How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant After Stopping Birth Control?
About 83% of women were pregnant within a year of stopping contraception in a 22-study meta-analysis. The pill, ring, implant and IUDs were linked to delays of only a few cycles on average; the Depo-Provera shot can delay fertility for months.
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This guide
Fertility & Prenatal- Question
- How long after stopping the pill, an IUD, the implant or the shot can you get pregnant?
- Sources
- 4 cited
- Quick answers
- 3 questions
- Clinician review
- None; sources cited inline
Key takeaways
4 points- Pooled across 22 studies and 14,884 women, 83.1% were pregnant within 12 months of stopping contraception, with no significant difference between hormonal methods and IUDs1.
- In a cohort of 17,954 women trying to conceive, fertility returned to normal after about 2 cycles for IUDs and the implant, 3 for the pill and ring, 4 for the patch and 5 to 8 for the injection2.
- The Depo-Provera label gives a median of 10 months from the last shot to conception, with a range of 4 to 31 months3.
- How long you used hormonal birth control was not linked to lower fertility12.
The big picture: about 8 in 10 within a year
A 2018 meta-analysis pooled 22 studies published between 1985 and 2017 that followed 14,884 women after they stopped contraception. Within 12 months, 83.1% had become pregnant1.
The rate was not significantly different for hormonal methods and IUDs, and neither the type of progestin nor how long a woman had taken the pill changed it1. The authors concluded that contraception, whatever its type or duration, does not harm the ability to conceive after stopping and does not significantly delay fertility1.
How long the delay lasts, by method
The most detailed data come from a prospective study of 17,954 women in Denmark and North America (2007 to 2019) who were trying to conceive. Compared with women who had used barrier methods, recent users of the pill, the ring and some long-acting methods had short-term delays in getting pregnant2.
Injectable contraception was linked to the longest delay, 5 to 8 menstrual cycles, followed by the patch (4 cycles), the pill and ring (3 cycles), and hormonal or copper IUDs and the implant (2 cycles). Lifetime length of hormonal contraceptive use was not associated with fertility2.
The study was funded by the NIH's child-health institute and the Danish Medical Research Council. Its online platform has accepted in-kind donations from fertility test and app companies, and the authors disclosed industry consulting and employment2.
The shot is the exception
The FDA label for Depo-Provera CI says return to ovulation and fertility is likely to be delayed. In a large US study, 114 of 188 women who stopped the shot to get pregnant did so; among those who conceived, the median time was 10 months after the last injection (range 4 to 31 months), regardless of how long they had used it3.
Of the women who did conceive, an estimated 68% did so within 12 months, 83% within 15 months and 93% within 18 months of the last shot. The label notes that 39% of women in the study were lost to follow-up or changed their minds3. The same label carries a boxed warning that the shot can cause significant loss of bone mineral density, which grows with longer use and may not be completely reversible, and says it is not recommended as a birth control method for longer than 2 years unless other options are considered inadequate3. If you want to conceive within about a year, it is worth discussing a switch of method with your clinician early.
What to do when you stop
Start a prenatal vitamin with folic acid before you try; our prenatal vitamin guide covers the doses. It is also a good time to review medicines and supplements with your clinician, as our list of what to stop when trying to conceive explains.
Track your periods. The CDC says regular periods every 21 to 35 days likely reflect ovulation, while irregular or absent periods are a reason to see a clinician without waiting4. If you have PCOS, see our PCOS hub.
Where to buy
Natural Cycles
Paid links · we earn a commissionAn app the FDA authorized in 2018 for women 18 and older to monitor their fertility, for preventing a pregnancy or planning one; it reads your temperature and cycle data to flag fertile days. It does not make you more fertile or guarantee a pregnancy. As birth control, the FDA reported a 6.5% typical-use failure rate, and the risk is higher if you used hormonal birth control in the previous 60 days. It does not protect against STIs.
See Natural Cycles (paid link, opens in new tab)
Quick answers
Questions
3 answersDoes taking the pill for years hurt fertility?
The evidence says no. Neither the meta-analysis of 22 studies nor the 17,954-woman cohort found that longer use of hormonal birth control lowered fertility12.
How soon can I get pregnant after an IUD or implant is removed?
Quickly for most people. In the large cohort, women who had used hormonal or copper IUDs or the implant had the shortest delay, about two cycles, before fertility returned to normal2.
Why is the Depo-Provera shot different?
Its effect lasts well beyond the 3-month dosing interval. The label reports a median of 10 months from the last shot to conception, and up to 31 months in some women3.
More in Fertility & Prenatal
Keep reading
6 pages- Fertility & Prenatal hubEvery guide, regulatory notes and sources
- Prenatal Vitamins: What the Evidence Says About Folic Acid vs Methylfolate, Choline, DHA and Iodine
- CoQ10, Myo-Inositol and Other Fertility Supplements: What the Trials Actually Show
- Trying to Conceive? Medicines and Supplements to Stop or Review First
- How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant? The Odds by Month and Age, and When to See a Doctor
- Ovulation Tests vs Fertility Apps vs Temperature Tracking: Which Helps You Get Pregnant?
Keep reading: Supplements and vitamins
Supplements and vitamins: every pageSupplement & Nutrient EncyclopediaBrowse all topics
- Previous in this topicTrying to Conceive? Medicines and Supplements to Stop or Review FirstA few things need to stop well before you try: semaglutide at least 2 months ahead, isotretinoin at least 1 month ahead, and high-dose vitamin A.
- Next in this topicHow Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant? The Odds by Month and Age, and When to See a DoctorIn a German study of couples timing sex to the fertile window, 38% conceived in the first cycle, 81% by six cycles and 92% by twelve.
- InositolInositol is a sugar-like compound the body makes and also gets from food; myo-inositol is the form sold most for PCOS and pregnancy.
- Iodine (potassium iodide, kelp)Iodine is a trace mineral the thyroid needs to make the hormones T4 and T3, which regulate metabolism and early brain development.
- Methylfolate vs Folic Acid: What the MTHFR Gene Hype Gets WrongIf you have heard you "can’t process folic acid," you are not alone.
References
Every study and document cited in this guide, numbered as in the text.
Sources
4 sources- 1Return of fertility after discontinuation of contraception: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Contracept Reprod Med, 2018. PMID 30062044
- 2Pregravid contraceptive use and fecundability: prospective cohort study. BMJ, 2020. PMID 33177047
- 3Depo-Provera CI (medroxyprogesterone acetate) injectable suspension: prescribing information. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025.
- 4Infertility: Frequently Asked Questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024.
Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Prescription options need a licensed clinician. Talk to your clinician or pharmacist before starting anything new, especially if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding.