Go Off Birth Control in Advance
This may seem like a no-brainer, but some forms of birth control may reduce your fertility for a while even after you discontinue use.
The Pill: Your fertility should return almost immediately, given that the effects of hormones in birth control pills aren’t long-lasting. The same kind of menstrual cycle you experienced before going on the Pill is likely what you’ll have again. For example if you had a regular 28-cycle that should return, or if you experienced irregular cycles, it’s likely that you’ll have irregular cycles once again, explains Dr. Banooni. The same principles apply to the birth control patch (Ortho Evra) and the birth control ring (NuvaRing), and your fertility go back to normal once you stop using them.
IUD: Regardless of whether you have the hormonal or non-hormonal version of an intrauterine device (IUD), your fertility should return right away once you have the device removed by a healthcare professional.
Depo-Provera: The effects of Depo-Provera are meant to be long-lasting, so although you need to get the shot every 3 months to ensure protection against pregnancy, Stein explains that “theoretically, it’s wearing off, but it may take much longer to return to fertility. If you’re thinking you may want to get pregnant in the next year, stop getting the shots, as we have no medication to counter its effects.”
If you want to go off of a hormonal form of birth control but you’re not quite ready to get pregnant yet, be sure to use a barrier form of birth control like condoms in the interim.