Folic Acid? When to come off Pill? So many Questions!

[bearnadette]

Hey!

I'm new here (I used this site 6 years ago when pregnant with my daughter but under a different username, couldn't log in with that one though so here I am as Bearnadette )

Anyway, we were WTT July 2017 but at the beginning of June I scored an amazing new job, so as good as that is, it's meant we've decided to hold off on TTC until around October/ November 2017. It isn't too long but I'm hoping to be well prepared by then, so...

I've been on the mini-pill for many years and I'm worried about how my body will react when coming off it. Should I WTT after coming off it for a period of time to allow my body to return back to 'normal'? If so, how long should I wait?

Also, I've read on a WTT journal that somebody was taking folic acid 6 months prior to TTC, should I start taking folic acid now? I thought 1 month before would be fine but now I'm not so sure!

Any help much appreciated

 

[Wobbles]

Hi,

If you let me know your username and the registered email address via PM I can help you access your old account - As per forum rules you are permitted to one account only (active or inactive). Do you not have access to the registered email address on account?

General recommendation is to take folic acid a month before starting to TTC.

You can TTC as soon as you stop or remove any contraception methods.

 

[MindUtopia]

I think the recommendation is generally to take folic acid 3-6 months before. If you do have a deficiency, which is unlikely but you never know, it gives it time to build up in your body. It's cheap enough though, so no harm in starting soon. You don't need any fancy expensive vitamins, just the basic folic acid tablets you can get from any supermarket or pharmacy.

As for the pill, it's up to you and you know your body best. Personally, I've stayed on the pill right up to when we planned to TTC both times now. I didn't want to get pregnant before then and absolutely couldn't (in both cases I was traveling out of the country just before, the first time, in a developing country, so being pregnant wasn't an option if it'd happened sooner than planned). I also didn't want to go back to using condoms. It was just easier to stay on until we were ready to try. Both times my cycles came back right away and I was pregnant 2nd month both times. In the first case, I'd been on the pill for most of the previous 12 years, and the 2nd time for about 3.5 years. With the mini pill, you should still have your regular cycles anyway as it doesn't generally completely stop your cycle, so if you are getting your period regularly now, I wouldn't necessarily assume your cycles wouldn't stay normal after you stop, unless you know you have some underlying fertility issues. But you know your body best and should have some idea of how it reacts from the first time you were TTC.

Good luck!

 

[bearnadette]

Hi,

If you let me know your username and the registered email address via PM I can help you access your old account - As per forum rules you are permitted to one account only (active or inactive). Do you not have access to the registered email address on account?

General recommendation is to take folic acid a month before starting to TTC.

You can TTC as soon as you stop or remove any contraception methods.

Hi, I don't have access to that old e-mail address anymore, I originally tried to log in with it and it came up with 'not recognised' or something to that affect. I'm happy for you close or deactivate the old account if you'd like? I was housewifey previously but no idea of password either sorry!

I think the recommendation is generally to take folic acid 3-6 months before. If you do have a deficiency, which is unlikely but you never know, it gives it time to build up in your body. It's cheap enough though, so no harm in starting soon. You don't need any fancy expensive vitamins, just the basic folic acid tablets you can get from any supermarket or pharmacy.

As for the pill, it's up to you and you know your body best. Personally, I've stayed on the pill right up to when we planned to TTC both times now. I didn't want to get pregnant before then and absolutely couldn't (in both cases I was traveling out of the country just before, the first time, in a developing country, so being pregnant wasn't an option if it'd happened sooner than planned). I also didn't want to go back to using condoms. It was just easier to stay on until we were ready to try. Both times my cycles came back right away and I was pregnant 2nd month both times. In the first case, I'd been on the pill for most of the previous 12 years, and the 2nd time for about 3.5 years. With the mini pill, you should still have your regular cycles anyway as it doesn't generally completely stop your cycle, so if you are getting your period regularly now, I wouldn't necessarily assume your cycles wouldn't stay normal after you stop, unless you know you have some underlying fertility issues. But you know your body best and should have some idea of how it reacts from the first time you were TTC.

Good luck!

I should have mentioned this previously but basically the mini pill stopped me having a period completely. I get maybe 1 'period' a year (if that) which is only 1 or 2 days of very light bleeding. That's the main reason why I'm worried about my cycle returning when I come off it :/

I don't want to go back to condoms either though so maybe I will just have to hold off until we're ready and then see what happens.