Expert: Ramona Quilter - 4/16/2007

Question
I have been on an off of birth control (ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN LOW) since I was 18 years old and I am now 21. And I'm about to go back on it. I was just wanting to know if you are taking birth control. How long does it take to get pregnant after you get off of it? Cause like I said I'm only 21 years old and I do want to start having kids in about 2 years. But I am scared that if I get back on it then it will take forever to get pregnant.

Answer
Fertility changes with age, with disease and with drugs.  In two years on the pill, you will be older, and the chemicals in the pill may have affected your fertility, too.  No one can predict how long it will take to get pregnant but the healthier you are, the younger you are and the less chemicals you have ingested or been afflicted with, the better off your chances.  

23 is still young but there is a lot of infertility in younger women nowadays and I personally think it is a result of chemical birth control usage.  So, your best bet is to avoid what you can in the way of chemicals and stay healthy.  Natural Family Planning is the safest, risk free approach to maintaining your fertility while avoiding pregnancy for a period of time.  It's pretty simple to learn and practice.  This website can get you started with information about how to learn it:  www.ccli.org