: I've gotten pregnant TWICE on the pill- 2 different pills, in fact.
I would agree with your GYN- the pill is unlikely to cause problems with your fertility. I've heard the same thing from more than one GYN.
mom2my2cuties replied:
If she says that she is not only a bad doctor, but a bad friend...She is your doctor, first and foremost and should be as concerned as you with your health, and if you have a question, and can't go to your doctor with it for fear of harming a friendship, then you might want to consider another doctor. (just personal opinion there)
Anyway, I have never heard anything about the pill versus fertility. However, kudos to you for not just blindly trusting scientists and wondering about thier motives, thier jobs (i.e do they work for the maker of an xyz pharmacutical company that makes said pill) etc...You should be able to easily find out thier credentials online (should be posted within the study somewhere)
I DO know, that if you are on Depo-Provera, it takes usually about 6 months to concieve if not longer because of the drugs used in the shot.
cameragirl21 replied: Thanks, everyone, for your responses.
Mom2my2cuties, you're right about my gyn but she does tend to take things personally and I don't like to upset her. And no, I'm not on depo, I'm on ortho tri cyclen lo.
I'm glad to hear others had no problems conceiving after taking it for some time, that's a relief.
Take care,
Jennifer
kimberley replied:
not true for everyone or Kaleigh wouldn't be here  it was less than a month.
amymom replied: Sorry to give you my personal experience but you asked so here goes. First of all I did not have a regular cycle. Second of all I got pg without really trying or preventing and miscarried. I then decided to use BC and I took the pill for 1 year. After stopping I did not have a cycle for 8 months. Then it took 4 more years for us to become pregnant. We thought it wouldn't happen and we didn't do alot to try to bring it on, except for hormones to start my cycle again, we did not pursue fertility treatment. We let God send us children if He saw fit. And We got Billy. I had two more pregnancies after that, one of which gave us Mary BEth. My problems were all over 16 years ago, so technology and BC pills have advanced greatly. I would imagine that my problems did not have to do with the BC pills/hormones directly but how they intermingled with MY body. I think your doctor is the best one to advise you.
Bamamom replied: I was on the pill for 11 years off and on - mostly on - and got pregnant the month after I got off it. I think it has to do with your own body and its responce to the pill - not the pill itself.
Nathansmom replied: I was on the pill for 15 years and then I got pregnant with Nathan....while I was still taking it.
Edited because I can't spell. 
Jackie012007 replied: I was on the pill for 7 years straight and got pregnant while on it... I started with Ortho regular then switched to Ortho Low then to Yasmin, but was consistently on the pill and I was really excellent about taking it on time every day... HTH
Lynda836 replied: I was on the pill for 10 years straight. Any one I talked to send that it would probably take me about a year to conceive...once I was off...just because it would take a bit for my periods to become regular. I was 36, off them for a month, and found out I was pregnant. I think the only person more surprized than me was my dr  As long your dr thinks there's no medical reason that you should come off them, I wouldn't worry about it....sure didn't hurt my fertility, and I had my age against me.
MyBrownEyedBoy replied: I was on the pill for about 8 years before I had Logan. I had been off it for about 6 weeks when I got pregnant.
cameragirl21 replied: Thanks everyone for your responses, you have all been very helpful.
I know I sound paranoid but I really feel that fertility is not something to be messed with and I'm sure all of you as mothers would probably agree with me on that.
Take care,
Jennifer
My3LilMonkeys replied: I was off the pill less than a month before I got pregnant with Madison. I was only on it for about 10 months though.
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