Irregular period 6 months after stopping birth control

If you have not gotten periods after stopping birth control pill, don’t worry because you may not be the only one! No period, or a late period after stopping birth control, is a common side effect of this form of contraception. Although it is always a good idea to take a pregnancy test if you suspect you may be pregnant, pregnancy may not be the only reason for delayed periods immediately after a course of birth control pills!

In most cases, your normal cycle will resume immediately and you can get pregnant normally.1 However, it is also common to experience a temporary delay of 2-3 months for your periods to return, and in some cases, it can even take up to 6 months. Usually, the irregular menstrual cycles do not continue to a more long-term timeline.2 

Periods can take a while to come because the entire time you are using birth control pills, you are not ovulating or getting your periods. This is because of how the birth control pills work! Birth control pills prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation – the process by which an egg is released into the fallopian tube every month for fertilisation. Now, by preventing ovulation from taking place, there is no egg to be fertilised and therefore a pregnancy cannot occur. Because ovulation does not happen, the menstrual cycle for somebody on birth control pills is changed. Typically, when ovulation happens but there is no fertilisation, the egg and the blood lining in the uterus gets shed as periods at the end of the menstrual cycle. Oral contraceptives on the other hand induce the blood lining in the uterus to start shedding due to a sudden drop in hormone levels. After 21 days of consuming hormones in the pill pack (each pill contains a combination of hormones), there is a sudden lack of reproductive hormones in your system.3 

After stopping a course of birth control pills, the body takes time to kick-start itself and start ovulating, producing adequate hormones and causing the menstrual cycle to resume normally.

The amount of time it takes for people to get regular periods back after stopping the birth control pills is quite variable and depends on person to person.  Several healthcare factors influence how quickly your body resets like diet, exercise, whether your periods were regular before the pill, and if you have certain hormonal conditions like PCOS.4 In the meanwhile, you may see yourself getting no periods, or having irregular/delayed periods. 

A note of caution – you can get pregnant soon after stopping the pill, even if you haven’t gotten a period yet. So remember to use other forms of birth control like condoms to prevent pregnancy!

Irregular periods after stopping birth control methods are very common and in most cases, the normalcy of periods becomes an ordeal after a few months. However, there are certain things you should know to avoid complications if any irrespective of the method of birth control you are following as you would have used one method or the other at some point in your life. Having an overview saves you from unwanted worries and makes you fit to conceive in case you wish to be a mom.

Here are a few common questions that strike every woman before, during, and after following one or the other birth control means.

Effects Of Birth Control On The Menstrual Cycle

Many birth control methods use progestin or/and estrogen hormones to stop ovulation and the other common method is implantation. When hormones are used they affect the lining of the uterine and may lead to a little spotting in between one period and the other. They also lessen menstrual bleeding.

[Also Read: Foods to eat after ovulation to get pregnant]

No matter what birth control methods you use like a pill, vaginal ring, patch, shot, and IUD all will impact the menstrual bleeding. While a few birth control means increase bleeding few decreases it. In addition, many aspects of the menstrual cycle also get affected and such effects may change as time passes. Periods may become longer, heavier, shorter, or lighter depending on what birth control measure you take.

Irregular bleeding and spotting are general side effects of many hormonal birth control methods especially during the first months of usage. Let us see each of them in detail.

1. Birth Control Pills

Irrespective of the birth control pill you take, experiencing irregular bleeding or spotting during the early months is common. This situation is more common when progestin-only pills (the ‘mini-pill’) are taken in comparison to combination pills that have progestin and estrogen. Spotting is also common with ‘monophasic’ pills (same dose every day) in comparison to a ‘triphasic’ pill (different doses in the cycle). Spotting may happen when you forget to take a pill or when you take it late. At times even a few hours late lead to spotting and this is common with progestin-only pills.

2. Injected And Implanted Contraceptives

Uneven and unexpected bleeding is common when long-acting progestin-based birth control means like Depo Provera & Implanon are used. When they’re used for a year nearly half of women will not have periods.

3. Intrauterine Devices

There’re 2 IUD types;

• The copper IUD and
• The progestin IUD.

With the first, spotting between cycle and longer, heavier, and more painful periods are common for the first 3-6 months, however, it improves over time and normal or close to normal periods will follow after a few months.

With the latter, irregular and spotting between periods are common for the initial 3-6 months and normally it enhances as time passes. Most women will have no periods or light periods. This IUD is effective for many years.

4. Vaginal Ring

When inserted in the vagina it is really effective however spotting between periods is seen especially in the initial 3 months.

5. Emergency Contraceptives

The ‘morning after’ pill makes the period earlier or later and when you take this pill in the first 3 weeks of the cycle period may come early and may also last longer than normal.

If it is taken in the second part of the cycle (after ovulation) period could get delayed. Few women may see spotting between periods. The following cycle could even be to some extent longer than routine.

Causes Of Irregular Periods After Stopping Birth Control

The occurrence of irregular periods after stopping birth control is common as all the methods obstruct normal menstrual cycle which in turn leads to irregular periods. One should allow around 2-4 weeks for normalcy once birth control methods are stopped. Hormonal imbalances will lead to such irregular periods and the other causes include underlying medical conditions that were causing uneven cycles such as PCOS, endometriosis, or hypothyroidism. In such cases, one can be sure that these conditions will increase as soon as one stops birth control.

Can You Have Irregular Periods After Stopping Birth Control?

Of course, and the cycle to completely fall in line will take about 3 months. Late period after stopping birth control, no period after stopping pill but cramping and unexpected periods are natural. So, be patient for a minimum of 3 months for a regular cycle, and even after 3 months if the situation doesn’t turn positive reach out to a gynecologist.

What Are The Side Effects Of Stopping The Pill After Prolonged Use

Side effects are common but the question here one should ask is after how many days will they subside. Here are common side effects such as acne & unwanted hair, presence of no-headaches, weight loss or weight gain, mid-month twinges, the return of PMS, and so on.

Irregular periods after stopping birth control can’t be stopped, talk to your healthcare professional regarding which best suits your body and health condition before going out for one.

How long do you have irregular periods after stopping birth control?

Is it normal to have long cycles after stopping the pill?