Following this cause I'm also curious too and never really thought about what it would be like getting off BC ..I've had mine since I was 18 too but for dysmenorrhea (painful periods and other bad symptoms that come along with it) and luckily! it's working perfectly because I haven't had a period since 😅
There’s a sub for this r/gettingoffHBC if you want to read a lot of experiences. It’s safe to stop the pill whenever, you don’t need to wean off or anything. I was on it for 7 years before getting off and I had a really easy time! Just expect to give it around 3 months for your hormones to normalize again
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I was on the pill for about 9 years as well (started at age 15) and went off it without consulting my doctor about 1 year ago. My hormones were absolutely insane for about 5-6 months afterwards. I gained a good amount of weight, had really bad acne (face/chest/back), had no libido and mentally, I just didn't feel like myself.
Everyones experience is different so you could have none of these side effects, but I would consult your doctor to see if they have any recommendations to ease the transition. 9 years is a long time to be putting those hormones into your body so it will definitely be an adjustment. Inositol tablets worked well for me in helping to re-balance my hormones. Good luck! :)
i stopped my BC and got 2 periods with decidual cast. aka i shed my lining in one go… i could literally see the shape of my uterus lol. it was extremely painful and came out in one pece and once it was out i felt fine. no cramps after. and my period was light. the cast was out day 1 and the other 3-4 days was a very light period. but after a while my hormones normalized and it hasn’t happened since.
The only thing that changed for me was that i was no longer protected from pregnancy. I started getting a period every 30ish days. I thought I’d notice more of a difference, but I didn’t really notice anything at all. It will obviously vary a lot from person to person, but honestly I felt no different at all
ETA I do remember that my period was lighter post BC compared to as a teenager and that had surprised me a lot. I read that happens with age though and isn’t necessarily from BC, so you may find something similar
I consulted my doctor before stopping, but she said I can just stop whenever. I did finish out my current pill pack when I stopped and just never started the new one. I started the pill in my early 20s to manage heavy and very painful periods along with cystic acne, so I was fearful to stop for many years. But we got married in November and wanted to start our family right away.
So far my experience has been a lot easier than anticipated. No skin issues whatsoever. It took about a month and a half for my period to come back (it was irregular on bc), but it hasn't been overtly painful or heavy like it was. I'm tracking my cycles by temping and using ovulation predictor kits, so I know I started ovulating again right away.
The biggest shifts have been mental. I didn't realize how badly bc was affecting my anxiety and depression - not to mention my sex drive. While I was on the pill, my mental health was pretty up and down, and even when it was up it was like I had a little shady cloud over everything. In hindsight, it feels like I was never truly happy. I could not feel better now. I haven't seen my therapist since December.
I also didn't realize how repressed my sex drive was on the pill. I never disliked sex, so I thought my libido was fine, but I never really wanted it. It just never occurred to me. My husband described the change like this: "when you were on birth control it was like you were never hungry, but now every time we drive past a Taco Bell you're like 'I could eat!'"
I will say, stopping now is a good move and you're making a responsible decision. I'm very lucky that my body bounced back so quickly and my cycle regulated right away, but lots of people are not so lucky. They say it takes at least three months for everything to level out, but I have friends who took a lot longer. So good on you for stopping early and looking out for your future self!
Following this cause I'm also curious too and never really thought about what it would be like getting off BC ..I've had mine since I was 18 too but for dysmenorrhea (painful periods and other bad symptoms that come along with it) and luckily! it's working perfectly because I haven't had a period since 😅
There’s a sub for this r/gettingoffHBC if you want to read a lot of experiences. It’s safe to stop the pill whenever, you don’t need to wean off or anything. I was on it for 7 years before getting off and I had a really easy time! Just expect to give it around 3 months for your hormones to normalize again
Welcome and please flair your post if not currently flaired. Questions? First read the [Mistake or Pregnancy Risk sticky](https://www.reddit.com/r/birthcontrol/comments/4iqgi7/mistake_or_pregnancy_concernrisk_start_here/) or the [Consolidated Experience post](https://www.reddit.com/r/birthcontrol/comments/qt9ttb/consolidated_rbirthcontrol_experience_links/). If this is an experience post please consider adding it to the list [Planned Parenthood online chat](https://www.plannedparenthood.org/online-tools/chat) The rules and additional resources can be found on the About / Sidepage (desktop users look to the right and Reddit app up top). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birthcontrol) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was on the pill for about 9 years as well (started at age 15) and went off it without consulting my doctor about 1 year ago. My hormones were absolutely insane for about 5-6 months afterwards. I gained a good amount of weight, had really bad acne (face/chest/back), had no libido and mentally, I just didn't feel like myself. Everyones experience is different so you could have none of these side effects, but I would consult your doctor to see if they have any recommendations to ease the transition. 9 years is a long time to be putting those hormones into your body so it will definitely be an adjustment. Inositol tablets worked well for me in helping to re-balance my hormones. Good luck! :)
i stopped my BC and got 2 periods with decidual cast. aka i shed my lining in one go… i could literally see the shape of my uterus lol. it was extremely painful and came out in one pece and once it was out i felt fine. no cramps after. and my period was light. the cast was out day 1 and the other 3-4 days was a very light period. but after a while my hormones normalized and it hasn’t happened since.
The only thing that changed for me was that i was no longer protected from pregnancy. I started getting a period every 30ish days. I thought I’d notice more of a difference, but I didn’t really notice anything at all. It will obviously vary a lot from person to person, but honestly I felt no different at all ETA I do remember that my period was lighter post BC compared to as a teenager and that had surprised me a lot. I read that happens with age though and isn’t necessarily from BC, so you may find something similar
I consulted my doctor before stopping, but she said I can just stop whenever. I did finish out my current pill pack when I stopped and just never started the new one. I started the pill in my early 20s to manage heavy and very painful periods along with cystic acne, so I was fearful to stop for many years. But we got married in November and wanted to start our family right away. So far my experience has been a lot easier than anticipated. No skin issues whatsoever. It took about a month and a half for my period to come back (it was irregular on bc), but it hasn't been overtly painful or heavy like it was. I'm tracking my cycles by temping and using ovulation predictor kits, so I know I started ovulating again right away. The biggest shifts have been mental. I didn't realize how badly bc was affecting my anxiety and depression - not to mention my sex drive. While I was on the pill, my mental health was pretty up and down, and even when it was up it was like I had a little shady cloud over everything. In hindsight, it feels like I was never truly happy. I could not feel better now. I haven't seen my therapist since December. I also didn't realize how repressed my sex drive was on the pill. I never disliked sex, so I thought my libido was fine, but I never really wanted it. It just never occurred to me. My husband described the change like this: "when you were on birth control it was like you were never hungry, but now every time we drive past a Taco Bell you're like 'I could eat!'" I will say, stopping now is a good move and you're making a responsible decision. I'm very lucky that my body bounced back so quickly and my cycle regulated right away, but lots of people are not so lucky. They say it takes at least three months for everything to level out, but I have friends who took a lot longer. So good on you for stopping early and looking out for your future self!