One Year Pregnancy Rates after Discontinuation of Different Methods of Contraception

Background: Determining the effect of contraceptive use on fertility recovery after cessation is a significant concern for women using various forms of contraception. Therefore, our goal was to determine the pregnancy rate after stopping various kinds of contraception with the goal of becoming pregnant before or at the 12th month. Methods: This retrospective study was performed at Zagazig University Hospital and Belbes Central Hospital on a total 3139 medical records of women who conceived spontaneously after discontinuation of the contraception method before or at 12 months with the intension to have pregnancy. Results: The duration of amenorrhea, time to pregnancy and the gap between menstruation and pregnancy were significantly shorter in intrauterine device (IUD) and implant with no significant differences between them, followed by Progestogen-only pills (POPs) and combined oral contraceptive (COCs) with no significant differences between them and significantly longest in Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and Mesocept. Conclusion: Contraceptive method significantly influenced the length time to become pregnant after discontinuation of reversible contraceptive methods (injectables, oral contraceptives, IUDs and implants). The impact of duration of contraceptive use has no significant relationship to the time to pregnancy following contraceptive discontinuation.