Returning Your Cycle to Normal After the Pill

[Bucket]

Hi!

I posted this in TTC originally, but saw a few people in the WTT forum were also having similar issues, so I thought I'd post also here in case it's any help to someone...

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After having had some excellent success with this method of returning my cycle to it's natural rhythm after coming off the pill, I wanted to share it with you all in case it helps anyone.

The last time I came off the pill for any reason, it took eight months(!) for me to have the first period, and much longer for my cycles to be regular again. So this time, I tried this, after reading about it online:

I made sure that, at night, I slept in absolute darkness (as much as is possible without blackout blinds). That even meant covering the face of my digital alarm so that I couldn't see the glow. Then, for the three nights before my predicted ovulation date (approx. 14 days into my cycle), I slept with a dim light on (I left the light on in the next door bedroom and the door open, but you could use a dim lamp or nightlight too), to simulate the light of a full moon. After my predicted ovulation date, I returned to sleeping in complete darkness.

My first period arrived exactly 31 days after my last withdrawal bleed (the period you have when you're on the pill), perfectly on time, with a perfect five day bleed and no worse symptoms than usual. I was astounded, because I really didn't think it would work!

I hope this is helpful to anyone struggling with irregular/missing ovulation and/or periods after coming off the pill. Please feel free to ask me any questions about the method.

Charlee xx

 

[fuffyburra]

That's incredible! I'm SO doing that! I'm not TTC for just over 18 months, but I hate not knowing when AF is coming, when I'm ovulating, etc. This is so brilliant, thankyou sooooo much!!

 

[Bucket]

That's incredible! I'm SO doing that! I'm not TTC for just over 18 months, but I hate not knowing when AF is coming, when I'm ovulating, etc. This is so brilliant, thankyou sooooo much!!

No problem - I hope it works for you too! Research suggests that it works for around 50% of women, but research is pretty scarce, on the whole. Good luck! xx

 

[lovehearts]

Never heard this before
x

 

[Bucket]

Here are a couple of links with more information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunaception

https://www.westonaprice.org/women/fertility.html

Also Googling "lunaception" brings up a wealth of resources about it, with various different methods. It seems the one I tried is just one of several. Not much in the way of scientific study, but plenty of testamonial etc.

 

[fuffyburra]

Thanks 50% is good enough for me lol, it's not like it's a lot of effort

 

[lovehearts]

its great to try all different things Im on my 5th cycle now after the pill and i seem to be regular. If i wasnt i would try a range of different things.xx

 

[sleepinbeauty]

Wow! That's fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing! I'm still on the pill for pain management and I'm dreading coming off it because the pain will come back too.. so the less time between the last pill and a BFP the better and i'm SURE this will help!

THANK YOU!

 

[fuffyburra]

The pill did nothing for my period pains at all, so the doctors put me on some pills for that, and I was only using it to stop getting pregnant (and it couldn't even manage that!) so I came off it about a month ago and now we use other forms of protection instead. I've been on and off the pill before though and my cycles have always been cocked up so this might help! *fingers crossed*

 

[Bucket]

Wow! That's fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing! I'm still on the pill for pain management and I'm dreading coming off it because the pain will come back too.. so the less time between the last pill and a BFP the better and i'm SURE this will help!

THANK YOU!

I've been hospitalised more than once for severe period pains, and that was while on the pill, so I too was dreading coming off it. I have no idea whether the lunaception is the reason why, but this time I have had hardly any pains at all (certainly no more than is "usual" for a woman). This is such a breakthrough for me, because most months I am out of action for at least 24 hours, six of which I spend sitting in a lukewarm bath because it's the only place I can get relief. I'm hoping that it's not a fluke and that the pains don't reappear, but so far the signs are good

 

[Bucket]

The pill did nothing for my period pains at all, so the doctors put me on some pills for that, and I was only using it to stop getting pregnant (and it couldn't even manage that!) so I came off it about a month ago and now we use other forms of protection instead. I've been on and off the pill before though and my cycles have always been cocked up so this might help! *fingers crossed*

I know exactly what you mean. My cycles were cocked up even before the pill (I think it was one of the reasons why I went on it at 14), which is why I was so surprised the lunaception worked for me! My mother has always had rotten visits from AF, too, so I guess maybe it's hereditary.

 

[PeanutBean]

It's really interesting to read about this. I did research on lunar and tidal clocks and it is completely obvious that evolutionarily speaking our menstrual clocks come from lunar clocks of our marine ancestors. For many people body rhythms are not so linked to the environment any more but I think that it really must vary from person to person. I didn't know that the theory was that ovulation would be at full moon so that's interesting. I totally agree that there is not enough research done this. The help that could be obtained for women if we better understood the cycle and it's ancient environmental cues, but where would be the money in that? So it doesn't get researched. Pharmaceutical companies can't patent the sun or light at night.

 

[fuffyburra]

My mum had bad AF too, until she gave birth apparently then she didn't have them so bad after that. I REALLY hope this happens to me! I can't stand vomitting, fainting, back/leg/head/neck/tummy pains for the rest of my life!
Ps. The 6 hour bath is the best thing ever Hot as you can get with a cold flannel on your head XD

 

[Bucket]

My mum had bad AF too, until she gave birth apparently then she didn't have them so bad after that. I REALLY hope this happens to me! I can't stand vomitting, fainting, back/leg/head/neck/tummy pains for the rest of my life!
Ps. The 6 hour bath is the best thing ever Hot as you can get with a cold flannel on your head XD

Apparently, childbirth will make them either better, or a lot worse. There's no telling which. Considering this month's visit from Aunt Flo put me in an ambulance, I'm reeeeeally hoping it's the former! Still, it did have the added bonus of making Hubby decide he didn't want to see me go through too many more of those, so he suggested we start TTC at the end of this month instead of December. Yay!

I don't envy you the fainting, by the way. Not at all! I've never passed out before, but this time I did, and it was *not* an experience I care to repeat, ever.

Any tips on painkillers that actually work? Even the hot bath couldn't save me this month, and all the pills I took just came straight back up. xx

 

[plutosblue]

Ohhhhhh I am sooooo going to try this, I have recently come off Microgynon 30(early July) and as of yet nothing is happening (so thats 4 months with no AF) ,and like many teenagers I went onto the pill at 15 because my cycles were so unpredictable..

I cannot win lol

 

[MissMaternal]

Thanks for the advice, gonna have to give this a try! I am currently on my week break from my pill, so AF is here at the moment, but when the week is up i'm not starting my new pack and am coming off my pill....as me and OH are now Not Trying Not Preventing (although secretly, we're both trying i think, lol) So definitely would be handy for cycles to go back to normal..I've been on the pill now since i was 17 (5 years) and am hoping for regular cycles again....good luck everyone! x