When can I expect my period to return after breastfeeding?
ByI’m slowly weaning since I wasn’t producing enough milk. We now breastfeed when the mood strikes us and use formula and solids otherwise. She normally gets breastmilk once or twice a day. I don’t plan on weaning completely anytime soon- we’re just letting nature take its course at this point. Since I’m continuing breastfeeding (but not much), will my period most likely continue to be delayed? I know it’s different for everyone, but what have most of you experienced?
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11 Comments
April 22nd, 2010 at 3:44 pm
don’t have an answer but I,too, am breastfeeding.My baby’s 8 months old,still don’t have any periods……….doctor said it may take 3-4 months after I stop breastfeeding…….hope it helps
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Women are different, so your best option would be to ask your mom or your sisters if you can. I started mine again when my son was six months old, and I was still breast feeding. Just be careful, though, because you can be fertile before your period returns! :0)
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Everyone’s body is different, and there’s no way to tell when your cycle will return. In the meantime, assume you’re fertile and your period might show up any day.
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:50 pm
All women are different, and it depends on your individual hormone production. I did not get my period for over a year with my first daughter. I breastfed her for over 2 years. I was certainly one of the lucky ones!
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:44 pm
As you already know, everyone is different. For some women, it can actually take up to a year to resume their periods.
Some women find that their period comes soon after weaning their babies, though that wasn’t the case for me. I nursed my son til he was 18months old. My period came at around 6months pp.
I wasn’t able to nurse my daughter, she was born with a cleft lip/palate. My period returned at around 5 months pp.
April 22nd, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Sorry, but there is no one answer. Both times, my periods came back while I was fully breastfeeding – the first time after just 6 weeks, and the second time after 4 months. However, some people don’t have periods at all while feeding.
April 22nd, 2010 at 6:34 pm
2x mine returned 2mo after I stopped nursing
April 22nd, 2010 at 7:30 pm
My period came when my son was about 10-12 weeks old– and I was breastfeeding on demand, from the breast, exclusively. If you haven’t got your period yet, you are lucky, LOL!! I would guess that it will probably come about four weeks after you discontinue breastfeeding. If it doesn’t, you might want to see a doctor to make sure that you aren’t having some kind of hormonal problem. I am saying this because, once my period was three weeks late, and I went to the doctor & got an ultrasound and he found that my endometrium was really thick (which is bad, because you can get endometrial cancer). I also had multiple ovarian cysts. He said I had PCOS and gave me a shot of progesterone to induce my period (which is actually how I ended up with my son !!).
Also, I was wondering if you had tried any herbal remedies for increasing your milk supply? My mother in law taught me that garlic increases your milk supply. You can sautee a bunch of garlic cloves until they are soft, and then eat 2-4 cloves per day. Your milk supply will increase on the first day, trust me!! I was full-o-milk within five hours.
Low thyroid hormone can cause a decrease in milk supply and also delay your menses. So if you continue to have a problem I would recommend that you have that checked out. It is common for women to present with these kinds of problems after delivery. Better safe than sorry.
April 22nd, 2010 at 8:25 pm
I am breastfeeding and I started my period back at 1 month
April 22nd, 2010 at 9:21 pm
I breastfed my daughter until she was 21 months old. Obviously, toward the end, she was not breastfeeding often, typically just before she went to sleep. I did not have my first period until she was 22 months old.
However, I fed her breastmilk almost exclusively when she was younger, SEVERAL times a day (like maybe 6 times a day or more), so that may have helped to keep my period from returning for so long. Since you are breastfeeding sporadically, your period may return soon.
April 22nd, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Menses typically return when the interval between nursing sessions increases beyond 5 hours. For most breastfeeding women, this happens when their babies begin sleeping through the night.
Even though the interval may be greater than five hours at this point, it might take several months for your body to cycle again. You will likely notice signs that it is “kicking back into gear” – increased vaginal discharge, for example.
In my personal experience, I began to menstruate after my first son began sleeping through the night at 15 months. I went through two or three months of increased discharge, followed by resumed menstruation in the third month.
You might be interested in charting your fertility signs to learn more about your body. You can use the free tools at http://www.fertilityfriend.com if you think they would help. Good luck!