I've been off of the pill (seasonale) now for about 3 weeks. The day after I stopped I had a period for one day only! Since then nothing, and it seems like my breasts have gotten bigger and sore like when I first started the pill...Im kind of worried, could this be pregnancy? Has anyone stopped bleeding after getting of pill? or had any other strange reactions?

Yep! I just stopped too, and I didnt get my period for about 6 weeks. I was a little freaked, but now I'm happily PMS'ing. If you're usign a secondary protection, like condoms, you should be fine. you can always take a pregnancy test if you're really worried, but wuitting the pill DOES mess wit your hormones.

OH And I DID get sensitive breasts etc, freaking me out a bit. I'm sure different people react different, also depending on how long you were on them (I was only on them for 2 months- I had taken a 2 month break prior to that, and had been on them for a year before)

Thanks so much for your reply. I was really worried there. I had been on seasonale for about 9 months...so maybe my body is just adjusting..

Sorry, long post but hopefully a help to others in the same boat. I have just come through a nightmare 6 weeks and found little help about having a really hard time coming off BC.

I just stopped birth control about 6 weeks ago .....
OMG....what a terrible time I had, especially the first two weeks. I had every pregnancy symptom possible and very very sever. I was hugely bloated, my boobs hurt soooo much ... I was clutching them with the pain. I could nt even think about food without gagging let alone eat. My mood swings ( if you could call it that ) were so sever I thought I was going insane. I could go on forever but basically I had every symptom big time. I felt like was 5 months pregnant with twins .... I could n't even find anyone pregnant with such bad symptoms. I was totally convinced I'd concieved.

I bled at the end of my last pack as normal, and 28 days later I had my first period bang on time. It was a little painful, boobs were tender and flow was slightly heavier but not any major difference from being on BC ( think I was lucky though .... it can take a while to settle down and become regular again )

Not meaning to be cheeky, so don't be offended ( I'm 31, pretty clued up and sensible and thought I knew the facts of life until I stopped the pill. I went on the pill at 15 and have been on it 16 years and knew all I needed to know ..... until now ) I was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago and totally stressed out and could n't see past the facts and I believed I was pregnant. I've since done lots of research on here but by all means no expert.

The TTC and pregnancy boards are stacked full of info and helpful people but I'll give you the general facts and info I found to help you out which helped me, and will give you a starting point to research yourself. I really struggled to find someone in the same boat as me at the time so hopefully this will help someone.

1. No one can say for sure if you are or are not pregnant and you are unlikely to get a result from a pregnancy test at this stage.
2. Yes you have symptoms like pregnancy ... Its unlikely pregnancy is the cause though.
3. Stopping the pill can cause symptoms the same as pregnancy ... Everyone told me this but my symptoms were so bad and I was so convinced, I could n't hear them.
4. Don't worry about your period, it can really do whatever it wants, when it wants, for as long as it wants or visit as often as it feels like. At least for the first few months till your cycle settled down.
5. ( the facts I never knew ... lol ) About 2 weeks from the first day of your period ... we ovulate. This is when women are most fertile and are most likely to concieve and lasts about 3 days. This can also take a while to return and become regular. Until you've ovulated ... you can't be pregnant. Ok so, pregnancy is still not impossible but most women ( nearly us all ) ovulate about half way through our cycle.
6. Lets say you did ovulate around day 14 ( released egg ) This wee egg would start travelling downwards. So if unprotected sex occured from about day 9 through to day 17 of your cylce, the little sperm would travell upwards and may meet up with the egg ( sperm can live for about 5 days ) After the two meet, it then takes from about a week for the two to get where they need to go and implant themselves safely. If and when this happens .... and only after the two implant does a womans body produce pregnancy hormones. ( Which is why it may be to soon to test ) All in all this takes about 3 weeks so it is unlikely to be pregnancy hormones causing your symptoms so soon especially if its not a new symptom.

I did n't know it at the time but on day 13 of my cycle I ovulated. It was horrific !!! My " pregnancy " symptoms got really bad ... like you would n't believe. I was in agony, had really strange cramping, thought I was going insane and had a little pinky dischange when wiping to mention a few. I was convinced I was pregnant and obsessed with reading all about it and the symptoms and believed the discharge was a sign of immplantation pmfp ! On about day 20 I got a little more blood when wiping which puzzled me and took me on to more research .... The penny finally dropped.

Ok, so my story is very long and probably a little patronising but very true. I basically did nt know the facts. I had a really bad experience coming off birth control and could n't find anyone or info anywhere about it being this bad. It was a terrible 4 weeks so if my story, TMI and simple way of explaining things can help others .... it was worth it.

My advice : Ok, its not impossible to be pregnant, but stop worrying ... at least for a few weeks. Research ovulating, signs to look for and read up how to chart your cycle and note little symptoms. Your hormones are changing and your body may act strange for a little while. Your symptoms are probably worse because you have just ovulated, which is a good sign really. By week three my symptoms did almost totally dissapear and have been much better on my 2nd cycle. There is lots of posts with positive stories about stopping BC, periods coming and going when they want and simple symptoms felt which may reasure you too. Chart, check and double check your dates and keep it going for a few months till your cycle settles. Avoid reading about pregnancy symtoms or you'll develop those too lol. Your story sounds common and perfectly normal, so don't worry. Its more than likely just a change in hormones from stopping the pill and are possibly worse because you are ovulating.

My experience was extreme and pretty rare but will hopefully help others too. I was on BC for 16 years so maybe this was a factor too but on the bright side .... I ovulated and had a period bang on time the very first month, and have just ovulated bang on time in month 2. I'm trying to concieve so am very happy about this.

Best of luck and hope my dribble helps.

OH did it ever help!!! You know whats so funny is I was just gonna post a question about when women are most fertile. You've answered a lot of my questions. I'm sorry you didnt have this help when you were going through it. I'm a bit less worried about being pregant. And you're right about reading the pregnancy symptoms too..just last night I read them and I saw nausea and today I was feeling nausea and nervous all over again. Its amazing how much the symptoms echo pregnancy... Thanx again!

One reason why I'm not looking forward to using the pill are side effects just as this. As wimpy as this sounds. My partner in crime is really trying hard to sell the idea to me. Don't know how he knows, he told me that some women lose weight when they are on the pill and that once you stop you should be careful for several months not to get pregnant because you may ovulate more than one egg and have twins or triplets. Anyhow, can't be much worse than having cramps every month and wanting to kill people the day before you start.

Hi laskalady,

Glad my post was a help to you and sorry it was so long and a bit basic sounding but I could sympathis with you, and new exactly how you were feeling lol.

Only had a few minor symptoms this month, mainly in week 2-3 when I was really irritable but ovulation occured again on day 14 ( it was day 13 last month ) so I'm really pleased. I can't believe my cycle so far has been like clock work ( I dont recall reading any stories about perfect cycles so soon either - everyone is wondeing where their cycle has gone. )

I'd deffinately recomend keeping a note of your cycle and symptoms. I would never have worked myself out without it. Any small " worrying " symptoms, can usually be explained by checking last months chart. The TTC boards ( even if thats not your plan ) are full of info about charting and ovulation.

Last month .... I was under the impression I had a period every month, and craved chocolate and got a little crabbit a few days before because of PMT and that was all that came with a cycle. But basically we have a period and all the symtoms that go with it in week 1. This dissapears and the hormones change before we ovulate at about week 2, We survive this and things tend to calm down for a week and then we can suffer another week of hormones changing and PMT kicks in and then before we know it we are back to our period again ....... All month our bodies are changing and giving off weird symptoms and thats without introducing hormone pills into the equation.

Good luck and I hope everything is well.

Hi wormiesaber.

My symptoms were very sever and I had been on the pill for a long long time. Like I said .... I was completly unable to find anyone in the same boat as me. Everywhere I was reading people, were reporting feeling great, loads of energy and losing weight etc. The most common complaint when stopping is cycles messed up and periods being late and a few with symptoms like this thread with tender breast, bloating and feeling nausous. There can be symtoms when starting and stopping BC but its just the changes in hormones and our bodies adjusting.

Despite the horrifc time I had stopping my BC .... I would n't change things. I had 16 years with very very light periods lasting only 4 days, no pain, very little bloating, only very slight PMT and I was more accurate than Big Ben. I never had the worry of becoming pregnant and was in a stable relationship so STD were minimal. It worked fantastic for me and I was terrified of stopping. I had no medical reason ( except pregnancy lol ) for starting BCP but had very heavy long periods for years, but this may have been as I was still quite young too and would have settled down in time anyway .... I dont know but I did love being on the pill and it worked great for me. I just seem to have had a hard time stopping and feel like I am the opposite from every on else.

Starting BC is a decision, you and you partner need to decide together and then you need to talk to your GP. He can then check you over, discuss all the medical issues, pros and cons with you and find a pill that would suit you and he will give you regular checks throughout.

Best of luck to you both.

Aintgotaclue,

Well I finally got my period last week! Let me say I've never been so happy to get that thing in my life. Your post really helped me. But, just to be sure..you say that we are most fertile about 2 weeks from the first day of our cycles? So for example, if I started my period on Jan1st...I would be most fertile on Jan.15th? and that would last about 3 days..so my most fertile days would be Jan15-18? Okay, I'm just a bit confused..thanx for all of ur help!

We are most fertile 14 days before menstruating, which is not the same thing as 14 days from the first day of our cycle (unless you have a 28 day cycle).

I realize most of your questions have been answered, but I just have to add this...

When I stopped taking the pill (after being on it for about 3 years) I didn't get my period for FIVE MONTHS!!!!!!!! That was a LOT of worrying, which lead to me taking several pregnancy tests (but of course I was never pregnant). It just took my body THAT long to get normal again I guess. (Plus I had other things going on - i lost a lot of weight in a very short time - and probably got skinnier than I should have been - which I think played a part in it too.)

Take care!

Thanx for your reply. I have also noticed that I've lost about 4 pounds this past month...!

Sorry not been on here for a few weeks.

Ahh congratulations on your period ! Glad everthing worked out.
Keep charting for a few months and try not to worry, Things will settle down.

I'm currently on month 3. Period was 2 days early last month and I thought things were going brilliant but now on week 3 of 3rd month and my symptoms around ovulation have been horrendous again. Really having a hard time of it here..... so is hubby lol,

Thx stars of glass, Told you I was no expert lol. My cycle is 28 days and was speaking from my experience so thx for helping with the facts.