Hi. I have been taking Alesse for 2 years now.

My husband and I decided to have a baby so I'm going off my bcp this week.

I heard that I shouldn't try to get pregnant for at least 3 months because the bcp has chemicals that can cause birth defects. Is that true?

Also, what about my menstrual cycle? Will it be completely out of whack and I can bleed heavily or at anytime?

What other side effects can I expect?