Need advice: BCP related (and slight TMI)

oneslybookworm

Ok ladies...advice time.  I've been on birth control since I was 19 (crap...that's 10 years...I'm old), and have never gone off.  My BCP ran out at the end of last week, so I'm now on my placebo week.  I could get more from the pharmacy, but DH said last night to not even worry about it, since we would start TTC later in the year anyways.

So...here's my question.  (TMI WARNING)  Before I went on BC, I had two solid periods a month.  Heavy bleeding, bad cramps, and just over craptacular times for 14 days.  I know bodies change and it might not be like that now.  But, just for the fun of it...was your period ridiculously heavy when you went off BCP?  Any major changes I shoudl be aware of?  Will I go nuts for a few weeks?

Be honest...I can take it!

glitterfart

I didn?t really notice any changes, and I had been on hormonal BC for seven years, I think. First the pill and then implanon. I had heavy periods in my teens, but now as an adult it?s pretty light. Well, it?s gotten heavier since I had a baby, but nothing like my teens.

If you?re planning on TTCing later this year, it might not be a bad idea to give your body some time to adjust and see how things are going to be. I think it?s really a crap shoot. Some people I know have had a hard time, and others haven?t. But that?s exciting about ttcing this year!!!

ukyankee

My periods were so much better as an adult than as a teen (I went on them at 20 and stayed on them pretty much until I was in my mid-30s).  But they were heavier  and I ended up having some light cramping which I didn't have while on the pill.  But overall, not a lot of change.

The Irish Gal

I went on bcp at 21 and came off it at 36.  Went on it because of very irregular cycles and because of bad cramping.  When I came off it I was expecting it to be all over the place again (like, I could go a week between periods or 3 months before the pill) but very quickly I realised that I had a regular 30 day cycle. 

I went back on it after N was born and the previous pill didn't agree with me (triggered my migraine - yikes! Stroke risk!) but changed to the mini pill.  Stopped taking that in August and now my cycle seems to have settled into a 28/29 day cycle.

Before N was conceived (in June 2010) I stopped taking the pill in Oct 09 and it was good to know my cycle before we really started the business of ttc seriously - I knew exactly when I was ovulating and we got lucky first month of "serious" trying.

And the cramping... nowhere near as bad as before the pill, though there is the odd twinge that catches the breath but not days on end...

 

FayeD

I had times where I went off and my body was fine for a few months but then went back to having issues. As I got older the issues took longer to come back and were less severe. The last round of TTC I was thankfully regular for the five cycles it took us to be successful.

When we were TTC the first time I saw the doctor in advance. I was told that because I had been on bcp to regulate my cycle vs straight-up birth control that our best shot was immediately after getting off the pill. That first 1-3 months was when my body would be the most "regular", including ovulation. And that's how we got BabyD. BabyGirl took a bit longer but similar process - get on pill, get regular, get off pill, TTC.

If DH wants to stick to the timeline of waiting then I would say get more pills. Would suck to waste those windows of regularity to have to go back on the pill just to get off the pill again.

NLfoodie

When I got off bcp after 10 years I was much more regular with no cramping ( Zi never cramped). I stayed regular with the exception of extreme stress situations or health issues. I unfortunately had to take a MAP once and since I've done that, I've started cramping every month. It sucks almost enough to go back to bcp to possibly fix it again.

sushisamba

I was on BCP for about 13 years (18 - 31), and my periods didn't change too much before and after.  However, I was always fairly regular, with light to mid flow and not too much cramping.  It's been pretty much the same since coming off.  I stopped BCP about four months before we were planning on TTC, because I was afraid that it would take time to regulate after being on the pill for so long.  But my body bounced back to normal fairly quickly - the first cycle off was a bit long at 31 days, but since then have been about 27 days.

That's exciting about TTC, and I hope that your periods now are better than they were before! 

kelly321

I went off after 5 years when we TTC about 2 years ago. My periods were no heavier than they had been before the pill. After birth and pumping for 2 months, I switched to formula and had 2 crazy heavy periods (which were birth-related, not pill-related), and then things settled back down to normal. Mine are now much lighter than when I was a teenager and I don't have to take 4 Motrin at a time to make it through the day. I actually don't have to take anything. Things are way better than they used to be.

AmericanInOz

mine was a bit easier after I went off of BCP, although I was very hormonal.....

I ended up charting for a few years off BCP and felt pretty good once I started taking Evening Primrose Oil tablets to regulate my hormones - I can't even TELL you how much those helped

GL!

PittPurple

I was on BCP for several years and went off them what feels like forever ago. I went off 6 months or so before we started TTC. I get cramps now and some pms symptoms, but nothing like when I was a teenager. Usually takes a couple advil (and some wine of course!) to sort me out whereas I regularly missed school with cramps when I was younger. I think you'll be fine!

And super exciting, good luck!!

oneslybookworm

Thanks for all the advice ladies!!  The TTC won't happen for another 8 months or so...we'll be using other forms of protection.  I just know that, combined with my anti-depressants, my sex drive is practically nothing, and I'd like to get off as many hormones as possible, just for my own sake.

We'll see how it goes!

bail229

I was on bcp for about 5-6 yrs before going off and I didn't notice any changes stopping the pills. I have never had really heavy or crampy periods to begin with and that did not change. I went off the pill probably about 4 mths before TTC. Good luck to you!

MouseInLux

I know that you have a *** tone of Tampons but you may want to try a cup instead, people who switch report that they have less cramps...I switched when I went off of BC and had much better time of it, I'd only been on BCP for 3 years so not too much maturing but yeh, it's worth a shot.

GilliC

Short answer: I had killer periods as a teen, went on BCP for 8 years, and when I stopped taking them at 27 I found that my periods were worse than on BCP but not nearly as bad as when I was a teen. There were no major side effects to speak of. I lost a little weight, but I can't definitely tie that to my BCP. 

I had extremely erratic periods before I went on BCP. Most cycles I had my period every 2-6 weeks, but sometimes I wouldn't have one for 8 weeks or longer. When I did have them, they were extremely heavy. Super tampons would only last me 3-4 hours (but I was too small for Super Plus). I would bleed for 7-10 days with 4 or 5 days of heavy bleeding, which started in a rush (seriously TMI, but in college I would be walking to class, feel my period start and have to turn around and go home to change).

I was on BCP from 19 to 27, and when I went off BCP, I found that my cycle while not completely regular was much more regular than it was before. Generally I got my period every 5 weeks with a week or two variation from time to time. I'd bleed for around 7 days with 2 days that were almost as heavy as before, but not quite. While I wasn't completely "normal," I found it had stabilized much more than before. And while my flow and symptoms were heavier than they were on BCP, they were much better than when I was a teen.

The hardest part was that I couldn't predict or adjust my menstrual cycle anymore. I used to shift or skip periods whenever we were traveling or it seemed convenient, and I had a tough time going from fully controlling my cycle to having no idea when it was coming. It seemed like it started every time I went to the US on business, so I would always have to run out to the drugstore to buy supplies. If I was going somewhere more remote, I pretty much had to pack a full supply just in case.

MintChocoChip

Dup

Also, my periods are 3-5 days off bc and much lighter w only one day of cramps! 

MintChocoChip

I went on bc when I was 16 due to heavy periods that made me faint. Went off bc at 26 and it took a year to regulate (cycles were 34-65 days long). Stress also contributed to this but I would go off and chart while your body regulates.  It took me 9 months to ovulate on a normal schedule (and a divorce--stress related).  I'd pick up a copy of Taking Charge of your Fertility or join fertility friend.com for charting help.  This way you can tta (abstain from pg) w charting until you're ready to TTC

jen&L

I was on BCP only for 3-4 years (I tried various brands and hated all of them -- messed up my skin, mood, sex drive, ...).  I'm so much happier now without all the extra hormones.  My periods are more regular now than pre-BCP days and not as heavy.