What To Expect When Stopping Birth Control: Fertility and Timeline Guide

Quitting birth control can seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Each birth control method requires a different amount of time before it exits the body and hormone levels, menstrual cycles and fertility return to normal.

Birth control pills are the single easiest method to reverse. However, some methods take much more time than women realize. Knowing how long each method affects your body and fertility is a crucial detail for any woman looking to end birth control with the goal of becoming pregnant.

Stopping Birth Control Pills, Patches and Rings: What Is the Timeline

The pill, patch and ring forms of birth control all supply estrogen and progesterone, which work to “turn off” the ovaries. Once you have stopped using these, expect irregular bleeding until hormones return to normal. That usually happens after one to three months, but it can take up to six. The return to fertility is easy and quick, but that time needs to be accounted for.

Stopping a Hormonal IUD

Removing a hormonal IUD, such as Mirena or Skyla, is much the same as quitting pills, patches or rings. After removing a hormonal IUD, you will start ovulating and have normal periods after one to three months.

A hormonal IUD doesn’t prevent ovulation as predictably as pills, patches or rings. It prevents pregnancy in three ways:

• Cervical mucus thickens, blocking sperm from reaching an egg.
• The hormonal environment of the uterine lining is altered, making it much less receptive to implantation.
• Sperm movement is limited; survival inside the uterus and fallopian tubes is diminished.

Quitting a Non-Hormonal IUD

The copper T IUD does not rely on hormones. It prevents pregnancy by:

• Impairing sperm movement.
• Reducing sperms’ ability to fertilize an egg.
• Preventing fertilization before pregnancy can begin.

Upon removal, you will have irregular bleeding but typically no other side effects. Most importantly, with this method, it’s possible to become pregnant the day after removal, if removal happens to coincide with ovulation. If it doesn’t, you would only need to wait until you ovulate next to possibly become pregnant.

Stopping Birth Control Shots or Implants

After ceasing use of Depo-Provera, it can take up to 18 months for you to start ovulating again. With Nexplanon, it can take six to nine months.

Many women are surprised by these timelines. For women who know that they want to start trying to conceive at a certain date, it can be frustrating to learn that methods such as Depo-Provera and Nexplanon have such long waiting periods before pregnancy becomes possible.

Once you start ovulating, you will have regular periods again. However, some women find that they ovulate before their period returns, so it is possible to become pregnant before you have a complete return to normal periods.

How To Track Ovulation at Home After Stopping Birth Control

You can test ovulation at home using at-home ovulation-predictor kits that work much the same way at-home pregnancy tests. You pee on the wand to allow the test to measure your hormone levels. Each kit works in a slightly different way, so it’s crucial to read the directions.

Family Planning: Work with your Gynecologist

Unfortunately, there is nothing that you can do to speed up the return to regular ovulation after stopping your birth control. You should talk to your gynecologist to understand which birth control methods fit with their family-planning goals. Share your plans with your gynecologist so that together, you pick the right birth control.

Stopping birth control doesn’t mean you will immediately become pregnant. That’s why it’s important to be informed about the timing and side effects of the birth control method you choose.

This content is not AI generated.