Hello, and I hoop I can help you today.
In some women, especially if they have been on birth control pills for a long time, it can take even up to a year to resume normal hormone cycling, especially if they had
irregular periods before starting the pill or very light periods.
Furthermore- 80 percent of couples will conceive within one year- and
infertility is defined by inability to conceive after trying for a year.
I know it is hard to be patient, but most of the time it just takes more time for your regular cycle to resume. In general, however, it is not a bad idea to see your doctor if you have not resumed
menstruation within 6 months of stopping the pill, because there can be medical causes as well that can cause women to have irregular cycles or not menstruate.
An adequate evaluation for
amenorrhea (not getting your period), assuming you are not pregnant should include:
TSH (a test for
thyroid disease)
Prolactin (the hormone that makes breast milk- can be caused by some tumors)
FSH (shows how hard your ovaries are working to make estrogen)
Estrogen levels (to see if you are making estrogen)
and possibly LH (a hormone that should not be higher than your FSH level)
Your doctor may also recommend your partner get his sperm evaluated as well, as 50 percent of the time a male factor can be involved in infertility as well.
But again, I suggest waiting 6 months before having a
hormonal evaluation as post-pill amenorrhea (the term for the syndrome of not getting your period after you stop the pill) is not unusual and most of the time gets better by itself within 6 months.
I hope I was able to adequately answer your question today and I wish you the best of luck conceiving,
Dr. Brown