Oral contraception pills work in a lot of different ways. First of all, most kinds prevent you from ovulating, which is when your body releases an egg that could potentially be fertilized by sperm. But your body also affects the endometrium or layer in the uterus where an egg would settle if it was fertilized. It also affects cervical mucus which makes it harder for sperm to get to the egg. There are lots of different ways that these pills work. Basically women can get pregnant on the pill if they don't take it at just the right time to prevent ovulation. Basically what I'm saying is once you've stopped taking the pill you can get pregnant any time. It usually does take women a couple of months just because that's normal. It takes most couples about six months on average to get pregnant assuming that they're not using any form of contraception. It definitely is possible for you to get pregnant even though you're not bleeding or actually seeing that you're having a period. As long as your body is ovulating or releasing that egg then you could get pregnant. Some women actually find out they're pregnant but they haven't had a period for a while and have no idea how far along they are because they haven't been able to track their cycles. It's very important to go to the doctor as soon as you find out you're pregnant and they can help figure out what your dates are, how far along you are, and make sure that all is well. The fact that you're not having regular periods yet does make it a little less likely that you're ovulating but you could still could be. It would be best to follow your doctor's advice, just wait a little bit longer and see if your body starts to return to normal. In the meantime since you're trying to get pregnant be sure you're taking a prenatal vitamin every day that has at least 400 micrograms of folic acid in it, that you're avoiding all alcohol, drugs, and tobacco products, and talk to your doctor about any and all prescription medications that you take regularly, any over the counter medication that you may take regularly or even just occasionally. For example, ibuprofen for cramping should not be taken during pregnancy and then some people are taking herbal supplements that aren't okay with pregnancy. Check with your doctor before you take anything and just think twice before you put anything in your mouth. Also make sure you're at a proper body weight. This decreases the chances of both you and the baby having complications during pregnancy. If you want to find out what your BMI is, or body mass index, you can go to babyyourbaby.org, click on "Pregnancy," and then there is a "Before Pregnancy," link and "Preconception Health," link. Once you've found that there will be a BMI calculator where you can plug in your weight and height and you'll be given a number. You want that number to be somewhere between 18 and 24. Once you're at that point you're at a good place to be before you get pregnant. Ask your doctor if you have any other specific questions about your situation. But if you have any other questions for me I'd love to help you out. Feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/IntermountainMoms and recommend us to your friends and family too.
