# I just quit taking the pill - what do I need to know? (maybe TMI) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 28, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721 "2003-04-28T17:32:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![heater2000ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@heater2000ca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heater2000ca)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/1 "2003-04-28T17:32:17Z")
I just took my last pill yesterday morning - in exactly 1 week, I will be free from the hormone-controlling birth control pills. I’ve been taking them since I was 21 (about 10 years). I can figure out the obvious things about being off the pill - my period may come at strange times (I wasn’t especially regular before), and I have to use alternative birth control (at least till after the wedding! ;-). I’m hoping to get advice about the stuff I haven’t thought of. From anyone who’s done this as well, are your mood swings bad? Or better? Are your cramps worse? More headaches, less headaches? Anything else I’m not mentioning? Am I expecting there to be a big change, but it’ll probably be nothing? Thanks, … Heather ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/2 "2003-04-28T17:39:09Z")
Ya might get preggers? ---
**Author:** ![heater2000ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@heater2000ca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heater2000ca)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/3 "2003-04-28T17:43:34Z")
I did kind of figure that out, which is why I said, in the original post, that I would have to use alternatives. Many thanks though, for answering all the _other_ questions I asked! \ Heather ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/4 "2003-04-28T17:50:38Z")
I know when I forgot to get a new pack and thusly was pill free for a month, weird stuff happened. My boobs got really tender and sensitive for a few weeks and I got really…well…horny like a guy. Just be prepared! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/5 "2003-04-28T17:58:25Z")
I used to get horrible cramps when I was young. I was on the pill for a number of years (about 8, IIRC), then went off for about 18 months to see what effect it would have on my migraines. My migraines were worse, which was unusual - for most women, migraines are worse on the pill. But my cramps were pretty much gone, and my period, though longer off the pill, were a lot lighter than they were when I was younger, and I had almost no cramping. Your body changes a lot in 10 years, so things may be very different for you now than they were then. ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/6 "2003-04-28T18:30:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by heater2000ca \* > \*\*I did kind of figure that out, which is why I said, in the original post, that I would have to use alternatives. > > Many thanks though, for answering all the _other_ questions I asked! > > \ > Heather \*\* This board is a co-operative effort Heather. I was just doing my part. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/7 "2003-04-28T18:34:40Z")
I was only on the pill for a year, but my cramps, PMS, flow, and length were all worse when I wasn’t taking it. I also wasn’t as reliable; I’d generally start within the _week,_ not down to the day like when I was on the pill. And I don’t know why I’m talking about this in the past tense, b/c it’s still true. 😃 It’s been about seven years since I was on the pill, and as a matter of fact, I’m PMSing right now! Yippeeee! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/8 "2003-04-28T19:52:09Z")
The first time I went off the pill, I practically hemorrhaged during my first period. The second time I went off the pill my skin went haywire - I had absolutely _horrible_ acne for about a year (I’d gone back on the pill after a few months). I haven’t gone off the pill a third time, for what by now are probably obvious reasons. Of course, YMMV. And I hope it does. ---
**Author:** ![heater2000ca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@heater2000ca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heater2000ca)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-quit-taking-the-pill-what-do-i-need-to-know-maybe-tmi/171721/9 "2003-04-28T20:05:02Z")
Thanks to Little Bird, Porcupine, Audrey Levins and ruadh for sharing your experiences. Those are exactly the kinds of things I was wondering about. And ruadh … acne, huh? I’d forgotten about acne. Hmm. And porcupine, You’re right. In the 10 years things could well have changed for my body/system. Well, I guess I’ll find out! Thanks again Heather