Aintgotaclue

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.