How common is it to not have a period during breastfeeding?
ByI have a 3 month old baby. When she was about 1 month and 2 week I had my first regular period since birth. However, the next month I didn’t get it. I’ve been breastfeeding the whole time, and my husband and I have tried to be very careful, although there was one slip up right around the time that i could have ovulated following my period, but I’ve had 2 pregnancy tests around the time I should have started and both were negative. Aside from the pregnancy and births of my 4 children i’ve had a fairly regular cycle, so, how common is it to completely miss you period due to breastfeeding? I’m currently on progesterone only pills (for the last three weeks) for birth control, but the information that came with it seemed to indicate that they might make you bleed more, rather than less.
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14 Comments
April 7th, 2010 at 11:49 am
it is very common.
doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant though.
April 7th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
More common than not! No period is the norm.
April 7th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
The act of suckling at the breast sends out hormones that can prevent eggs from being released in the human female. Hence, no period.
More info below:
April 7th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
You normally don’t get your period while breastfeeding, although it can happen. Progesterone does make the lining of your uterus fuller/thicker, so you may have clumpy blod clot type discharge. Its perfectly normal….no need to worry.
April 7th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I didn’t get my period back until my daughter was starting to wean at 11 months. Those progesteone only pills really mess up your period. I would never suggest taking them.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
First off, it’s very common.
Although not 100%, breast feeding has long been considered a form of birth control.
Check out these links:
http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/lam.html
http://babyparenting.about.com/cs/breastfeeding/f/bcnursing.htm?terms=birth+control+patch
April 7th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Well all my sister’s didn’t have their period for nearly the whole time they were breastfeeding so yeah, it’s pretty normal.
April 7th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
I had the initial after labor period, but nothing- and I mean nothing..no cramping..or period since that first one and it has been 6 months of breastfeeding for me and my daughter. Also, I have even started cutting back on BF, and started some formula (tired of pumping at work…) and I figured cutting back on BF would start my period, but it didn’t. I guess it is just a nice break considering you don’t have time for anything but the baby!
April 7th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
not only did i not have a period at all when breastfeeding, it took almost 3 months after i weaned for it to start back up. I had the best birth control in the world..my husband at the time was in Iraq..so i know it wasn’t that outside sources stopped it. I don’t know if that gives you a statistic but it happened to me.
April 7th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
in my own experience, i got my period back when my son was 9 months. he’s now a year old and my periods have been normal and he is still breastfeeding.
April 7th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
I never stopped menstruating, but my niece didn’t have a period the entire time she breastfed (9 months – oh how I wish that were me). So it would seem that each woman is different, and just as each pregnancy is different, your reaction to breastfeeding as you get older and your body changes could be different. Talk to your ob-gyn or midwife about this situation. Good luck and God Bless.
April 7th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Your body is just trying to level out its hormones. I breastefed both of my boys, and didn’t have a pregnancy for the first 3 months, it never failed to start to 4th month with both kids. Some women don’t have a period for the entire time that they are breastfeeding.
I would give it a few more weeks, and if you still have concerns, call your doc.
April 7th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
It is actually very normal to not have a period while you are breast feeding. Don’t be alarmed
April 7th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Well i dont know how common it is but i breast feed my lil boy until he was 15mo. old and i did not get my 1st period after having him until he was 9mo. old!