# how long with the bcpill?



## sabry34 (May 15, 2002)

hi dear all,my question is....how long can you take the pill without interrupting it for some time? A friend of mine told me the maximum is 5 years but then you have to stop otherwise you can have problems having children.Is that true? Everytime i ask the doc they say not to interrupt it...Any answer will be greatly appreciated....sabry


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

I have been on the pill for 6.5 years. I don't anticipate stopping it for at least another 3, probably longer. Someone told me recently that she had heard being on it too long can make it harder to get pregnant. I thnk that was just hearsay. In my case, being on the pill probably helps preserve future fertility more than not being on it... I probably have endometriosis, and the pill reduces its growth.I think this is a case when we need to listen to our drs and not what our friends say







I know some drs will disagree, but everything I've read and heard has most drs not having any problem with length of pill use til it gets to be 10-15 years...then many still have no probs with it. Being on the pill can reduce risk of some health problems and raise risk of others. It could very well be beneficial for you to be on the pill for years and years and years.


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## Auroraheart (Aug 8, 2000)

From what I have read and been told, people don't need to "take a break" from the pill. Some studies I have seen indicated that the longer you are on the pill, the more it helps with prevention of some cancers.I have been on the pill since I was around 15 or so....I am 29 now and I can't remember stopping for anytime.


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## webbsusa (Feb 1, 2001)

You do not need to take a break from the pill; it is safe to take it indefinitely, according to two doctors I have asked (my old gynecologist and my new dr--I moved last summer). As far as the pill and pregnancy, my sister had been on the pill for ten years before she tried to get pregnant for the first time, and she had no trouble doing so; in fact, she got pregnant the very first cycle she tried, which was her second cycle off the pill. I just quit the pill after eight years of being on it (will be trying to get pregnant this fall), and my first cycle returned to normal immediately. From charting my fertility signs, I know I ovulated, and I started my period today (read Taking Charge of Your Fertility if you want to know what I'm talking about re: charting fertility signs).Granted, it does take some women longer to "clear out" the after-effects of the pill (i.e. start ovulating again), but it really depends on the woman and not so much the pill (since everybody's on low dose pills these days). I have heard from other women that women whose cycles were irregular pre-BCP are more likely to have problems with their cycles post-BCP, simply because they are irregular to begin with. I don't know if that's true or not, though it kind of makes sense to me. My cycles were always regular before I went on the pill and seem to have returned to normal fairly quickly, but I'll have to see how things go for me over the next few months before I make any big claims.


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## sabry34 (May 15, 2002)

thanks everybody for your answers...i feel more relaxed now....take care and good luck with future pregnancy...sabry


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## JenS (Dec 18, 2000)

Great question, and I hear different things all the time. I don't know if there is a simple answer.


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## Michele (Feb 4, 1999)

I was on the pill for about 5 years before I went off to get pregnant. It took about 5 months after that. Don't know if it would have been quicker otherwise. I went off again 2 years later and was pregnant in 2 months. My gyn has told me it is safe for me to contine taking the pill until menopause.


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## sabry34 (May 15, 2002)

michele,how would you know that you are in menopause if you are on the pill?This is a question I always had in mind....maybe you can help....anyway, thank for your answertake caresabry


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## Debra M (Aug 13, 2001)

I took the pill for over 23 years, and then my doctor finally took me off of it. We had figured that it was the thing that caused my migraines. Since I stopped them, I have had very few of them. But it was a cycle - took the pill to not get pregnant, which gave me migraines so I took a pill to offset the migraines (Enderol) which made me depressed, so I took Prozac for the depression..Prozac made me NOT want sex...so why the heck take the pill in the first place??







But the pill today can be taken right up till menopause, and they are much safer than when I first started taking them.Debra


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## mich2002 (Jan 14, 2002)

Sab - my Gynae does research on the pill and is adamant that you never have to go off the pill (unless of course you want a baby) - and that with the new versions of the pill its better to stay on it as it does reduce chances of getting certain cancers however think if you are overweight or smoke or have a history of blood clots - you should be monitored. Unfortunately think pill is still a difficult issue as diff docs have diff opinions.


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