Help!

[sH_124]

Hi there! I was on the contraceptive pill for about 4 months and stopped after taking my final packet. This was about a month ago, I had my withdrawal bleeding shortly after. What I'm wondering is how long should you wait after this to expect your next period? Urgent as quite nervous I may be pregnant. Thanks!

[Melaniee]

Everyone ones different. I was on the pill for 10 years. Had two normal periods then it all went down hill from there. They are now all over the place, and can't predict. Take a test if your worried or have any other symptoms

[emilysk]

Unfortunately, it's so hard to predict. For me, I came off the pill and didn't have a proper period for about 6 weeks. A lot of my friends have been similar - anything between 4 weeks and 3 months for a first, and up to a year for them to return to a normal pattern. Mine didn't return to a normal pattern at all, but I fell pregnant during cycle 3 so it's hard to tell how long it would have taken.

If you are more than 4 weeks since the start of your withdrawal bleed it may be worth taking a test. It could be too early so a negative result wouldn't necessarily mean that you aren't pregnant though.

[Bpas_1968]

Hi there

Some women will return to their normal levels of hormone secretion within a couple of days of ceasing the pill. Others may take up to six or 12 months. But the majority of women will return to normal within the first few months. If it has been 3 weeks or more since you last had sex a pregnancy test would be accurate. If you take a test now and it’s negative wait a few days and repeat. If you don’t want to be pregnant, you should assume you are fertile and use some form of contraception.

I hope this helps

Best wishes

Katherine