The birth control pill is one of the most popular methods of contraception used today and it is highly effective at preventing unwanted pregnancy. When a woman on the pill decides to become pregnant, however, she may be unsure of how to proceed. Questions about when to stop the pill, how long to wait before becoming pregnant and what preparations to make beforehand are all common. Fortunately, over the last few decades many women have successfully become pregnant after ceasing taking oral contraceptives and the method for doing so is fairly well established.
Step 1
Plan a visit to your doctor to assess your health and discuss any immunizations or special tests you might need before becoming pregnant. Women with certain medical conditions may need to start or stop taking medication for those conditions before becoming pregnant or may need a change of medicine or dosage.
Step 2
Start taking prenatal vitamins with folic acid before you stop taking oral contraceptives. While many women take a few months to become pregnant after stopping birth control pills, for some women conception happens quickly. Folic acid is most important in the first few weeks of fetal development, when most women are unaware that they are pregnant.
Step 3
Stop taking the pill at the end of one cycle or pack. It is better not to stop in the middle of a pack, but to wait until the end to let the body complete a menstrual period.
Step 4
Use a backup barrier method of contraception for a few months to let your body establish its normal cycle. While it is possible to become pregnant immediately upon stopping the pill, doing so will make it more difficult to determine the actual date of conception since you will have no idea when ovulation actually occurs. Not knowing the date of conception makes predicting a due date difficult and can cause problems later in the pregnancy when scheduling tests that need to be taken during specific developmental stages. The Mayo Clinic recommends letting the menstrual cycle re-establish itself for at least one month, giving you at least one normal period to use in predicting cycle length. Since the first few cycles may be irregular after stopping the pill, waiting three months or more may help pinpoint the ovulation date more accurately.
Step 5
Contact a doctor if your period doesn't start up again within three to six months of stopping the pill to see if something else is wrong. Some women naturally take longer than others to adjust to the altered hormone levels once off the pill, but most will experience a period within four to six weeks after stopping.
Step 6
Monitor your body signs to predict ovulation and time intercourse to maximize your chances of becoming pregnant. Ovulation monitors or kits may help determine the date of ovulation. Tracking your cycles using a basal body thermometer and observing changes in cervical mucus are other ways of determining the best time to conceive in a given month.
Things You'll Need
- Prenatal vitamins
- Backup barrier birth control, such as condoms or a sponge
