coming off the pill

am thinking of going off the pill now to help me lose weight as well as in preparation for starting to try and get pregnant 9-12 months from now.


Is there any reason why I can't just stop taking the pill? should i speak to my doctor first. Do i need to come off the pill in a specific way?


sorry if this is a dumb question.


thanks

If you are planning a pregnancy, it is a good idea to talk to your doctor and get a pre-pregnancy check up.


Ideally, it is best to stop taking the pill at the end of the packet.


If you do not want to become pregnant right away, you should use another method of contraception from the day that you take your last active pill.


And don’t worry if your normal periods don’t start immediately. For some women it can take a few months.


I would also suggest taking folic acid immediately just in case things don’t go according to your timeline. But don’t worry if you do get pregnant sooner than you planned, recently coming off the pill will not harm the baby.

Thanks so much. Just one other question - what is involved in a pre-pregnancy check-up? I have good blood pressure etc but I am pretty overweight and not at a healthy weight to get pregnant (increase chance of complications etc). My plan is to spend the next 9-12 months losing weight (on a very sensible healthy diet and exercise plan and I believe not taking the pill will help) and then start trying to get pregnanc. Should I have a pre-pregnancy check-up now or once I have lost some weight and ready to start trying?

You must have the pre-pregnancy check-up before you start trying. As your body is going to be the baby's home for its first 9 months of its life, you ideally should spend at least that amount of time making sure its home will be as healthy as possible.


The pre-pregnancy health check-up is to see whether you have any health problems or not. I’m going on what happens in the UK but HK should follow the same pattern.


First your doctor should take your medical history and ask questions regarding your health and lifestyle. It is always best to be prepared in advance, so make sure you know the following things:

* Any medication that you or your partner are taking. Even some over the counter drugs can affect the developing baby, so telling your doctor about every medicine that you are taking is essential.

* Any serious or chronic diseases that you may have had - diabetes, low or high blood pressure, heart disease, epilepsy.

* Genetic problems in your family such as Down`s syndrome or cystic fibrosis.

* The type of contraception you are using or were using.

* Any problems that you have had in previous pregnancies such as, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, premature birth or any complications that you may have had during labour.

* Any terminations.

* Any menstruation problems.

* Any eating disorders

* Any sexual diseases that you have had, such as Chlamydia.


Other things that you should inform your doctor about are; your diet/eating patterns and any exercise program that you are currently doing.


Your doctor will do a series of tests to make sure that your body is ready for pregnancy and make sure that you have no diseases that will prevent you from conceiving or that you don`t have any infections that can be passed on to your baby.


An internal examination may be carried out if you have had problems in the past with menstruation or a pelvic infection and if you have any infections or conditions they can be treated now to ensure you have a healthy pregnancy.


Cervical smear - Check when you last had one and make an appointment if you are due one. Let your doctor know if you have had any abnormal cervical smear test in the past.


Both you and your partner should have complete tests for STDs also an AIDS test. If you do have an STD you should let your doctor know immediately to start treatment to increase your chances of a successful pregnancy.


Urinalysis - for urinary tract infection (UTI). Again, so if positive treatment can begin right away.



Vaccinations - if you have not had rubella, you will need to be vaccinated at least three months prior to becoming pregnant.


A blood test will be done to test for anaemia and other abnormality in your blood.


Blood pressure check - Pregnant women with high blood pressure (hypertension) are more likely to develop pre-eclampsia and have placental problems, so it's important to control high blood pressure before you conceive.


Genetic testing - If there is a history of genetic problems in either of your families you may have genetic testing done.



This may seen a lot and who doesn't know of someone who accidently got pregnant and had no problems. But for many women this is not the case. You don't want to miss this step and find out in a few years that any fertility problems could have been sorted out earlier. And as I mentioned your body will be your baby's home for 9 months, so make sure it's healthy. So start on the folic acid!

oh wow! Thanks for all this. I thought it would be a blood pressure check and a pat on the back. I really should start doing some proper reading up. Thanks again.

Claire that sounds a bit excessive. I'm sure a general check-up with the GP will suffice.


In my case there was no check-up before trying to concieve, I just fell pregnant.


Good luck to you Chants

Vulvic> I was covering all the bases. Had a few friends who would have been less heart broken had they had a thorough check-up first. But I'm sure you would agree that things such as a rubella shot and folic acid are not excessive.

No they are not excessive but one would hope that most adults of child bearing age would have their rubella shots at school age. As for folic acid, a balanced diet should cover that.


To be honest, we have been lucky. Niether of us have any genetic bombshells lurking in the background and we are both fit and healthy so no worries about the pregnancey. I suppose I have taken this for graned somewhat.

Start taking Vit B6 immediately in addition to folic acid. The pill depletes the body of B6. Its a vitamin that very important to fertility. Read the comments and advice on the thread about luteal phase defect.