Benched for another month

[Cassie R.]

Well, AF arrived last week (on the VERY FIRST day of the placebo BCPs!!!), so I went in for my baseline scan to check on that pesky cyst and hopefully to get back on the clomid. Good news is that the cyst had shrunk to about 1/2 the original size; bad news is that it is still there so my dr. wants to "rest" one more cycle and is pretty confident it will be gone by the end of this cycle. So I'm doing one more month of the BCP, and am on the second day right now (she had me start the new pack on Sunday, so I actually skipped a few days of the placabo pills -- everyday closer to starting a "real" cycle is good for me )

So here's a question -- is there any reason to temp during a BCP cycle? My recollection is that BCP is supposed to supress ovulation, so it wouldn't do any good to temp, right? If that is not correct, perhaps it would help to temp, not to time BMS, but just to get a temp pattern????

Here's my other crazy idea -- stop taking the BCP and see if maybe I would O on my own, despite the (apparently shrinking!) cyst? I'm not inclined to do that because I normally don't O without clomid, so most likely it would just throw this cycle off completely, and ultimately I would end up having to do prometrium to bring on AF so that I could get started with clomid again. But I'm curious whether anyone else has had any luck O'ing (and perhaps more importantly, getting a BFP!) while they have a cyst? If I did this, any idea how the fact that I already took a couple of days of BCP would affect the cycle? I know you can get pregnant if you miss a day or more of your BCP, but not sure how it would affect the cycle overall. What if I took the first 14 days of BCPs, then stopped taking them -- might that trick my body into o'ing? (Okay, I realize that was probably a stupid suggestion -- if it was that easy, I'm sure the dr's would be trying it ) Anyone know how the BCP works, anyhow? My recollection is it is a combo of estrogen and progesterone, that sort of "fakes" a normal cycle, but don't have much more knowledge than that.

[bmwbrandi2005]

as hard as it is...... i think i would have to say i think you should probably listen to your dr and take the pills for the rest of the month.... chances are if you stop taking them it might mess your cycle up and you will get breakthru bleeding. i tried this a few months ago thinking that maybe it would make me get pg easier by taking a few pills then stopping..... well i was wrong.... i ended up bleeding for 14 days after i stopped taking them... and my body has been screwed up since then... AF was even longer for 3 months after doing that i was having 33- 37 day cycles- and it is just now starting to regulate back to a 28/29 day cycle. i could be wrong.... ....... and maybe it could work for you.... but for me- i dont think i would chance it. if i could turn back the hands of time- i think i would have listened to my dr when she told me to take my bcp for a few months to regulate my body before ttc again... but i didnt.... and now i still am not pg after ttc for 7 months since i lost my precious baby girl. before i got pg with my daughter emily- i was on bcp- and as SOON as i stopped taking them- i was pg only a few weeks later- so maybe taking them for a few months- then getting off of them will increase your chances of getting pg sooner. GOODLUCK to you! i hope you will have that little life growing inside of you soon. being pg is such a wonderful experince- i just wish it wasnt so difficult for us to get to experince it. best wishes to you on whatever you decide

[BC-DKNY]

cassie....i'm sorry you have to sit another cycle out, but i would follow your docs directives. if you don't you may wind up sitting out yet another cycle and that would be totally frustrating.

i wouldn't bother temping while on BCP's, because yes, you're right, you shouldn't be O'ing, so there's really no point.

[Ferret Mommy]

I found this..

Birth control pills fool the body into acting as if it's pregnant. Birth control pills, also called oral contraceptives (OCs), come in two forms: the combined OC, a combination of two synthetic hormones, estrogen and progestin; and, the minipill, which consists solely of progestin. Combined OCs are more commonly used, though both kinds are available through health care providers. The combination pill prevents ovulation by suppressing the natural hormones in the body that would stimulate the ovary to release an egg. By taking this estrogen throughout the month, you insure that no egg will be developed or released for that cycle. Progestin thickens the cervical mucus, hindering the movement of sperm. Progestin also prevents the uterus's lining from developing normally; so, if an egg were fertilized, implantation is unlikely.

from http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0663.html

Best Wishes!

[BC-Maura]

Hi Cassie: I agree with what the others have said about following your doctor's advice... you have a good chance of having the cyst go away this month and after that you can be on your way... but if you veer from the protocol, you could well be in uncharted territory ...

Fingers crossed that you can be up and running next month! Good luck and put away that thermometer for the time being...

Best to you++++++++++++
Maura