Experiences after going off the pill

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pinkballerina

Registered User
This is the first time I've ever posted anything on this site, although I've been a regular visitor and have enjoyed reading about other people's experiences with TTC. Thanks everyone for sharing!

I was wondering if anyone had any info/advice about their experiences after going off the pill.

I am currently TTC after going off the pill at the end of July (2008). Ever since, I've felt like I've been on a rollercoaster of moods and emotions and sometimes I feel like I'm going a bit insane.

So far my cycles seem to be normal and according to various tests (saliva, OPK and temp) I seem to be ovulating each month. One thing I have noticed though, is that I get quite a bit of pain and tenderness in my abdomen around the time of ovulation. It seems to last around 5 days, starting with very minor twinges and culminating with sharper more uncomfortable pains on the same days that OPK's show a positive result. Is this normal? This is my third cycle since going off the pill and I've had the same pains each cycle, although this month seems to be worse than normal. I don't have pain at any other times and my periods are not overly painful either.

Other things I've noticed since going off the pill (and am struggling with) are bad skin outbreaks and my hair is very oily. I used to only have to wash it every second day but now I have to wash it every day. I went and saw my GP who said that these symptoms were normal and nothing to worry about. Have others had similar experiences since going off the pill?


I forgot to ask my GP about the ovulation pain but would be interested to hear if anyone else has experienced this.

I look forward to hearing any feedback on this. Thanks for listening and good luck to everyone with their conception journeys.
:thanks
 
I think you need to consider how long you were on the pill for. I was put on the pill at 16 by my GP because I had a lot of acne and also painful periods - they gave me one that is designed to tackle these problems. I was on it for over 10 years before I stopped taking it, and I stopped not to try to have a baby but because i thought my body could benefit from a break.

After 10 years of having your hormones regulated by a tablet it would seem normal for it to take a few months for everything to settle back to normal - and yes, my skin used to break out, my pains came back, mood swings were terrible, but i did find that after a while my body setted down as it started to regulate itself, and also I knew what to expect each month. The pains never went away though :o(
 
I agree with Paddles, it does depend on how long you were using the pill for--and which form of it you were taking and at what dosage. I only used the pill for a brief time and it wreaked havoc on my entire system--that is why I quite using it.

Having pain at the time of ovulation is actually a common phenomenon. In the first part of the cycle estrogen levels gradually build up until they peak, right around the time of ovulation--this causes ovulation and then thereafter progesterone builds until the end of the cycle in case you happened to get pregnant, preparing the womb to receive the fertilized egg (progesterone, think pro gestation). Hormone fluxes are what control a lot of things in the cycle--including other symptoms such as the one you're experiencing.

It makes a lot of sense that you have this pain about 5 days prior to ovulation as this is the outside range when women can actually conceive (as sperm can survive in the body with the right mucous conditions for up to 5 days)--and it also makes sense that it peaks on the day that you ovulate. Do you notice the pain is localized to either side of your abdomen? Many women notice localized pain which can signify which ovary is releasing the egg that month.

I can tell I'm ovulating because I have localized pain on either the right or left side of my abdomen. I wouldn't worry too much about this unless the pain is incapacitating. For me, a warm heat pack on my tummy and having my husband give me a tummy rub (he he he) does wonders to relieve my pain--anything beyond that ibuprofin can handle.

As Paddles said, a lot of your symptoms might be due to the fact that your body is still flushing out the chemicals that it had become accustomed to. But the bright side is that since you're having this pain that signifies ovulation, you know exactly when to specifically try to conceive.
 
Thank you so much Paddles and MLBW for your advice. I really appreciate it and am very relieved that my experiences are relatively normal. I had been on the pill for around 10-12 years, with only a very short break a few years ago, so it has been quite a long time.

I have woken up today and have no abdominal pain, so it was obviously directly related to ovulation. I'm now trying to work out when I would have ovulated. I am not very good at taking my temperature at the same time every day so have been relying on OPK's, a ClearBlue fertility monitor and a saliva test. I had a positive OPK yesterday and the day before and the fertility monitor also showed peak fertility on both days, does that mean I would have ovulated yesterday?

I'm still trying to learn the ropes regarding my cycle, so all this is very new to me. I am relieved that my body is showing all the right signs though. So far, so good!

Thanks so much again for your help :-) Have a great day!
 
Hi pinkballerina
I was on the pill for about 9 years before coming off it last year. I was going through the same things but a mixture of acupuncture and a treatment called IMT (www.balancehealth.com.hk) really helped rgeulate my cycle and I got pregnant within 6 months!
Good luck!
Balveen
 
hi hi pink balleria

hi hi.. i got off the pill also around 5 months ago.. and i have experiences severe ache problems and skin problems! i used to take diane 35 for around 4 years now to regulate my periods and to stop ache! but since i have been off it as i plan to have a baby next year, i have gotten the ache problem again! and its getting worst by day! i tried to stay off fatty n fried foods! doc said i have hormones imbalance - too much males hormonesor something! while chinese doc said iam too stressed and just need to rest more etc!

but now iam taking chinese tablets! hope it helps v soon!:mad:
 
Hi Babymoo,

Thanks for your response. It's reassuring to hear that others are experiencing similar problems after going off the pill.

Did your Doctor say that the hormonal imbalance will settle down by itself? Do you only get the pain around the middle of your cycle or all the time?

I only get the pains around the time I ovulate. I am still having problems with my skin and oily hair, etc though. It's driving me insane?

Good luck with your chinese tablets. I hope they do the trick. Keep me posted on how they go. I may need to try them myself!

:-)
 
Hi Balvo,

Thanks very much for your response also. I have bookmarked that website in case I want to try IMT down the track. It sounds like a really effective treatment. Will see how my next couple of cycles go first and go from there.

:-)
 
hihi

hi again
tks for yr reply! so quickly! i only started the chinese tablets around 5 days now. doc told me to try it for 3-6 months!! but my english doc - told me to try anti biotics but that would take a long time to work! and in the past before i took the pill i tried anti biotics - didnt really work! so i might as well try chinese medience!

i dont actually get much pain.. only the usual period pain on 1-2 days of period!

good luck:yeah2
 
Hi Babymoo,

Thanks for all your feedback. I hope you have success with the chinese medicine. I agree that it's definitely worth a try and much more natural than antibiotics. I am actually thinking of maybe trying accupuncture myself.

I'm the same as you though, I don't get much pain other than minor pain on the first day of my period so I guess that's why the mid cycle pain was so unusual for me.

Anyway, good luck with everything!! Keep me posted on how it's all going :-)
 
Hi there,

I was on the pill on and off for about 14 years before stopping it to try for a baby. I also experienced mid-cycle pain, sometimes to the point where I thought I had appendicitis! It took a long time for my cycle to settle but I felt much better after about 6 months and was pregnant about a year after stopping. Before I fell pregnant I read a book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility," by Toni Weschler (http://www.tcoyf.com/) and I found it really helpful.

Good luck with it all.


http://typhoonsandtantrums.blogspot.com
 
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