new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

Hi New here ... didnt really want to create a fake name but people i know aer on here and i dont want them to know I am TTC ...

so heres my questions. I recently got off BCP after about 10 years of being on them. The first 2 months got my period on time like normal, 3rd month did not get it at all. Went to the doc told me that I may or may not have PCOS; did not find that helpful. Doc wanted me to start usin OPK's to see if I am ovulating and if I dont get my period in 3 months to come back.

Well I did not start using OPK's but I did get AF late last night Does this mean I ovulated?

Also for girls who got BCP did you start getting pimples? I never really had acne problem but now I am getting pimples on my boobs back and on the edge of my scalps its not tons and tons but still a lot more then I ever got could it be from coming off the BCP.

Sorry this is kind of long!!! and lots of for all of you!

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

As far as I know, getting AF does not mean you ovulated.

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

As others said, AF doesn't mean you O'd. I had a few annovulatory cycles off the pill and one this month due to a UTI. Those cycles tend to be longer. Your bleeding is a result of the uterine lining not being able to sustain itself any longer after a long month of building up, preparing for an egg that never dropped.

As soon as I came off BCP, my skin got more oily, but I didn't breakout. Then it seemed to normal out. For awhile it seemed right before ovulation (tracked through OPK and CM), my chest would break out, but not my face. I started using a salicylic acid based body wash (neutrogena has one) and it cleared up. When some of us get off the pill it take months to get our hormones back on track. Your dr. can run blood work or do sonograms to check for PCOS but it can also just be your hormones adjusting.

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

AF comes when you ovulate BUT you will bleed when you you don't ovulate and it looks exactly like AF but it's really just the uterus lining shedding bc the estrogen builds up in your body and the lining cannot sustain itself and it sheds and you bleed.

The ONLY way to know when you ovulate is by temping, using OPKs, tracking your cervical mucous.

I only track my CM and count days but a lot of girls on here temp and use OPKs...the more you use the more accurate results you will get.

Good Luck

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

i have PCOS and i dont O or get AF much without meds.
i had acne as a teen, before i went on BCP. while on BCP for 13 years i had no acne. i thought i just grew out of it.
when i went off BCP to TTC about 2 months later the acne came back full force. i also didnt get AF at all after BCP. i didnt know i had PCOS until after i went off BCP. i got normal AF as a teen but i have no idea whether i ovulated regularly back then. all i remember is that there was never any cause for concern - i always got AF around the same time and my cycles weren't abnormal in any way.

you can use OPK's but i highly suggest you chart your basal body temperature to see if you are actually ovulating (do a google search on it if you are not familiar with it). that way you will know if/when you are ovulating (and as the PPs said - getting AF does not necessarily mean you ovulated).

if you find out you are not ovulating i HIGHLY suggest seeing a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) instead of an ob/gyn since their main goal will be both diagnosing you (whether it be PCOS or something else) and treating the condition. Ob/gyns generally don't delve into those things as much and just throw meds (clomid usually) at you and tell you to come back in x months if you arent pregnant yet.

welcome and good luck!!

Message edited 3/19/2010 10:33:53 AM.

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

thanks for everyones input. So I either could have ovulated or I could not. I really did not want to start tracking to see if I am ovulating but maybe I should. It seems to be a bit of a hassle and plus DH doesnt really want to do all this planning and he just wants it to happen and I was and am on board with that but now all I really want to know is am I ovulating or not! Oh well I will have to think about what I will do thanks again!

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

One way to track but not really track is to count days. How long are your cycles usually? You can use mymonthlycycles.com and that will give you an estimate around when you O and around when you should BD. That's really all I do bc my cycles are usually 28-30 days so it gives me about a 5 day window of when I O.

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...

Re: new here with question ... does this mean I ovulated ... also girls who came off BCP ...