Expert: Bob Kambic - 5/31/2007

Question
I'VE BEEN ON BIRTH CONTROL(NUVARING) FOR ALMOST 4YEARS. I HAVE NO KIDS AND PLAN ON SOON. HOW LONG IS TOO LONG TO BE ON IT?

Answer
I understand your question to be that you have been on Nuvaring for four (4) years to avoid pregnancy. You want to get pregnant sometime soon. Nuvaring is very much like the pill so I am giving you the same information I give to women coming off the pill. That is below. Additionally you ask how long is it safe to be on the pill. The answer to that depends on how old you are when you want to get pregnant. Fertility for women is highest in their 20's and starts to fall off after that. As you will read below, it can take time for the effects of the pill to wear off. The older you are, the chances of pregnancy begin to go down. So "How long is too long to be on it?" It depends on each woman and on her age.

Let me answer in two parts. First when 100 couples try to get pregnant, no pills, no birth control, at the end of a year 80 will be pregnant. Some get pregnant the first month, some the second month, etc. It is impossible to predict which couple will get pregnant when. The 20 couples not pregnant after a year are considered infertile and usually go for medical help. You can't tell where you are until you try.

Now second, coming off the pill is similar. Some women return to normal cycling with no problem, others take sometime to resume normal cycling. You can't predict what will happen because as you say, all women are different.

So putting the two issues together, coming off the pill, first you will have to resume a "normal" cycle, then you will have to try to get pregnant. I suggest monitoring fertility will increase your understanding of all this and your confidence that your body is working correctly. Check http://www.irh.org/nfp.htm

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/HelpCenter/FFBook/ff_fertility_signs.html

Be sure to try to get a teacher to work with you until you really understand your fertility.