If you’ve been on birth control for years and are now thinking about trying to conceive, you may be wondering how stopping the pill will affect your fertility. Many women have concerns about how long it will take for their cycles to regulate, whether they’ll experience post-pill symptoms, and what they can do to support their bodies during this transition.

When planning to start a family, fertility testing may be an important consideration for many women, especially if conception is unsuccessful after several months of trying. Diagnosing fertility status requires a very comprehensive first appointment in which many topics are discussed, such as birth control use, partner’s fertility status, menstrual history, sexual practices, surgical history, medications, lifestyle, diet, work and home environment, stress levels, and so much more.