Key Takeaways
- Taking hormonal contraceptives such as the pill suppresses the natural cycle and therefore also ovulation.
- However, as early as the third cycle after stopping the pill, many women* can observe ovulation again and therefore become pregnant.
- In this article you will learn how to support your body if you want to have children after stopping the pill.
Are you planning a pregnancy and wondering when the right time is to stop taking the pill? Or have you already stopped taking the pill and are wondering when you will get pregnant?
Irregular cycles are not uncommon after stopping the pill, since your ovulation was artificially suppressed for a long time. Unfortunately, it's impossible to predict how your body will react to the hormonal change. While some women become pregnant immediately after stopping the birth control pill, others have to wait longer.
How the pill prevents ovulation
Studies have shown that almost 100 percent of all women have already ovulated by the third post-pill cycle – regardless of how long they had been taking the pill beforehand. The waiting time until pregnancy was not significantly longer for women who had previously taken the pill than for those who had not previously used hormonal contraception.
However, in the post-pill cycles, you may experience prolonged, irregular bleeding or, conversely, a missed period even though you are not yet pregnant. Due to hormonal changes, very short cycles can also occur, in which ovulation does not take place or the egg cannot implant within the short timeframe. In this case, it's clear: without ovulation, there is no fertilization of the egg.
But to put your mind at ease: If you don't have any other health problems, such as PCOS or endometriosis, there's a high probability that you'll ovulate and get pregnant in the first few cycles after stopping the pill.
How to restore your hormone balance after stopping the pill
Avoid refined carbohydrates like processed sugar and white flour, and instead focus on unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and -6) and protein-rich foods. You should also reduce your intake of dairy products. Your liver and adrenal glands will be working overtime after stopping the drug – so take good care of them. The liver, for example, thrives on bitter substances. These are found in artichokes, certain teas, arugula, and grapefruit, for instance.
Reducing your intake of gluten and switching to gluten-free foods occasionally has also proven helpful for many women. Using the symptothermal method allows you to quickly determine how your body reacts to stopping the pill, whether ovulation occurs, and when. This self-observation is very helpful if you want to get pregnant more quickly.
Why you should stop taking the pill even before you want to have children
In summary: Since no one can predict how your body will react to stopping the pill, you should ideally finish your last pack three months before you plan to conceive. This allows your body to recover properly and increases your chances of getting pregnant.
Your cycle has enough time in the next six months to regulate itself again. Additionally, you should start taking folic acid three months before you plan to get pregnant.
Medically Reviewed
This text was created by medical editors on the basis of specialist medical literature and current studies. Our aim is to work scientifically, identify sources and regularly check that the content is up to date.
References & Literature
- Analysis of statutory health insurance prescription data for combined oral contraception ("the pill") for women with statutory health insurance up to 20 years of age, from 2019 onwards, up to 22 years of age.
- Segerer, Sabine, and Christoph Keck. "Intolerance to the pill." gynecology+ obstetrics 24.6 (2019): 32-34.
- Kramarz, Susanna, et al. "Hormonal fatigue – does it exist? What are the alternatives?" Der Gynäologe 55.5 (2022): 379-385.
