Ask Doctor T

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I stopped birth control MONTHS ago but my period still hasn’t come back. Why?

This is actually very common and can happen when coming off of any type of birth control. Just as your period can bounce around when you start taking hormones (birth control), your body needs to adjust to removal of those hormones (and allow your own to take over again). Depending on the type of birth control you were on, return to normal menstruation can take different amounts of time. Depo (the shot) and continuous birth control pills (taking pills daily to reduce the amount of periods in a year) are known to disrupt the “monthly” cycle a little more than others, but it’s possible that other forms of birth control (like the implant or hormonal IUD) could cause similar delays in return to a normal cycle. However, if you’ve been without your period for a few months and are no longer on birth control, it’s worth a discussion with your doctor. It may take a little burst of hormones to get your cycle back on track — and that’s okay!