Pregnacy after long term use of contraceptive pills

Dear Ask The Doctor: Can taking the contraceptive pill for a long period of time (say 10 yrs) affect your fertility and ability to concieve in the future?

Dear Elizabeth:

Taking contraceptive pills for such a long time won’t cause infertility but could delay for a few cycles the ability to conceive.

After such a long time of taking artificial hormones, your body might need time to start its natural production again. In a minor quantity of women, after stopping their contraceptives, their ability to become pregnant occurs after more than one but less than 6 cycles. However, most women become pregnant as soon as they stop their contraceptive pills.