What to expect if you decide to stop using birth control

 

What to expect if you decide to stop using birth control

It's a major decision to stop using your regular birth control. You may be considering this for a variety of reasons, including the desire to have a child or the possibility of negative side effects (such as mood swings). However, while there is a lot of discussion about what to expect when starting birth control, there is less information about what to expect when stopping.

If you stop using your usual birth control, one of the most important things to consider is the risk of falling pregnant. If you want to avoid this, you should use a backup contraceptive method.

Stopping your normal birth control is a big decision. You can be thinking about it for a variety of reasons, including as the desire to have a child or the chance of negative side effects (such as mood swings). While there is a lot of talk about what to expect while starting birth control, there is less talk about what to expect when ending it.

One of the most crucial things to consider if you stop using your regular birth control is the possibility of becoming pregnant. You should utilise a backup contraceptive method if you wish to avoid this.

When women stop taking the pill and revert to their natural cycle, they may notice changes in their periods, skin, or mood. This is because most contraceptive techniques contain hormones that restrict the body's natural hormonal fluctuations, mainly oestrogen and progesterone. This has the potential to not only prevent conception, but also to reduce period discomfort and affect mood.

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The pill

The pill is the most used method of birth control among women in the United Kingdom. Both the combination pill (which contains both oestrogen and progestogen) and the progestogen-only pill (sometimes known as the "mini pill") fall into this category.

It's usually preferable to wait until the end of a packet before discontinuing use of the pill. This reduces the chances of getting pregnant from intercourse that occurred shortly before the pill was stopped. It's safe to have sex while taking a combination pill, but only if you start the following packet on the correct day and take tablets for at least the next seven days. That is why, in terms of pregnancy, stopping in the middle of a package is problematic.

When you stop, the most noticeable difference is the return of your regular menstrual cycle. Because the combination pill makes periods lighter, less painful, and more predictable, you may notice that when you stop taking it, your periods become heavier and more unpleasant. Your periods will resume their normal pattern (which for some may have been irregular). People who had mid-cycle pain (during ovulation) or premenstrual syndrome before taking the pill may have these symptoms again.

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If you were using the combination pill to treat acne or manage a condition (such as polycystic ovarian disease), you'll notice that after you stop taking it, the benefits vanish.

However, if you were taking the small pill, you may notice that your experience changes after you stop. The progestogen-only pill does not normally provide the same level of period regularity as the combined pill, and many women experience irregular bleeding (usually light but unexpected) while on it. As a result, once you stop taking the small pill, your period will most likely return to its normal cycle, which will be more regular and predictable.

Because progestogen causes a variety of negative effects for some women, including acne, mood swings, and reduced libido, quitting both the combination and mini tablet may help with all of them.

It's also worth noting that after discontinuing the pill, your periods and fertility return rapidly, and you could become pregnant within weeks or even days. If you wish to avoid this, start using a backup method as soon as you stop taking the pill.

Longer-acting birth control

Longer-acting hormonal contraceptive treatments, such as the implant, hormonal intrauterine device (IUS), and injection, have similar menstrual cycle effects to the pill. This might include making periods lighter but more erratic, or even eliminating periods altogether.

Your menstrual cycle will resume to its previous rhythm within weeks of having your implant or IUS removed. Within days or weeks, your fertility will return to normal.

However, you may not have a period for several months after stopping the injection, and the recovery of fertility may also be delayed. This is most likely due to the large dose of hormone in the injection and the effectiveness with which it inhibits the normal cycle. Within a year of quitting the injection, however, most women resume their periods, which are as regular and heavy (or light) as before.

There are no hormones in the copper intrauterine device (IUD). Although this approach is long-acting and highly efficient in preventing conception, some women report heavier and longer periods when using it. Fertility returns almost immediately after the IUD is removed, so women who don't want to get pregnant should take backup contraception. Because fertility returns so fast, it's also recommended that women with IUDs avoid having unprotected sex for a week before having it removed.

You may be concerned that contraception will have a long-term effect on your periods or fertility, but overwhelming data suggests that this is not the case. After quitting any kind of hormonal birth control (though the injection is the most prevalent), some women may notice a minor delay in the resumption of their periods. This is because the body's natural hormonal cycle can take many weeks to re-establish. Unless it continues for several months, this is not a cause for concern.

The decision to quit using birth control is a deeply personal one that is influenced by a variety of circumstances, including your desire to have a child, your relationship, and many more. All modern contraceptive treatments, with the exception of sterilisation, are designed to be totally reversible. While you may experience some side effects after stopping, these are usually due to the menstrual cycle's natural rhythms returning.

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