Getting started

I am one of life's planners, taking no end of pleasure in lots of lists and knowing exactly what's going to happen next. Naturally, I hope to take pregnancy and babies in the same way.

Ha!

The graceful slide from recreational to procreational sex was somewhat spoilt by the fact that I have been on the progesterone only pill for the last 18 months and that to go to Cambodia, I would have to go on a course of anti-malarials.

This posed several problems - it was not a good idea to be trying to get pregnant while on anti-malarials, or for a questionable amount of time afterwards (don't want a malaria baby,see), and also, on the mini-pill as they like to call it, I had no periods at all and two things might happen when I stopped -firstly, there was a good chance I would have a really long period (not fun while on holiday) and secondly, it might take several months for my cycle to get back to normal.

I took these questions to a nice young doctor and bombarded her with them. I must have been a nightmare patient, but I suspect it was only the beginning. Having packed me off with both a huge pile of condoms and enough pills to last me six months longer than I had any intention of taking them, it was down to me to decide what to do.

So after weighing up all my considerations and conflicting advice, a plan of action was decided on - I would carry on taking the pill during Cambodia to avoid inconvenient bleeding, then go off it once I left and use condoms for the next couple of weeks (the half-life we decided Malarone might potentially have) before ditching all birth control and urging nature to take its course.

Strange to think something I have been trying desperately to avoid my whole adult life is now exactly what I am trying to nab.