Getting Pregnant After the Pill – How Long Does It Take?

If you have been taking birth control pills and now want to have a baby then you are probably wondering how long after taking the pill will you get pregnant? While the pill itself will not affect your fertility, you might expect that getting pregnant will take a little longer after stopping it.


Usually nearly 90% of all women will become pregnant within a year of stopping the pill. That’s about on par with most other couples looking to conceive who have used other forms of birth control.

Of course, it might happen at any time. You could get pregnant the first month after quitting your birth control or find that it takes closer to six months. It really depends on your body and your how soon your monthly cycle returns to normal.

Usually though it takes a few months for your cycle to return to normal and you start ovulating regularly. You can start tracking or charting your cycle so that you know when exactly in your cycle that you ovulate so you can pinpoint the best times to have intercourse.

The Pill stops ovulation so that’s why you need to be sure that you are ovulating again to be able to fall pregnant.

What if your period doesn’t return to normal after stopping the pill?
Like I’ve mentioned, for a few women it does take a while for their cycles to return to normal, but what happens if your period hasn’t come back after two or three months? While it’s actually quite common for this to happen, you should rule out if you are already pregnant by taking a pregnancy test. If that’s not the case then it’s worth seeing your doctor to see if they can restore your hormonal balance so that you become fertile again.

If you are considering having a baby then you should immediately start taking a good folic acid supplement, quit smoking and eat as healthily as you can to ensure you are in tip top shape to ensure that you have a healthy baby.

What are the Chances of Getting Pregnant on Birth Control?

Women have been taking the pill as birth control since the 60′s to help prevent unplanned pregnancies, and while birth control pills are effective at preventing pregnancy in 99% of all cases, there have been rare occurrences where some women have gotten pregnant.


Forget a day or two?

Usually it’s because the she has forgotten to take the pills on one or more days, or even taken it much later in the day that usual.  This can be easy to do especially with today’s busy lifestyles.  To be effective birth control needs to be taken at the same time every day.  Miss a day and you are at a higher risk of conceiving if you are sexually active.

Don’t mix brands

You also shouldn’t mix different birth controls as many of them have different formulations.  That means if you are away you can’t take one of your friends unless she has the exact same brand and prescription as you.

Be aware of other medications you are taking

Another factor that could cause the pill to be less effective is if you are on certain medications like antibiotics, anti-fungal and anti-seizure medications.  Even some herbs and vitamins can interfere with its contraceptive strength.

Check your health

If you are sick, especially if you have severe diarrhea you also might want to use other forms of birth control for a week or two to lower your chances of getting pregnant.

If you suspect that you might be pregnant while taking birth control pills it’s important to see your doctor straight away to find out.  They can take a blood test to find out if you have conceived, or  you can even take an at home pregnancy test yourself if you prefer.

It’s still unlikely that you are pregnant, especially if you have been taking your contraception regularly and on time, but it’s still worth finding out for sure.

However if you want to get pregnant and are wondering when to stop taking the pill then you find more answers at that link.

Getting Pregnant on your Period – Is It Really Possible?

If you have been wondering (or worrying) over your chances of getting pregnant on your period then you’ll probably be relieved to know that it’s probably unlikely to happen.  The reason is that ovulation usually occurs around fourteen days after the start of your period (give or take a few days) and it’s only at that time where it’s possible to get pregnant.


Ovulation is when your body releases an egg ready to be fertilized by the sperm.  If there is no egg, there is no chance of conceiving a baby.  Your period, or menstruation, is when the body shed’s the uterine lining that has been built up in case you do conceive.  If you have your period it means that you are not pregnant.

Of course having said that, there  have been rare cases when a women has actually gotten pregnant while on her period – but remember these cases are very rare and the probability of it happening to you is quite low.
The only way it would be a possibility is if you either ovulate extremely early in your cycle, or that you have a period that lasts close to fourteen days instead of the usually 5 or 6.

Let’s have a look at these possibilities in further detail.

Short Menstrual Cycle
If you have irregular or very short cycles (21 days or less) then it’s possible that you may ovulate as early as day 7.  That means that if you have sex either on, or just as your period finishes then theoretically you might get pregnant.

Super Sperm
Most sperm can live for up to 3 or 4 days inside the female body after intercourse.  However some women are highly fertile and produce conditions inside their body that allows the sperm to live for a few extra days.

You can tell if you are fertile as you will produce lots of egg white cervical mucus (ewcm) during those days.  Therefore having sex right after your period, it might be possible for the sperm to live long enough to be ready to fertilize the egg when it is released.

Getting Pregnant with PCOS – Yes You Can!

If you have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) then you’ll know that getting pregnant can prove more challenging than for women without it. It can affect your fertility by a number of ways including over mature eggs (due to extended cycles), miscarriages, hormone imbalances and sometimes blockages.


But don’t dispair because the good news is that most women with PCOS can and will get pregnant and go on to have happy healthy babies. This article will go over some of the treatment methods that you can try to improve your fertility and chances of having a baby.

The main criteria as to whether you’ll be able to get pregnant or not is whether you ovulate. It doesn’t matter if you ovulate irregularly, late or even skip months. As long as your body is releasing an egg it’s possible to conceive.

Your first step is to start living as healthy a lifestyle as possible. I know that you were probably expecting me to recommend a pill of some kind, but getting yourself in shape will help improve your hormone balance significantly and shouldn’t be overlooked as a starting point. That includes a good diet, exercise and stress relief regime.

If you are overweight then losing weight into a health weight range can improve your hormone balance as well. Many women with PCOS are usually over the recommended weight and by losing a few pounds this can sometimes correct your fertility.

Vitex (Angus Castus) is a great herb to help improve your chances of falling pregnant because it works by balancing the oestrogen and progesterone in the body. It does take a while for the herbs to do their magic but many women with PCOS (and other fertility issues) claim great success by taking Vitex.

Charting your cycles for a few months will let you know if you are deficient in either oestrogen (you will ovulate early with short cycles) or progesterone (short luteal phase and/or frequent miscarriages). If the latter is the case (which is more common) then taking a progesterone suppository or cream (available from your doctor) can be enough to conceive and deliver a healthy child.

And of course there are always fertility drugs like Clomid to help you get pregnant. In fact Clomid is said to work within 6 months of taking it for around 70% of women with PCOS. It’s usually the first step in treating fertility problems and works for many women (including me).

Overall don’t give up. Getting pregnant with PCOS is not only possible for most women it’s also likely so if one method doesn’t work for you keep trying until you do. Good luck and baby dust.

When is the Best Time to Get Pregnant?

Is there a perfect time for getting pregnant? This post will go over the best time to get pregnant in your reproductive cycle so that you can time things to give you the best chance.


Obviously the best time is going to be when you ovulate (when your body releases an egg). So you need to have a good knowledge of when that might occur in your cycle.

For most people, ovulation occurs around 14 days before the start of your next period. So if you have a typical 28 day cycle, then you would likely ovulate on day fourteen. If you have a 30 day cycle then you would probably ovulate on day 16, and so on.

However not everyone has perfect cycles. While I do have a 28 day cycle, I typically ovulate on day 16 or 17. Therefore it’s wise to track your basal body temperature (BBT) over a few cycles so you get to know when this will occur for you. You will notice that your temperature is always slightly higher in the second half of your cycle than in the first half. Getting a special BBT will be able to detect even the smallest changes in temperature.
You can also monitor your cervical mucus as the closer you get to ovulation, you will notice that it changes from dry to wet and slippery. The most fertile cervical mucus is called egg white cervical mucus (ewcm) and usually indicates the best time to get pregnant.

It’s also helpful to get a fertility book such as Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility which is considered one of the best fertility books on the market.

If you don’t want to spend time looking at your cervical mucus everyday or taking your temperature, you can always get some ovulation predictor kit’s which detect changes in the hormones in your body. Very similar to a pregnancy test, you pee on a stick on the days prior to when you think you’ll ovulate. When the test turns positive it usually means that you will ovulate in the next 24-48 hours after that.

The better knowledge you have about your body and your menstrual cycle then you’ll know what is the best time to get pregnant for you.

How To Get Pregnant with Twins

If you are in a hurry to have a big family and you’ve always dreamed of having twins or if you are running out of time to start a family then you probably would like to know how to get pregnant with twins.

Trying for twins can be a lot of fun, but of course even if you try all of the tips on this page there is still only a slight increased chance that you’ll have two babies.  Even couples who have the twin gene somewhere in their family (or are a twin themselves) still have no guarantees that they’ll get them.

But if you would like to give it a go then here are some tips that will help you to improve your chances of getting pregnant with twins.

Eat Yams
In Nigeria there is a tribe where their diet consists mostly of yams.  They also have the highest incidence of twins than anywhere else in the world.  The theory is that yams contain a potent chemical which increases fertility (yams are also recommended for women who are struggling to conceive).

Wait until you are Older
As the mother get’s older there is a higher likelihood that she’ll release more than one egg at a time resulting in twins.  The statistics say that a women in her late 30’s has nearly double the chance of having twins than someone in her early twenties.

Use Fertility Drugs
It is well known that certain fertility drugs that stimulate ovulation such as Clomid increases your chances of twins or multiples.  This is because it can cause the ovaries to release multiple eggs at once.  However Clomid is only prescribed to women who are having trouble conceiving so you won’t be able to get any from your doctor if you have perfect fertility.

Go Dairy Free
While not recommended for your long term health, women who are depleted in calcium have a higher incidence of twins than those with great diets.  The reason is thought to be that the lack of calcium causes a fertilised egg to split more easily than in a women who is healthy.  If you do find out that you are pregnant though make sure you increase your calcium levels again as it is needed by your baby.

So there you go.  Slightly controversial, but still interesting tips none the less.  And remember that knowing how to get pregnant with twins, and actually falling pregnant with them is still no guarantee.

Tips on Getting Pregnant

Before I fell pregnant with my second child (after a two year struggle), many of my highly fertile and well meaning friends would offer me tips on getting pregnant. The one I heard most often was ‘Just Relax, It’ll Happen’. Don’t you just want to smack people in the head when they tell you that? I know I did.


But over the years I did pick up quite a few good tips that have helped women like you and me to increase their fertility and improve their odds of conceiving.

In this blog post I’ll go over some of the easy and simple things that you can do right now to improve your chances of getting pregnant faster.

See Your Doctor

If you haven’t gotten pregnant naturally within six months of trying then this really should be your next step when you are trying to conceive because you want to be sure that you have no reasons why you couldn’t fall pregnant such as blocked tubes, a hormone imbalance, or a condition such as PCOS or Endometriosis.

And that goes for your partner as well. In fact it’s much easier for your guy to get his sperm checked that it is for you to undergo blood tests for your hormones and a laparoscopy to check your internal reproductive system.

Get Healthy

That means exercising and eating a good healthy balanced diet. To ensure optimum fertility you need to be healthy both inside and out. If you are overweight (even by a small amount) in can significantly impair your chances of conceiving.

You also want to ensure that you are getting all your essential vitamins and minerals so that your hormones will be running efficiently. If they get even slightly out of whack it can harm your chances of having a baby.
Also certain unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking and high amounts of caffeine have been proven to reduce your odds dramatically of conceiving.

Take supplements

There are many good supplements on the market that can improve your fertility.

Folic Acid (Folate) – Not only is this vital for all women trying to conceive to help reduce the risk of birth defects including spina bifida, in can also helps your reproductive system stay healthy.

Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) – Increase the amount of fertile cervical mucus you produce which the sperm need to swim through to reach the egg

Vitamin B6 – Well known for balancing your hormones and improving fertility for many women.

Vitex (Angus Castus) – Also know for balancing hormones and improving fertility.