fertility awareness

What they don't really explain about the pill..

When you are a teen and sex starts crossing your mind getting on the pill seems like a great option, I know because this was my thought process as a teen. In my state (Arizona) teens could head to planned parenthood wanting to go on the pill and would be given a prescription without even having a parent present. They made it so easy and it really did keep me from getting pregnant as a teen.

Now I am 26 year old woman who has been off the pill for over a year. Initially while I was on the pill I noticed a decline in vaginal lubrication (caused by the hormones in the birth control pills I was taking) and sex became painful and not so much fun to have. Eventually I decided to talk to a doctor about my symptoms and I was told to stay on the pill because my painful sex could be endometriosis.

I finally decided to go off the pill because I was in a committed/ long term relationship and I was responsible enough and ready to deal with any potential pregnancy, plus I wanted sex to stop hurting and I suspected the pill was casing me to dry up. Coming off the pill didn’t offer any immediate relief to my symptoms but I had a feeling it would eventually.

Over time my body has gone back to normal but it has been slow improvements. My cycle lengths are still all mixed up and I have had several anovulatorty cycles since going off the pill. I also just learned that the “average recovery time from the Pill can last up to 18 months. Ovulation can be occurring regularly, but it can still take time for the cervix to heal and produce adequate CM (cervical mucus) for sperm survival. The Pill shrivels up the parts of the cervix where good quality CM is produced, and because the cervix is so delicate – healing can take time.”

Knowing what I know now I can say that I would not go back on the pill to prevent pregnancy because it just takes way to long for my body to get back to normal after it. As a teen it was a good option but as an adult I just wouldn’t want to take it and potentially loose more fertile time. It wold have been nice if I was adequately educated about these side effect when I was a teen seeking birth control.

Did/ do you take the pill to prevent unwanted pregnancy and how did your body respond after you went off the pill? How long did it take for you to conceive? Any thoughts or opinions about the pill and how it impacts your fertility after coming off it?

Talina

A city girl turned farmer. Yes women do farm ;) Owner and operator of direct to consumer, Ryder Family Farm in Southern Illinois.
Wearing many hats I'm also a mother to 3, a wife, a yogi, a farmer, a 4-H & Girl Scout leader & hospitality manager.

http://www.harvestofdailylife.com

8 thoughts on “What they don't really explain about the pill..

  1. Just like many RXs- diff side effects for each person. I took the pill from 1968 to 1973 – got pg in about 6mos. Took it again from 1974 to 1981. And then, again, from about 1986 to 1995. Got pg within 6 mos each time I tried to get pg. The only side effect I had was the minimal weight gain. I hope that you continue to “heal” from the side effects.

    maiden53s last blog post..Happy Mother’s Day!

  2. I have never been on the pill so I don’t have any personal information to give. However, I do think that anything that affects hormone cycles will take a while to sort itself out. It is the same after pregnancy itself or breastfeeding – it takes at least 6 months for your hormones to settle down, and sometimes a lot lot longer than that. I know my hormones were really screwy for a good two years after I had my fourth child.

    Reluctant Bloggers last blog post..Split Ends

  3. The pill had the opposite effect on me, I found I was wet ALL the time. Very awkward at times.

    You’re going to hate me, but I fell pregnant with Amy within 1 month of coming off the pill.

    2nd time around it isn’t that easy though.

    Veronicas last blog post..How To….Survive Bedtime

  4. I had so many problems on the pill, they kept changing my perscription, and I ended up pregnant while still taking it! I was really young at the time. I then had a coil inserted, which put me in the hospital with an infection. I ended up with my tubes being tied before I turned 22. My daughter was born in 1984, so luckily there have been advancments in birth control since then. She has had one child, but is now on the birthcontrol patch. I have had friends get the injection, but I think that stays in your system for 6 months, and two of the people I know that took it ended up with really bad headaches etc.

    Loris last blog post..Photo Album: Hot Toddy

  5. I got pregnant with my daughter when i was 19. After she was born I went on the pill. I was on it until late 2001. That’s when my husband and I decided to try to have a baby. It took forever for my cycles to become even somewhat regular. I didn’t get pregnant until late spring of 2004. It was very a very frustrating time for me. Sex started to be a “chore” and my period was the enemy. Your body will come around, just try to stay patient with it:)

    Beckys last blog post..I’m back!!

  6. I’ve been on and off the pill so many times since my teens I can’t even count. I had bad reactions to some pills and would just stop taking it (bad!). It only took a few months off the pill when I got pregnant the first time, but I’d only been on it a few months.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top