The first rule after childbirth: how and when it comes

The reappearance of the rule after childbirth is very variable from one woman to another. After the birth of your baby, female hormones need time to stabilize and return to function as they did before birth.

It is a neuro-endocrine mechanism that starts again, in which each woman has her own rhythm and in which a very important factor intervenes, which is whether you are breastfeeding or not. We will talk about the first rule after childbirth and how and when it comes.

When the period returns after delivery

After expelling the postpartum lochia, the rule may appear in a woman who has not breastfed within a few weeks, while in a breastfeeding woman she can do so after weeks, months or even years.

The most normal thing in women who are not breastfeeding is that the ovarian activity is restarted a month after giving birth. However, in some it may be two or three months later. According to WHO data, almost all women who do not breastfeed their baby four months after delivery they have already restarted the menstrual cycle.

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How the period returns after delivery

It is also normal that there are mismatches during the first cycles or that the rule does not return to be as before the delivery in duration and in quantity. The first rules are usually more abundant and can last longer than usual.

The premenstrual symptoms can also be different, although as we said, each woman is different and there are those who after the first menstruation after childbirth return to have their rule on a regular basis, as before.

The first menstruation after postpartum amenorrhea It may or may not be preceded by ovulation, so if there has been (which is very difficult to prove) it is likely to get pregnant if proper precautions are not taken.

Between 1% and 11% of women become pregnant in the period of amenorrhea after childbirth.

Menstruation during breastfeeding

There are women who spend a lot of time after childbirth without menstruation, some even years because they chain a pregnancy, the period of breastfeeding and another pregnancy.

This is because during breastfeeding, the mother produces prolactin, a hormone that stimulates milk production. This hormone is responsible for reducing the production of two other hormones (LH, luteostimulating hormone, and FSH, follicle stimulating hormone), which cause a hormone to be produced. anovulation and therefore menstruation does not occur for a more or less long period, while breastfeeding lasts.

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If you breastfeed your baby, the recurrence of menstruation after delivery does not stop you from breastfeeding. This does not influence either the quality or the amount of food it receives.

So I can't get pregnant while I am breastfeeding?

It is what many mothers believe, but it is not so. Yes you can get pregnant during breastfeeding.

Known as MELA (lactation and amenorrhea method) It is a natural contraceptive method that basically consists of relying on breastfeeding as a contraceptive method, since if there is no ovulation, there is no menstruation and there is no pregnancy.

But for it to work, the following circumstances must occur:

  • That breastfeeding is exclusive (without infusions or water)
  • That the baby is less than 6 months old
  • There should be no bleeding
  • The baby should not spend more than 6 hours without breastfeeding at night, or more than 4 hours during the day.

If these conditions are met, the reliability between 3 and 6 months of life of the baby is considered to be 98-99%.