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Increase chances of pregnancy after stopping hormonal birth control.
Whether you just stopped taking birth control pills or finally removed your IUD, you’re probably eager to get pregnant right away. But did you know it could take some time for your body to adjust and ovulate following birth control use?
As a functional fertility expert, I guide many women through this transition and help them increase chances of pregnancy. Here’s what you should know about how being on hormonal birth control impacts natural fertility, plus functional health fixes to jumpstart your conception journey.
How Birth Control Impacts Fertility
Hormonal birth control like the pill, patch, ring, shot, and hormonal IUDs prevent pregnancy in two key ways:
- Stopping ovulation
- Thinning the uterine lining to prevent implantation
This systemic hormone regulation essentially puts your reproductive system into hibernation.
When you quit birth control cold turkey, it can take time for the body to rouse systems back up to start naturally producing hormones, ovulating, and menstruating again.
Plus, birth control depletes vital nutrients needed for fertility—such as zinc, selenium, magnesium, and B vitamins. Deficiencies in these key nutrients can further delay your system rebalancing.
For some women, ovulation and regular cycles resume quickly after quitting birth control.
But it’s common for “post-birth control syndrome” to set in with longer cycles, erratic cycles, anovulatory cycles (where the egg is not released during a menstrual cycle), hormone imbalance symptoms like acne, and even secondary amenorrhea (no period for 90+ days).
How Long It REALLY Takes to Conceive Post-Birth Control
While every woman’s body adapts differently coming off synthetic hormones, general guidelines are:
- <6 months = Normal range
- 6-12 months = Still common
- 12+ months = Warrants evaluation
I know this timeline can feel disheartening, particularly if you’re ready to get pregnant immediately. But It can take several cycles for ovulation to fully resume and for everything to reset hormonally. Have patience!
Instead of rushing the process, embrace this window to prepare body, mind, and spirit as your system reboots.
That being said, there are a few functional health “tricks” you can employ to help speed up the process and increase your chances of pregnancy.
How to Reset Fertility After Birth Control
- Supplement with a high quality multivitamin, plus targeted nutrients for fertility like zinc, magnesium, B vitamins, omega 3s, CoQ10, and maca to replenish birth control has depleted. Click here to see the pharmaceutical grade fertility supplements we recommend.
- Prioritize hormone-friendly whole foods in your diet and avoid endocrine disruptors in foods (i.e., BPAs, phthalates, pesticides, soy products). Limit caffeine, alcohol, refined carbs, and sugar which exacerbate hormone dysfunction.
- Support healthy liver detoxification pathways via supplements like milk thistle, glutathione, and activated B vitamins to eliminate synthetic hormones and toxins stored in tissues.
- Reduce chronic stress and cortisol levels by getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night and creating a daily self-care routine, which can include stress-reducing practices like meditation, yoga, nature time, and setting healthy boundaries.
- Rebalance your hormones with superfoods – we’re in love with Beeya*, which uses a whole-foods approach to balancing hormones.
*If you decide to make a purchase through our link, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Conclusion
Be patient and proactive while your body recovers its intrinsic hormonal intelligence post-birth control.
Support your conception journey with functional holistic remedies that nourish your whole endocrine ecosystem from the inside out. Address nutritional gaps, support detoxification pathways, reduce inflammation and stress, and cultivate a fertile mindset.
