Rebound effect: what it is, how you can get pregnant with it. Oral contraceptives and their healing rebound effect

Any planning woman wants to get pregnant as soon as possible, ideally on the first try, that is, in the next cycle. The majority mentally sets certain dates for the desired conception, and if pregnancy does not occur during this period, unpleasant thoughts about possible problems and even infertility creep in. In search of answers to your questions, you can turn to friends who have gone through something similar, to Internet forums, doctors and specialized literature. Often from various sources there is information about the mysterious and healing rebound effect that drugs from the group of hormonal oral contraceptives have.

Does the rebound effect promote conception?:

The rebound effect is essentially a withdrawal effect, that is, the reaction of the female body to the abrupt withdrawal of the drug. While a woman is taking the medicine, her hormonal background is under the control of the medicine, the function of the ovaries and the hypothalamic-pituitary system is turned off. After the cessation of the entry into the body of the medicinal substance, ovulation occurs and, as a result, pregnancy.
Counting on the subsequent rebound effect, doctors prescribe the drugs "Yarina", "Janine", "Jess", "Marvelon" and others. As soon as the drug is discontinued, in most women, the work of the pituitary and hypothalamus resumes, under the influence of a natural burst of hormones, the ovaries are activated. There is a natural stimulation of ovulation. Thus, the rebound effect will be useful primarily for those women who suffer from endocrine infertility.
Couples need several months or even a year to conceive a child. Therefore, the appointment of oral contraceptives with the expectation of a rebound effect is justified only when the period of active planning exceeds a year.
Before treating infertility with this method, you need to be sure of your husband's fertility. Therefore, the delivery of a spermogram is one of the mandatory examinations that are included in the set of tests for infertility. Well, in the meantime, a forced break has formed in the planning business, use this time to the maximum - go through fluorography, do physiotherapy, treat existing diseases, including infections.
The doctor should warn that oral contraceptives have the exact opposite effect on some women. Instead of activating the reproductive system, you can get its inhibition for several months. This is rare, but it does happen.

How to choose a drug to get a rebound effect?:

To achieve a rebound effect, doctors usually prescribe hormonal oral contraceptives of the second and third generation. Their reception continues for 3 months. It is also possible to prescribe third-generation drugs in combination with steroids. This course of treatment lasts 5-6 months. Do not take Diane-35 if you expect a withdrawal effect.
To achieve activation of the female reproductive system after discontinuation of the drug, analogues of the luteinizing releasing hormone can be used. The difficulties of such tactics are due to the practical inaccessibility of drugs in this group - their small assortment and high price.
Which of the combined oral contraceptives (COCs) to choose depends on a number of factors - body weight, age of the patient, estrogen level, the presence of benign formations in the uterus and / or mammary glands, indications of diabetes mellitus, bleeding disorders and other problems.
Gestagen contraceptives are suitable for those women who are overweight, have fibroids or fibroadenomas, as well as elevated estrogen levels. With low body weight or too painful periods, it is better to use combined preparations.
The doctor must be responsible in choosing an oral contraceptive for the treatment of infertility. If your gynecologist advises “to drink any hormonal contraceptive”, do not count on the positive effect of treatment from such a “specialist. It is also dangerous to prescribe COCs to yourself in order to achieve a rebound effect. Due to the wrong choice of drug, an already disturbed hormonal background will aggravate the condition.

Who should not take COCs to achieve a rebound effect?:

In some cases, taking oral contraceptives to treat infertility is not indicated:
- the period of active pregnancy planning is less than 1 year;
- pathological deviations in the partner's spermogram;
- violations of the blood-clotting system: thrombosis, thrombophilia, and so on;
- severe pathology of the heart and blood vessels;
- arterial hypertension (higher than 160/100 mm Hg);
- hepatitis, cirrhosis and other severe liver diseases;
- a long (over 20 years) history of diabetes mellitus, the presence of diabetic angiopathy;
- smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day, despite the fact that the woman's age is more than 35 years;
- the presence of pregnancy (before starting COCs, pregnancy should be excluded again).

Every year, this type of protection against unwanted pregnancy, such as taking oral contraceptives, is becoming more and more popular among women of reproductive age. But not many of them know about the existence of the so-called rebound effect. Its essence lies in the fact that after a short reception and cancellation of OK, the reproductive system of a woman can recover and work "with renewed vigor", increasing several times the possibility of natural conception.

Women who have not been able to get pregnant for a long time and have already tried many methods that increase the chances of conception, but have not received a result, begin to think about whether to resort to a method that causes a rebound effect. But is it really as effective and safe as they say?

Rebound effect from a medical point of view

The rebound effect or withdrawal effect is that from the start of taking oral contraceptives, the natural function of the ovaries to prepare the egg for fertilization is inhibited. This is due to the inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary system, which, with the help of production, controls the work of the ovaries. At the time of taking OK, the work of the ovaries is suspended, and the sensitivity of receptors to hormones, meanwhile, increases. When you stop taking the pills, the work of the system for the production of female sex hormones is restored, they are thrown out in larger quantities, which significantly increases the likelihood of full maturation and release of a viable egg from the ovary, ready for fertilization. This state can be compared to natural induction. This method is especially effective for women diagnosed with "", when the production of their own hormones is not enough to maintain the normal functioning of the reproductive system.

Drugs with which you can achieve a rebound effect

To obtain a rebound effect, a gynecologist may prescribe one of the following combined oral contraceptives:, or. Other drugs can be used, their choice depends on the patient's condition, the results of her tests. All drugs are not the same, although they perform the main function of preventing unwanted pregnancy, they have slightly different compositions and, therefore, affect the body in different ways. Therefore, only a doctor who has performed a gynecological examination and interviewed a woman can make the right choice in favor of one drug, and not another.

There are certain criteria on the basis of which a choice is made in favor of a particular drug:

• woman's age;
• body weight of a woman;
• the body's response to drugs and sensitivity to them;
• the level of estrogen saturation;
• the patient has such diseases as diabetes mellitus, fibroadenomas in the mammary glands, disorders in the process of blood clotting, and some other diseases.

Combined oral contraceptives are suitable for women who are underweight or have dysmenorrhea - the painful first days of menstruation. If the patient is overweight, has elevated estrogen levels, has uterine fibroids or fibroadenoma, then preparations containing progestogens are more suitable for her. Only a gynecologist can make the right choice to achieve a rebound effect, and taking any oral contraceptive without a doctor's prescription can threaten hormonal failure, disruption of many body systems, and sudden weight gain.

Do you need a rebound effect?

A woman should think about what a rebound effect can help to get pregnant only after a period of 12 months after the start of planning a child. Planning refers to regular sex life without contraception. The couple should have sex every month on the expected days of ovulation. As a rule, a twelve-month period is enough for healthy couples, but if after a year of active “planning” it was not possible to conceive, you can think about using alternative methods and, at least, going to a specialist.

Before experiencing the rebound effect, a woman should familiarize herself with the main contraindications that exist for treatment with this method:

1. The woman is already pregnant.
2. The couple is trying to conceive a child less than 12 months old.
3. men have poor performance.
4. A woman over 35 smokes more than 15 cigarettes a day.
5. Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
6. Liver diseases such as cirrhosis, acute viral hepatitis.
7. Diabetes mellitus that lasts more than 20 years, or diabetes mellitus with angiopathy.
8. Congenital thrombophilia, risk of thrombosis or deep vein thrombosis.
9. Hypertension with pressure over 160/100 mm Hg. Art.

Even if a woman has no contraindications, and she is ready to try taking contraceptives in order to achieve a rebound effect, there is no guarantee that it will work. In many cases where pregnancy has not been successful for more than a year, a more effective course of action would be for both spouses to be screened for reproductive health problems. Timely treatment, precisely aimed at eliminating a specific problem, will be much more productive than other less common methods.

Today, the contraceptive market is filled with various new products of all kinds. Active couples can choose the method of protection against unwanted pregnancy of their choice. But, nevertheless, oral contraceptives in the form of tablets are considered the most popular. They are characterized by a high level of protection and have a beneficial effect on the overall well-being of a woman.

In pharmacology, this type of protection is abbreviated as OK (oral contraceptives). About 70% of women of childbearing age use them. But few people know that they are also used for treatment, thanks to the unique rebound effect. What is it and what is its role in the process of conception?

Rebound effect: what is it and how does it work?

The rebound effect is a phenomenon in gynecology that is actively used to stimulate pregnancy. It occurs when you cancel the reception of OK.

This effect occurs as a result of hormonal changes in the body of a woman. The thing is that most oral contraceptives inhibit the production of hormones during ovulation. The egg does not come out, hormones are not released, as a result, pregnancy does not occur.

With the abolition of contraceptives, in most cases there is a surge of hormones, so the chances of getting pregnant increase. The rebound effect occurs in 95% of cases, so it is actively used by couples who have problems conceiving a child. Before that, they must go through a series of preparatory procedures:

• A couple should try to get pregnant on their own for at least a year. This time includes the time of active sexual life without treatment. If pregnancy does not occur, then we can talk about possible problems.
• The partner must be tested for sperm quality ().
• A woman and a man must undergo a complete examination and, if there are pathological factors, undergo treatment.

The doctor should warn patients that the rebound effect is individual. This means that the amount of hormones released can be different. In addition, such an effect may not occur at all.

OK reception scheme for the rebound effect

The course of treatment and administration of OK is prescribed by a doctor. You can, of course, use the classic regimen, and stop after 3 months, but it is best to consult a specialist.

Gynecologists for the withdrawal effect prescribe treatment according to two schemes:

1. 21 days of taking one tablet, then seven days off. Repeat the course at least three times. During the seven-day break, spotting similar to menstruation can be observed, this indicates the active work of the ovary. The chance of getting pregnant is about 95%.
2. 62 days of taking one tablet daily. After cancellation, menstruation does not begin, but intermittent discharge may occur. The probability is also about 95%.

The course should be chosen at will, but with the advice of a doctor.

Which drug is better and how much to drink?

Many couples are interested in how long it takes to take OK for the rebound effect to occur. According to experts, this is at least three months. During this time, the body accumulates hormones, normalizes its condition and, when canceled, is ready to become more active. The course can be extended, it all depends on the desire of the partners.

Also an important question is how long does the cancellation effect itself last? There is no definite answer to this question. Experts say that the highest threshold of activity is observed in the first three months. The first ovulation after discontinuation of the drug occurs in 98%, so the probability of becoming pregnant is quite high. In the second month, active ovulation also occurs, but the activity of hormones is about 80%. This is a pretty high rate and many couples have managed to get pregnant. During the third ovulation, it is also possible to conceive a child, the hormones are still quite active. After three months, the rebound effect continues only in 30% of cases.

The specific drug plays an important role. On this issue, it is better to consult a doctor, today in pharmacies you can find a lot of funds. The specialist will help you choose the right one, based on several criteria:

• The age of the patient;
• The weight;
• Individual tolerance of the components of the drug;
• Saturation with estrogens;
• Detection and character in the mammary glands;
• The presence of fibroids in the uterus and fallopian tubes;
• The presence of genital diseases, including sexually transmitted infections.

The following drugs are very popular today:

• Marvelon;
• "Jess";
• « »;
• "Yarina";
• "Logest".

These drugs can be taken at any age at the same dosage - one tablet per day. After the age of 35, the course of treatment increases, for the rebound effect it is necessary to drink OK for about 5-6 months, only after that a cancellation is prescribed.

Contraindications

Today, many couples use the rebound effect for the pregnancy process. This is a time-tested and specialist method that requires lengthy preparation, but the effect is worth it.

Despite the high efficiency, the cancellation has a number of contraindications. It is not taken in the case when the use of hormonal drugs is contraindicated.

• The woman is pregnant or breastfeeding;
• Partners have been trying to get pregnant for several months (up to a year);
• Deviations in the spermogram of the partner, if the activity of spermatozoa is low, then stimulating therapy is required for the man;
• The woman has problems with alcohol and smokes a lot;
• Severe pathological conditions of the liver, namely hepatitis, cirrhosis;
• Various forms of diabetes;
• thrombophilia;
• Cardiovascular diseases;
• Chronic hypertension.

Before using the rebound effect, both partners must undergo a full examination.

The likelihood of pregnancy with the withdrawal effect is quite high. But for this it is necessary to comply with all doctor's prescriptions. It is not worth trying on your own without advice. And it is very important to be examined before starting the process. In most cases, problems do not arise as a result of hormonal disorders, but when exposed to other pathological processes. In this case, complex treatment of partners is required, which should be supervised.

Every year, the use of oral contraceptives (OC) among women of childbearing age is becoming more and more popular. However, not many of them are aware of the existence of the rebound effect.

What is the "rebound effect"?

The rebound effect is a situation when, after prolonged use of OK (more than 3 months), after their cancellation, the ovaries begin to work more actively. In this case, the likelihood after the completion of taking the contraceptive drug increases significantly. Women who have been unable to conceive for a long time use this effect to increase their chances of conceiving. However, for women taking OCs as a means of planned contraception, this phenomenon can become a serious problem.

The essence of the rebound effect is that when using combined oral contraceptives for at least 3 consecutive months, the production of your own sex hormones decreases. The sensitivity of receptors to these hormones, on the contrary, increases. After stopping the use of birth control pills, in 95% of cases, the work of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian system resumes. This releases its own natural hormones. Consequently, ovulation is hyperstimulated. Thus, as a result of these changes, the likelihood of pregnancy in the first cycles after the abolition of OK increases significantly.

Due to the fact that in the first three cycles after the abolition of OK, the probability of becoming pregnant is higher than before they were taken, and if pregnancy is not planned, enhanced contraception is required. Unfortunately, many women are not aware of this need. As a result, the risk of unplanned pregnancy and related difficulties is significantly increased.

How to avoid unwanted pregnancy on the background of the cancellation of OK

If a woman has stopped taking oral contraceptives and does not plan pregnancy in the next 3 months, she needs to use reliable ones. For this purpose, it is possible to use intrauterine devices, a diaphragm, a uterine cap, a condom. However, if no means of contraception were used during intercourse, or their use was unsuccessful (for example, condom rupture, displacement of the uterine cap, diaphragm), there is a risk of unwanted pregnancy. In this case, it is advisable to use methods of emergency contraception.

Also known as emergency, postcoital, extreme, or fire, it can be done in a number of ways. For example, taking gestagens, antigestagens, or introducing a copper-containing intrauterine device in the next day after unprotected intercourse.

In order to prevent an unplanned pregnancy, an intrauterine device is inserted in the first 5 days after unprotected intercourse. The coil should only be installed by a suitably qualified doctor after performing an examination and taking a swab. It is important to note that the intrauterine device is extremely dangerous to enter in the presence of inflammatory diseases of the reproductive system. This is due to the fact that the procedure for setting the intrauterine device facilitates the spread of infection from the vagina to the upper genital tract.

A more gentle and simple method of emergency contraception is the use of special medications in the first few days after unprotected intercourse. In recent years, gestagen-containing and antigestagen-containing agents have been used.

Progestogen-containing drugs are synthetic analogues of the sex hormone progesterone. Gestagens prevent pregnancy mainly by suppressing or disrupting ovulation. However, gestagens are ineffective if ovulation has already occurred. Also, the effectiveness of gestagens decreases with an increase in the time elapsed from sexual intercourse to taking pills. Thus, the effectiveness of gestagens directly depends on the phase of the cycle in which they were taken. Moreover, their least effectiveness is observed when taken in the ovulation phase or immediately after it.

Unlike gestagen-containing agents, antigestagens are effective in any phase of the cycle. Antigestagens at the receptor level block the action of the hormone progesterone and cause a delay in ovulation, prevent changes in the uterine mucosa and the attachment of a fertilized egg to it. Antigestagens effectively suppress ovulation, even if taken on the day it should occur. That is why the effectiveness of antigestagens does not decrease when used on different days of the menstrual cycle.

The antigestagen-containing emergency contraceptive is Ginepristone. When taken in the first phase of the cycle, Ginepriston inhibits the maturation of the egg. She does not leave the follicle in the ovary and ovulation does not occur. When taken in phase II, Ginepristone does not allow the endometrium (uterine mucosa) to prepare for the reception of the egg, thereby preventing the creation of favorable conditions for its attachment and further development. With the help of the above mechanisms, it prevents the development of unwanted pregnancy.

Based on the foregoing, if the rebound effect that occurs against the background of the withdrawal of OK is undesirable, the use of contraceptives is necessary. At the same time, it should be remembered that there are methods of emergency contraception in the arsenal of modern means to prevent unplanned pregnancy.

For accommodation at specialized medical institutions, recognized for medical installations and doctors. Ginepristone. RS No. UA/9698/01/01 dated 02.06.2009 Take care of the place inaccessible to children. More information about the stosuvannya likarskih zabіv and the latest translation of side reactions can be found in the instructions for medical zastosuvannya for benefits (1).

Sometimes a prolonged absence of a desired pregnancy can force a woman and her doctor to turn to the most non-standard solutions to the problem. One of them is the use of the rebound effect, a condition that occurs immediately after the withdrawal of oral contraceptives (OC). It is characterized by increased work of the ovaries, which were at rest while taking such drugs. But is the cancellation of OK a guarantee that pregnancy will occur? And are there any nuances that should be taken into account? Let's talk about it right now.

How to "catch" the moment?

Firstly, not all oral contraceptives are able to cause a violent response in the work of the ovaries. This can only happen after taking combined contraceptives, such as:

• Jess;
• Yarina;
• Jeanine;
• Marvelon;
• Triquilar;
• Tri-Regol;
• Femoden.

Secondly, in order for the withdrawal effect to take place, you need to take OK for at least three months, and in some cases a six-month course is necessary. In addition, there is a category of women whose ovaries continue to work even while taking oral contraceptives, which means that in this case, the drug can be discontinued without any consequences at all.

What happens to the ovaries after the withdrawal of OK?

Tablets are designed to "turn off" the work of the ovaries and thus stop unwanted ovulation. They can also be prescribed in order to bring the hormonal background of a woman in order. After the cancellation of OK, the ovaries begin to function intensively, the chances that ovulation will occur are significantly increased. Moreover, not one, but several dominant follicles can mature at once.

Accordingly, the “boosting” effect is fraught with the conception of multiple pregnancies, since the abolition of combined oral contraceptives can stimulate “superovulation”. It is impossible to predict exactly how many eggs will mature. It remains only to recall that the multiple pregnancies that entered the Guinness Book of Records occurred precisely against the background of artificially provoked hormonal changes in the woman's body.

Opinion of medical specialists

Doctors have different attitudes to the treatment of infertility in this way. As a rule, it is not among the first methods that a doctor can apply for successful conception, and there are several reasons for this:

• Firstly, not all doctors are positive about the use of oral contraceptives, as such. Studies show that in 1/3 of the cases of taking OK, the hormonal background of a woman is so disturbed that it takes several years to restore it.
• Secondly, doctors are afraid to provoke "superovulation" and get pregnant with three or more embryos. In the IVF protocol, by the way, “superovulation” is also stimulated, but there the mature eggs are completely under the control of doctors and only 1-2, in rare cases, 3 fetal eggs from the total number obtained in vitro will be planted in the woman’s uterus. During the rebound effect, it is impossible to control the number of nuclei, since the whole process takes place outside the laboratory conditions.
• Thirdly, the effect of canceling OK is not considered to be particularly effective. Even if he contributed to the beginning of the maturation of the dominant follicle, this does not at all guarantee that the capsule will burst and the egg will be able to come out, or that the follicle, having reached a large size, will not begin to regress.

Therefore, most medical professionals initially prefer to use more traditional approaches to treating infertility. And, of course, you should not start “treatment” with oral contraceptives without consulting a doctor, because uncontrolled use of drugs can lead to hormonal failure instead of a long-awaited conception against the background of their cancellation.

Reviews

Anna: Don't repeat my mistakes! I read two years ago on the Internet about the miracle effect and prescribed contraceptives for myself, then I drank them, then I didn’t. The result - no conception, all the hormones knocked down, the second year I can not restore.

Irina: My daughter turned out in the second month after the cancellation of OK. Only in my case it was not a cure, I just drank them as a protection. Then the doctor advised me to take a break for a couple of months, and now, the result of the “respite” has already gone to the kindergarten.

Galina: I got both pregnancies on the next cycle after I stopped taking OK. Both times they tried to bring my hormones back to normal with these pills, since ovulation did not occur.

Alena: I also took contraceptives, I hoped for conception after the “treatment”, but, alas ... Apparently, not my method.

Valeria: No point. Although I took six months. After the cancellation, even ovulation did not occur, let alone conception.

Maria: Six years ago I decided to get off the OK reception and start planning a child. The doctor warned that we must wait at least three months, and that is the risk of multiple pregnancy. My husband and I did not heed the warnings, hoping that this would not threaten us. We got pregnant in the second month. At 8 weeks I come for an ultrasound, and there are two fetal eggs in the uterus!

Natalia: Nothing happened to me after the cancellation. Ovulation improved after three months.

Olga: On my folliculometry after the cancellation, it was clear how several dominant follicles were maturing. It was in the first month, but my husband and I decided not to risk it - with my ICI, a multiple pregnancy would not be tolerated.

Nina: The doctor advised me to drink OK for three months, and then get pregnant on cancellation. Nothing happened, although the gynecologist said that the effect works in her other patients.

Elena: We didn't succeed. There was no ovulation, the follicular cyst just matured and that's it.