Before you stop using contraceptives to try to conceive, make sure you are ready to get pregnant. Make an appointment with your gynecologist, improve your lifestyle and start taking folic acid. When you want to stop the pill, finish the last pack, be patient and wait for the withdrawal bleeding. While there are few delays with the intrauterine device, subcutaneous contraceptive implant, patch, ring or other barrier methods, you have to stop your Depo-Provera injections long before becoming pregnant.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make sure you are ready
Step 1. Make an appointment with the gynecologist
Before stopping the use of contraceptives, schedule a doctor's visit. If you regularly undergo routine examinations (such as pap smears and breast screening), usually the visit does not include a gynecological examination. Your doctor will take information about your habits, your clinical and gynecological history, and may provide you with important advice on conception.
Step 2. Start adopting healthy habits
Once you have decided to stick with it, start correcting your habits to prepare for pregnancy. If you are a smoker, try to quit before trying to conceive. Start practicing regular low-intensity physical activity (such as jogging) and avoid exercises that carry a high risk of falling or injury (such as mountain biking).
Reduce your consumption of caffeinated beverages to 2 servings per day and start eating a more balanced diet
Step 3. Start taking folic acid supplements
Start taking them as soon as you decide to have a baby. Folic acid reduces the risk of miscarriage and birth defects, but it needs to be taken 1-2 months before conception for it to be effective. Go to the pharmacy and buy it in tablets of 400 or 800 micrograms, to be taken once a day.
For best results, start therapy one month before stopping contraceptive use
Step 4. Don't make programs that are too long
Whether it's to stop taking the pill or remove an intrauterine device, consider that you could get pregnant right away as soon as you give up the use of contraceptive measures. Even though after their termination it may take months to conceive, it is also possible that the pregnancy is too far away. If you want to allow yourself a period of adjustment before conception (for example, to organize yourself financially), don't stop birth control right away until you are absolutely ready.
Method 2 of 3: Stop Taking the Pill
Step 1. Finish the last pack
Depending on the contraceptive pill, stopping mid-month can cause bleeding. Complete the pack and wait for your regular menstrual cycle to resume, which will also make it easier to calculate ovulation. Later on, you will also need to evaluate when you should have a baby in the yard.
Step 2. Predict vaginal bleeding
When you stop taking the pill, expect "withdrawal bleeding". It is similar to mild bleeding or spotting that happens when you forget to take the pill during the month or when you take the placebo pills from the pack. If you were taking it regularly to stop ovulation, expect menstrual-like bleeding once you stop. It is normal to have an irregular cycle between the interruption and conception, but it should not cause concern.
Step 3. Be patient
Every woman reacts differently to stopping the contraceptive pill, so it is normal for the time of conception after stopping to vary between individuals. Generally speaking, it takes several months before you stay on, although sometimes it can happen right away. If you are still not pregnant after 6 months, consult your gynecologist.
Method 3 of 3: Withhold Other Contraceptive Methods
Step 1. Remove the intrauterine device
Once you are ready to have a baby, make an appointment with your gynecologist so you can take the device off. You will be able to conceive in the same month you removed it. The procedure only takes a few minutes, but you can prepare yourself to manage pain or cramps by taking ibuprofen beforehand.
Step 2. Finish the contraceptive injections
If you want to stop Depo-Provera injections to get pregnant, decide well in advance. Therapy lasts 8-13 weeks, but it is likely to take a year for ovulation and reproductive capacity to normalize after the effect wears off. Typically, it takes 9-10 months after your last Depo-Provera injection to get pregnant.
Step 3. Remove the patch or ring
The contraceptive patches and rings that release estrogen and progestin are combined hormonal methods that, like the pill, prevent pregnancy. Be prepared to get pregnant before you stop using them as you may conceive immediately. There is no definitive evidence on the time it takes to conceive after stopping the pill, but experts believe the wait may be the same or shorter than after stopping the pill.
Step 4. Remove the implant
Contraceptive implants are hormonal methods of birth control that only release progestin. When you feel ready to conceive, contact your gynecologist to remove the subcutaneous plastic stick. Once removed, you could get pregnant right away.
Step 5. Avoid barrier methods
If you have chosen a barrier method of contraception to prevent pregnancy, it should be easy enough to have a baby in the pipeline. Once use is discontinued, you may become pregnant as soon as you have sex. These methods include:
- Condoms;
- Diaphragm;
- Cervical cap;
- Spermicide in the form of a foam, sponge, cream, gel, suppository or vaginal film.
