Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Conceiving after Taking the Pill | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
My husband and I would like to get pregnant for our second child. I just stopped taking the Pill. Should I wait a certain amount of time before getting pregnant?— Marie | | | ANSWER |
March 13, 2001 | | | Dear Marie,
We usually recommend waiting to conceive until you have had at least two menstrual periods, or for about three months after discontinuing birth control pills. This recommendation is not based on health risk--there is no increased risk to you or to the baby if you conceive right after discontinuing the Pill. But there are still three good reasons to wait:
- Your periods are often a bit irregular coming off the Pill, and it sometimes takes weeks or months for your cycles to regulate. If you are "trying" to conceive during this time, you may wonder whether you are pregnant every day that your period is late. This can lead to a lot of unnecessary anxiety and money wasted on pregnancy tests.
- Since your ovulations may be irregular during the first few months, if you do get pregnant your due date may be more difficult to estimate.
- Again, since your cycles may be irregular during this time, you may not realize right away that you are pregnant. This might delay your initiation of all the things that you planned to do to take good care of yourself in early pregnancy, such as avoiding alcohol, caffeine, etc. Of course, it is best to start these health measures before conception, but not everyone does.
Also, while we are on the subject of preparing for pregnancy--remember to start folate supplementation as soon as you stop taking your birth control pills!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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