Questions About OB Recommendations for Getting Pregnant

Updated on June 15, 2007
S.K. asks from Saint Peters, MO
17 answers

I am almost 26 years old and my husband and I have decided that it is about time to start a family. I went to my OB last week and talked with her about getting pregnant and what I needed to do. She suggested the obvious, Pre-natal vitamins and waiting until the end of my cycle to complete my current birth control (Nuvo Ring). I have endometreosis and she wants me to wait at least 3 months after getting off birth control before we actually start trying to conceive. I don't understand why that would be. Will it harm me to get pregnant before the 3 months is up? I always thought that with birth control once you were off it, it would leave your system pretty quickly. That's why when you miss a pill you need to be careful for the next week because you might get pregnant. Does anyone understand why I need to wait the three months and if I was to get pregnant would it cause serious problems? I'm not sure if this was a common request doctors make or if it is simply because of my endometreosis. Any help would be great.
Thanks - S.

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M.C.

answers from Springfield on

I just had my third child 10 weeks ago and my ob is dr. Rettig. She is located at soga. She is very amazing.. I had a male for my first to childeren. I would recommend her to anyone. I like her because she knows what it feels like to have childeren. She is very sympathetic to your needs as a female. Highly highly highly recommended. You even become very close with her nurses as well. Any other questions please ask.. M.

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B.S.

answers from Columbia on

I don't know anything about Nuvo Ring, but I was on the pill when I got pregnant the first two times, and that did not cause any problems. As a matter of fact my doctor put me on the mini-pill to help my period regulate when I wanted to have my daughter. He was great. You need to make sure that you are comfortable with your OB, and I am concerned with the fact that you did not speak with her about all of this. If this is because you did not feel comfortable, find a new OB.

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C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

I'm not sure how to help, or who your OB is. If you want a 2nd opinion, try Tina Gingrich, she's in Maryville, IL at the Maryville Women's center. SHE'S FANTASTIC!!!! She's just wonderful, I cannot say enough. I know of 2 women who were told by their previous OB/GYN that they had very slight chances of carrying babies to term...if they got pregnant at all and she's work miracles with both, as both women were able to have healthy pregnancies and babies. If there is any woman out there who needs extra special attention from an OB's services, Tina Gingrich is the one to see!

GOOD LUCK!

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A.M.

answers from Peoria on

S.,
I am not sure I know what your doctor is talking about because I too have endometriosis and was not told anything like that. I was told to wait a couple of months for some other medication but not BC. I would call back and talk to a nurse if you are really wondering why they are advising you to wait.
Keep your hopes up because after being told since I was 19 that it would be hard for me to have children I got pregnant on our third month. I did have a rough pregnancy though so make sure that you take it easy and listen to your body. Don’t hesitate to ask questions for call the doctor if you have any questions or don’t feel like something is right.
I would be more than happy to talk with you if you have more personal questions or worries. My email address is ____@____.com Luck!
A.

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R.K.

answers from Detroit on

I'm not a doctor, but my understanding of birth control is that it feeds you fat soluable hormones in order to stop ovulation, while this can leave your system quickly, the longer you are on birth control, the more build up of hormones you get in your body. So, a lot of times it can take awhile after coming off the pill for your body to be on a "normal" cycle again. I'm not sure what would happen if you got pregnant before that 3 month waiting period was up (i'm not sure there's a magic number for waiting)...I would ask your doctor what her concerns were to better understand her thought process.

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D.M.

answers from St. Louis on

I don't know anything about the Nuvo Ring. I know that when I was on my "Depo" shots, it took about 6 months for me to get my period back again. The second time I was on it, I didn't get my period back at all. It had stopped my menstration cycle completely and I actually had to get on birth control pills to start it back up again.

Perhaps your doctor just wants to make sure that your cycles will come back and are functioning properly before you try to get pregnant?

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C.L.

answers from St. Louis on

S., Good for you for checking w/ your OB first!!! I also use(d) the Nuva Ring. LUV IT!!!!! But one thing I know from personal experience is that when I was on the pill & even more so when I am using the Nuva Ring, is that my periods are lighter. My Dr explained this to me as the higher hormone levels from the pill/NR also affecting the build-up in the lining of my uterus as well. This could be what your Dr is referring too. Usually 3 mths is enough time for our bodies to purge those extra hormones and our uterus to prepare a "drug free" lining for our babies. But certainly, I would talk more to your OB about it some more if you have additional questions. Just FYI, when we saw our fertility specialist (I never had issues getting pg, it was staying pg that was my issue), I was told the same thing...2-3 mth wait after ceasing bc. good luck!

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J.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I think that this request has more to do with your endometriosis than with the harm or the birth control. I would try to get more information from your OB.

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N.T.

answers from St. Louis on

I dont know if the Nuva Ring is too different from the Depo shot. But I decided to get off of the shot that I had been using for 3+ years. about I was due to have it again in February and I didn't go. Just this month I have had to be put on Phenergan and other pills because I had pregnancy symptoms, but I was not pregnant. I was feeling so sick and nauseous, dizzy, and carsick. It was going on for the entire month off and on. My doctor said it was because the extra hormones that the Depo gave me was slowly leaving my system. My body was so used to getting those extra hormones, and now my body thought I was actually pregnant. Yes, you can get pregnant after you get off your birth control, but there are risks to that seeing that your body already thinks you are pregnant. If you were to get pregnant, your body would get confused and things can happen.

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A.L.

answers from St. Louis on

S.,
You want it totally out of your system and don't want any chances for anything to harm your baby or cause miscarriage.. Don't be afraid. I was too. but my girls are 17-14. I still alive. and so are they!!! HA! HA! Best wishes to you and your husband.

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E.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Your OBGYN probably wants you to be off of your birth control for 3 months so that you have a regular period. It helps to determine a lot of things in pregnancy- such as when you conceived and if there are any issues before you conceive that may affect your pregnancy. This is common. It wouldn't cause any problems for you to get pregnant right away, but things are easier to determine if you do wait to have an established schedule. Sometimes doctors also say to wait that long because people get rid of the hormones in birth control at different intervals. If you are a person who takes longer to get rid of them, you may get worried or something if you don't get pregnant quickly. It can help to alleviate worry if you aren't "trying" until you're body has had time to get rid of it. Good luck!

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P.F.

answers from St. Louis on

I'm not a doctor nor do i work in the health field i am 54 and have a little of lifes mysteries under my belt. i do know that if you don't wait you have a better chance of miscarriage and i'm sure you would rather not go through that...so take the docs advice and wait the 3 months its a lot better than the alternative.

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J.H.

answers from St. Louis on

Good for you for checking in with your Doctor first. I can speak from my own experience only. For my first pregnacny, my Ob suggested that I wait two full cycles after I stopped birth control pills to start trying to conceive. The reasons she gave me were because this way the pills are completely out of my system, and my cycle is on track. Your cycle being on track plays many roles in conceiving apparently, for one thing, you'll be able to better track when you ovulate and you'll know how long your periods last, which are two important things to know when determining your date of conception after you are pregnant and your target due date. These are important thinsg to know when determining if a fetuses growth is on track, etc.
Since my first pregnancy (my son was born with a cleft lip which is apparently genetic in our family) they have suggested that I be off the pill for at least three cycles this time and on hearty daily doses of folic acid in addition to my regular prenatal vitamins. While these things won't "cure" or "prevent" a cleft from happening again, these steps may help ease the severity of a cleft if it happens again, which from what I've heard are about the same type of therapy used in the prevention of spinal bifida, and other "closure" type deformaties.
So, your Doctors advice is best to follow. YOu have taken the time to wait for a time to conceive your child that is right for you and your husband, you have taken the time to make a special visit or have a special conversation with your doctor about it, why not take the time to help insure your baby has the best first start he or she can by waiting the extra amount of time suggested by your doctor? Your baby will be doing so much growing and developing before you even know that you are pregnant, why not give her the best possible circumstance that you can? Research shows that cleft lips are formed in the first 4-8 weeks of pregnancy, that means it could happen before the first missed period. I'm using a cleft as an example only since its what I know. But your baby goes through so much in its first 12 weeks after conception, I urge you to do what is best for your baby. I know you are excited at the prospect of getting pregnant, but starting right now, and lasting ALL of your life :o))))) be a good parent to your child.
My sister smokes during her pregnancies and usually always forgets to take her prenatals, and she says, "look, my three kids turned out fine" but you know, maybe she could helped them be that much healthier or "better" if she would have sacrificed a little on her part and given a little more thought to what was happening inside her womb.
You just never know. Anyway, hope this helps sway your opinion towards waiting. My husband and I are going to start trying for number two at the end of sunmmer, and I've been off birth control and on prenatals and extra folic acid since February, I really want to be at my peak and have a nice healthy environment for our new little "bean" that will be calling my body home for 9 months! Good luck, no matter when you start trying! Its an adventure, to be certain!

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C.K.

answers from St. Louis on

Well, I think 3 months is just kind of standard to make sure all remnance is out of your system. But I had a DNC, while on birth control. Didn't stop bleeding, stopped birth control on say Friday, started hormone pills to stop the bleeding on Saturday, got pregnant within 7 days and my doc didn't have any concerns at all. Maybe check with another doc for a second opinion. I don't know much about the novaring. so there maybe a reason there. Good luck and happy family making.
C.

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J.D.

answers from St. Louis on

I also had endometriosis....I now have 4 children. I had no problems getting pregnant. So, I hope that will encourage you. My doctor didn't tell me that I had to wait to get pregnant for 3 mnths after going off the pill. It definitely will not hurt you. He did say that some Dr. will say to wait a couple of months ONLY to get your cycle a chance to regulate and also figure out how many days your cycle is to help in calculating ovulation.

Bottom line....When you are ready, I would give it a try! Good luck to you!!

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T.H.

answers from Bloomington on

When you are Birth control and are getting off it. You need to get it out of your body.. YOU do need to wait.. IF you get PG too early.. You could loose the baby.. And that is what your dr is trying to prevent... How bad would you feel if you got pg in a month and then you lost the baby soon after....

You need to start the pre nat vitamines to help your body get ready to think about having a baby.. I was on depo provera.. It took me 6 months to get it out of my body... we had to use provention for 6 months!!!!!!!! ya... and That whole time I was taking the vitamines...

well it took 14 months.. and I got my baby!!!!

all birth control stays in the fat in your body.. it needs to LEAVE your body and you need to get it out or you will have a miss carrage..

Dr does know best!!!

Any dr will tell you the same!!!!

I have a friend who was like that is Bull... but when she got off her Birth control and got PG right way and lost it.. she learned she was right

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C.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I have always heard to wait a few months to get the drug out of your system. As for the endo, it may or may not be a problem for you. I had 2 friends that had it and used a fertility dr. to have a child. We all used the same dr. Anthony Pearlstone. I must say I am a firm believer in him, especially since I was 41 when he helped us to have our beautiful daughter after MANY years of trying. Good Luck. If you need more help let me know

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