Managing Contraception Questions and Answers :: If I have taken any of the combined birth control pills for 3 or 4 years, can I still get pregnant? Do I have to wait a long time? #1010

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If I have taken any of the combined birth control pills for 3 or 4 years, can I still get pregnant? Do I have to wait a long time? #1010

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I was taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for a full month and then I got another card full, but I stopped taking the pills after about 5 days. I am trying to get pregnant now and I want to know how long it takes for the pills to be completely out of my system. I have had intercourse 3 times since then. What are the chances that I could be pregnant right now?

The pills you have taken prevented pregnancy through the final 5 pills.

Assume that you may become pregnant at any time now. It is impossible to estimate your likelihood of pregnancy from 3 unprotected acts of intercourse without knowing how long after those 5 final pills intercourse occurred.

FERTILITY AFTER CONTINUATION OF PILLS:

Immediate return of fertility; Average delay in ovulation 1-2 weeks. Post-pill amenorrhea more common in women with a past history of very irregular menses; rarely persists for up to 6 months.
Women not wanting to become pregnant, should initiate another method immediately after discontinuing COCs
Women should be advised that their pattern of menses prior to starting pills (frequency, duration, flow, dysmenorrhea) tends to return once they stop COCs
Taking pills for 5-10 years prior to trying to become pregnant may actually protect a woman from some of the causes of infertility such as endometriosis, endometrial cancer, uterine fibroids, androgenicity from polycystic ovaries, functional ovarian cysts, and ovarian cancer, complications of ectopic pregnancy and severe pelvic inflammatory disease.

See the following questions for more information:

Is it dangerous to take oral contraceptives for 7 years or more and could they prevent me from becoming pregnant when I want to become pregnant? # 262 Click here

Are my risks higher for getting pregnant with multiples if I try to conceive right away? Should I wait a few months before I try? I have been taking oral contraceptive pills for 6 months. #303 Click here

I have been taking the oral contraceptive, Desogen for 7 years now. I would like to become pregnant in 3 years, how long will I need to be off the pill before pregnancy can occur? Click here

Summary: Pregnancy may occur in the first cycle after stopping combined oral contraceptive pills.

Key Words: Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, pregnant, combined oral contraceptives

Posted 10-27-2005

Updated 1-5-2006

Robert A. Hatcher MD, MPH
Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA
---2006-01-6

The directors and owners of this website and any publications and information concerning health matters offered here advise a person with a particular problem to consult a primary-care clinician or a specialist in obstetrics, gynecology, or urology (depending on the problem or the contraceptive) as well as the product package insert and other references before diagnosing, managing, or treating the problem.

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