Emotional considerations
Many women will start trying to conceive a baby soon after they stop their contraception, or experience a recent pregnancy loss (such as miscarriage). These, and other circumstances, can disrupt a woman's normal menstrual cycle, making plans to conceive a baby a little less straightforward. The main thing to remember is that:
A woman will always ovulate (or release and egg) BEFORE; she has her next period.
This means that it is possible to conceive even before your next period arrives (meaning that your period may never come if you conceive). However depending on the circumstances, it may take a while (weeks or months) for your regular menstrual cycle to start up again, and for you to actually ovulate to allow you to become pregnant. This in itself can make ovulation and fertile days impossible to predict by just counting the days (because you do not really have a 'day 1' to go from). This is why the other physical signs (like vaginal mucous and cervix changes) tend to be more accurate fertility indicators, particularly in these circumstances.
Some variations for planning to conceive can include:
Stopping contraception
Experiencing a pregnancy loss
Having a baby recently and breastfeeding
Health conditions for the woman
Stopping contraception
The return of a woman's fertility after stopping contraception will depend on the type of contraception she and her partner were using, and in some cases her body's individual response to the contraceptive used. The following information gives a brief overview of the various forms of contraception and how they can affect the return of a woman's fertility. More in depth information can be found in
contraception.
NOTE: Bear in mind that healthy, fertile couples who have never used contraception can still take 6 to 12 months to conceive.