Will taking birth control pills regulate my periods, or will they be irregular again after I stop?
You mentioned that for the better part of your life, you've had irregular periods and you're trying to have a baby so of course you're frustrated because this makes it very difficult to know when you're ovulating or if you're ovulating at all so that you can time intercourse with ovulation and conceive and achieve your dreams of having a baby. It sounds like you sought help from a doctor and that's good. That's always the first step because they can ask you questions about your history, perform an exam, and then decide what treatment is most appropriate for your situation. You brought up thoughts about birth control pills and how they do regulate you while on the pill but then you're wondering if when you stop taking them you stop being regular. Sometimes birth control pills are prescribed to women who are irregular because it does regulate their cycles long enough, at least for a couple of months, for a woman to try to get pregnant once she's gone off the pill. On average, it takes most couples about six months to get pregnant. You can actually get pregnant any time after you've stopped taking the pill if you're ovulating and you time intercourse just right with ovulation. As soon as you stop taking the pill, it doesn't take months and months for your body to return to normal cycles. In fact, like you were mentioning, it can regulate you at least for a couple of months and your cycles might start to spread out and become longer and longer and become more irregular again but there might be a window of opportunity where you could get pregnant if the stars align and everything comes together just right. Talk with your doctor again and based on their knowledge of your situation, they can recommend other treatments that might be more appropriate for you or if you want a second opinion from another doctor, that's okay to do, too, if desired. Good luck with everything and if you have any other questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at facebook.com/intermountainmoms and recommend us to your friends and family, too.