Irregular cycles becoming regular?

My cycles were never particularly regular as a teenager, but I've been on the pill for 10 years (on the pill I am regular down to the hour I get AF). Should I expect that my cycles will be irregular again when I go off the pill, or is it possible for being on the pill so long to have changed things? If I was to start having regular cycles would it happen right away, or would it take a few cycles after stopping the pill?

I'm expecting to go back to being irregular, but holding out hope! If you have irregular cycles, does that mean you never know if/when you ovulate?

Message edited 7/3/2010 10:10:31 PM.

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

I'm sorry you're going through this annoyingness. I'm right there with you. I had irregular cycles as a teenager (like 50-80 days apart) and then went on the Pill for 11 years. Got my period every 28 days on the Pill, then stopped taking it this February. I've only had 2 cycles since then - 49 days and 74 days.

The Pill has no lasting effects on your hormones. As soon as you take the last Pill, it's out of your system. It can affect some other things so people who were regular BEFORE the Pill can be irregular for a few cycles afterwards. But the Pill doesn't correct underlying ovarian problems so if you were irregular before you will be irregular after. It's not physically possible to be on the Pill so for long that it changed things.

One possibility though - a lot of girls are irregular during their early teenage years and then regulate out after a few years. So if you went on the Pill pretty young, maybe you just weren't regular yet.

The only way to know if / when you're ovulating is by temping. Ovulation predictors work for most people, but not for me because my hormones are all wacky (causing the irregular periods) so I'll get a "positive" and then not actually ovulate afterwards. Temping is the only way to see if you've actually ovulated. There are tons of threads on here (and pages on the Internet) to tell you how to do it.

Good luck!

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

Before I got off the pill, I went to the OBGYN and asked her the same question and she told me that if I was irregular before I was on the pill, then I should expect it to go back to being irregular. On the pill I was like clockwork.....but off the pill- thats another story

The 1st month off the pill I was right on...so I thought- HEY not bad!!! As the months started to go by, it would take longer and longer for AF to get here. So, my OBGYN was right I started taking OPKs and I was getting a from days 21-23 but then as the months went on, it started getting even later!!! I started getting a on days 26-30!!!! Along with a LP of 12... I was ending up with cycles that would last 42 days!!!! After this, I decided to go to an RE....which has helped shorten my cycle by A LOT!

So in my case, my cycles never regulated...but there are many girls on here who have regulated after coming off of BC.

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

I was irregular (40-70 day cycles) for most of my teen yrs,and up until I went on the pill at 18. I was on the pill for almost 15 yrs, and purposely took it, so that I only got AF when I 'wanted' it (maybe 3-4x a year), kind of like the seasonale pill. But AF was regular when I chose to get it. I too was very concerned about being irregular coming off the pill after so very long.

I went off in April, and had a long cycle, like 45 days. But in May, I seemed to have a regular cycle, O'd on CD 16 and I got a BFP after only 2 mos after being off the pill. Good luck to you!!!!

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

thank you for your responses. I did go on the pill pretty young (18) and was a late bloomer as well, so its possible I didnt regulate "yet" but I will prepare myself for being irregular again when I go off the pill.

We are planning to give ourselves a few months of seeing what happens with my cycles before TTC but if it turns out that I am irregular again can I go to a RE at that point or do we need to be TTC for a set number of months? How do people with irregular cycles TTC anyway? just BD a lot and hope for the best? Is there a way to check whether you are Oing v. just getting AF? We are not TTC yet but plan to start in 2011 and I want to know what we are likely in for and prep as best as possible...

Message edited 7/3/2010 10:17:43 PM.

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

I don't think everyone is the same, but I can tell you my experience...

I went on the pill at 18 because I had only gotten my period maybe 4 or 5 times ever in my life.

Was on the pill for 11 years and of course was completely regular on it.

Went off and never got regular. Never got my period in 90 days so the doc forced it. The second time I got it at day 87. Then it went all over the place... 42... 35... 68... 85... etc etc all over the place.

We started TTC in January this year and I was 32 days for the first two cycles. The cycle that I got PG, I got my BFP on CD67.

I basically kept track ever since going off the pill and my GYN said that if we had trouble after 6 months of TTC that I could talk to her about options to help regulate. As long as you're ovulating, you can get pregnant even if your cycles are long. It's just hard to figure out when. I didn't temp or anything. I was going to try for 6 months first and if we had no success, I'd start other ways to figure it out.

Wishing you the best!!!

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

i was the opposite. regular before BCP, 12 years later post-BCP i was diagnosed with PCOS and completely irregular, mostly anovulatory cycles.

on BCP i was completely regular as well.

i would guess if you were irregular before BCP you will remain irregular after it, because BCP most likely didnt solve any issues, it just masked them.

but i could be dead wrong!! good luck!

ETA - if you are irregular again post-BCP you can go to an RE at any point, regardless of how long or short you have been TTC. i went after 6 months of only 1 ovulatory cycle, and it was the best decision i made in this journey.

Message edited 7/3/2010 11:22:49 PM.

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

Posted by FlowerWife

i was the opposite. regular before BCP, 12 years later post-BCP i was diagnosed with PCOS and completely irregular, mostly anovulatory cycles.

on BCP i was completely regular as well.

i would guess if you were irregular before BCP you will remain irregular after it, because BCP most likely didnt solve any issues, it just masked them.

but i could be dead wrong!! good luck!

ETA - if you are irregular again post-BCP you can go to an RE at any point, regardless of how long or short you have been TTC. i went after 6 months of only 1 ovulatory cycle, and it was the best decision i made in this journey.

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

Like other posts said, everyone is different so you wont know how your body will react until you come off the pill. I was irregular before and then I was regular for a few months after the pill and now I am back to my old ways and am irregular again.

Since I am irregular I pay attention to CM and started temping for o-ing. You can do the OPK if you want but they just werent my thing. Being irregular means you just have to be more in tune with your body and watch for o-symptoms.

Good luck!

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

For me personally - i was totally irregular as a teenager (4-5 months apart) - when i got off the pill (15 years later) i was shocked that i was completely regular. My cycles are 28-30 days.

I actually got off the pill a whole year before we were ready for TTC b/c i thought it could take a while to get regular.

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

Re: Irregular cycles becoming regular?

Posted by rosalie

Posted by BabyFever10

For me personally - i was totally irregular as a teenager (4-5 months apart) - when i got off the pill (15 years later) i was shocked that i was completely regular. My cycles are 28-30 days.

I actually got off the pill a whole year before we were ready for TTC b/c i thought it could take a while to get regular.

wow, even if you are the exception to the rule I am glad to see it can happen. I was usually getting AF 1-2 months apart but once skipped an entire summer (which I did enjoy) and we are planning to go off the pill 6 months "early" to see what happens with my cycles before really TTC. Thank you for giving me hope