Long-term use of birth control pills can harm future fertility.

Many women fear that oral contraceptives may delay or impair their ability to get pregnant after they go off the pill. Some believe that they need to take periodic breaks from the pill to let their body “recover” in order to preserve future fertility.

On the contrary, women who try to get pregnant after stopping the pill succeed just as quickly as women who have not taken oral contraceptives.

In fact, women who take oral contraceptives for long periods of time may find it EASIER to get pregnant once they go off the pill than other women. This is probably because hormonal contraception protects against pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy...both of which can impair fertility.