Does Birth Control Affect Fertility?

Dear Anonymous,

The birth control pill doesn’t have any long-term impact on your fertility. When you stop taking it, your brain senses a lack of the hormones provided by the pill and tells the ovaries to resume ovulation so you can get pregnant. 

It can take a few months for your menstrual cycle to turn on again, especially if you’ve been taking the pill for several years. This is the case for combination and progestin-only birth control, but the latter doesn’t do as good a job at preventing ovulation, so it’s possible ovulation could return more quickly. If it’s been more than three months since you stopped taking birth control and you haven't gotten your period yet, you should see a fertility doctor because you may have an underlying issue.

Featured Expert

Dr. Lucky Sekhon - Reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and OB-GYN at RMA of New York