going off bc

[megs4413]

my best friend decided she no longer wanted to take bc (just got antsy for a baby i guess...she's a newlywed!) and her period still has not returned this month. She's about 10 days late now. she took a pregnancy test a few days ago and it came back negative, so we dont' think she's preggo. I've never been on bc so I dont know what to think. if she had insurance she would go to a gyno but alas...she is one of the many uninsured college students in the US! Have any of you ever gone off of bc after a long time on it (i think she said 7 years)? How long did it take for your cycles to normalize? when will af show for her? should she take another test? TIA!!!!

[Lovingliv]

Hi Meg,

I was on BC for ~8 years and when I went off I think it took 7 weeks to get my period. I was so frustrated that I vowed never to take the pill again. My OB did check my hormones just to make sure everything was all right.
It took approximately 6 months for my cycles to somewhat "regulate".
Just a thought....if she does not have insurance maybe she should stay on the pill....it is so expensive for prenatal care!
Hope everything goes ok...and how kind of you to be there for her!

[kijip]

She should test again. If she does not have insurance, she could go in and see someone at Planned Parenthood on a sliding scale. Most centers will do walk in pregnancy testing at certain hours and the cost is lower than the home tests IME. If she does get pregnant (now or later) they will also be able to point her towards free or low cost prenatal care and labor and delivery. If her objective is to get pregnant, she should start taking her prenatals now and researching low cost or free insurance for women and children in her state. ;)

[JElaineB]

I was on BC for 13 years or so before I went off and got my period a few days after I stopped (as I would any time I ended a pack or took the placebo pills). I had regular periods after that. Had she been getting her period monthly while on the pill? If so one reason I can think of for her not getting it right away (besides being pregnant) would be if is if she stopped taking her pills in the middle of the pack. If she did that it might take more time for her period to come back since she probably just had a period. Yes, I know it is technically just withdrawl bleeding, but if I skip a couple pills in the middle of the month (I did a couple times when I was on combo pills) then I tend only to get spotting if anything, not a full-blown period. Could it be that she did have a period but it was just very light? Lots of people have lighter periods on the pill, and if she had just come off it could have been light.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[lisams]

I took forever to get regular cycles, it's one of the reasons I'll never go back on them. It was probably like 50 days for my first period, and even longer (I think it was like 3 months) for the second one. It took one year to get my regular cycles back. I've read it's pretty normal to take a while, and even my dr. wasn't too concerned (except that we were TTC and it put a kink in our plans).

[megs4413]

no she's not trying to get pregnant! She is a stay at home housewife right now and I guess she had a momentarily lapse in judgment and went off her pill in the middle of the pack. They started using condoms (after a few days when she realized getting pg was not the best idea). So there is only a small chance she could be pg in the first place. She is just worried that when her period finally does resurface that it will be like a monster! She wants to be off bc for health reasons...she feels she's been on it long enough and would like to start transitioning her body to have children sometime soon (like a year from now when her DH is done with his internship and they're moved into his new position and all that). She wanted to go off bc and just off and did it without thinking a lot first (she's a bit impulsive if you hadn't guessed...which makes her a lot of fun!). Anyway, she definitely did not have a period yet. She took a HPT but it was a cheapo from the dollar store. Do you think that's not good enough? I don't know if I should be telling her to test again or not. SHe also is really scared about the impending AF...and i don't know what to tell her as I have never gone off bc....or been on for that matter! she isn't having any pg symptoms beside having to pee frequently...that could be almost anything......

any more ideas?

[kristenk]

I was on the bc pill for several years. Maybe about 7 or so. When DH and I decided we were ready to start TTC, I went off the pill and we used alternate protection for a couple of months. During the second month off the pill, we weren't super careful and now we have our wonderful little munchkin girl! :) Anyway, that month, my period was late, so I tested and it was negative. I waited 1.5-2 more weeks and tested again, and it showed up positive (I'm almost positive that I retested on cycle day 43). She should definitely test again and not count on regular cycles at first.

[o_mom]

Well, it took until I had surgery for mine to normalize. ;-)

Did she ever have normal periods before she went on the pill or did they put her on it to regulate her cycles? If the latter, then she may have underlying issues that will need treatment. FWIW, my RE would go up to 45 days before "inducing" a period, so I would give it another week.

Can she go to the university health service? I know I was required to either have private insurance or buy the school insurance as a condition of enrollment. Either way, the school health service should be able to help for a lower cost than a private MD.

[o_mom]

Since she went off in the middle of the pack, that may have made things a bit wonky. The Dollar Tree ones are actually pretty good (see www.peeonastick.com) So I would have her retest in a few days and then try and find low cost healthcare through school or PP.

[buddyleebaby]

When I went off the pill I got one period a week later than I expected it before getting pregnant with dd.

[megs4413]

she's no longer a student...she graduated this may but her DH is still in school (more advanced degree than hers). They live in the family housing apartments and they just have major medical insurance (required by the school). We went ahead and took the suggestion to go buy more tests and she got some digitals and will use FMU tomorrow morning. then if it's - she'll wait another week and then make an appt with a doc.

THanks for all the help ladies! i knew i could count on you all!

[Moneypenny]

When I went off BC it was 4 months before I got my period. I am sort of menstrually-challenged though. My OB said 3-4 months was normal, but if it took longer thanthat they would do some tests and give me something to induce it.

Susan
mama to my cutie pie, Avery
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]

[aliceinwonderland]

I was pregnant my first cycle after stopping the BC.