Ovulating After Birth Control
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How Ovulation Works
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Approximately halfway through your menstrual cycle (two weeks before your flow starts) you ovulate, releasing a mature ovum in preparation for fertilization and eventual pregnancy. A woman's menstrual cycle varies from 28 to 35 days and anything within this range is considered to be healthy.
Birth control pills, Depo-Provero (the depo shot) and Norplant all interfere with ovulation. After the hormones from these birth control products are no longer present, your body needs to take over the process of generating the hormones necessary to support normal egg production, menstruation and conception. Your body will begin to produce follicles, then you will ovulate. The length of time between stopping birth control and resuming ovulation will depend on each individual woman. Some will start ovulating almost immediately while others will take longer to resume this process.
If you have been using some type of barrier method (spermicide, condoms, diaphragms or some other kind of barrier method, you have not stopped ovulating. Your body continued the ovulation process every month, and the "barrier" method of birth control blocked sperm from reaching your ovum. (See Resource)
Detecting Ovulation
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Ovulation is the process by which a mature egg is released by your ovary after maturing. The matured egg is released by your ovary and is then pulled by your Fallopian tube into your uterus.
When your body begins to ovulate again after you have stopped using hormone-based birth control, you can use one of several methods to determine either when you are about to ovulate or when you are ovulating.
Your cervical mucus will change in consistency. It will become slippery, clear and stretchy.
After you have ovulated, your basal body temperature will rise by 0.4 to 1.0 degrees. This temperature increase indicates that your body has released an egg.
Some women feel feel lower abdominal discomfort or pain. This is called mittelschmerz and it can last just a few minutes or several hours.
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When Ovulation Starts
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After stopping birth control pills, women generally resume ovulating within two weeks. Some women may not begin ovulating again for several months while others will resume normal ovulation within three months.
If you have been taking Depo-Provera shots, your body could take closer to a year to resume regular ovulation. Because the hormones present in this shot are in your body for so long---nine to 12 months---your body will not resume ovulatory activity until all of the hormones are out of your system.
If you have had a IUD with hormones implanted, once the IUD has been removed, the hormones are also gone. Once your body resumes regular ovulation, you can try to get pregnant.
If you had Norplant rods inserted into your arm, you either have to wait for the Norplant to exhaust its supply of hormones or have them surgically removed. Once your body resumes normal ovulation, you can attempt pregnancy.
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