The question that worries almost all newly minted mothers: "How much after delivery do menstruation begin?" This is not surprising, because it is the menstrual cycle, as a rule, that is the guideline for the state of women's health. We offer a more detailed understanding of the topic, when the menstruation should begin after childbirth, and find answers to the most common questions of young mothers.
Lochia - is it the same as menstruation?
It is worth starting the discussion of the topic with the discharge that appears after childbirth. Many equate them to very plentiful periods, but this is not so!
Such spotting is called lochia. They occur due to the wound formed as a result of separation of the placenta on the uterine wall. Unlike menstruation, lochia will not stand out for several days, but about 5-8 weeks. During this time, their number will gradually decrease, and the color will become almost transparent.
Why menstruation does not start right away?
During pregnancy and childbirth, the female body undergoes a major restructuring and begins to function in completely different conditions. Before menstruation begins, he will need to fully recover. This will be followed by regulation of the hormonal background, its return to the “pre-pregnant” state. Only after this will the first menstruation after childbirth begin. Norms when this should happen do not exist. Each of the cases is unique, and the terms can vary from two months to a year or even more.
There are no periods, so pregnancy will not come and can not be protected?
How many periods after delivery begin menstruation, will depend on several factors, which we will consider a little later. Is there a chance of becoming pregnant during the absence of menstruation?
Many are convinced that before the onset of the first critical days this is impossible. But such an opinion is erroneous! To begin with, let's recall what “menstruation” is. These are bleeding that is caused by rejection of the uterine membrane if a mature egg has not been fertilized.
Which conclusion follows from this? Ovulation occurs before the first menstruation begins. It is impossible to predict when this will happen. This means that unprotected intercourse can coincide with the period of maturation of the egg, and as a result, pregnancy will occur before the onset of the first menstrual period after childbirth.
Therefore, if the plans of the newly minted parents do not include the birth of another baby, you should not refuse to use contraceptives. By the way, condoms are the best choice for a recently born woman. For a while, you will have to forget about various hormonal drugs, spirals and other drugs.
Does cycle recovery depend on the type of delivery?
It has long been proven that the way a baby is born does not affect the duration of recovery. But it is worth considering that with a cesarean section, the uterus is injured much more severely, which means that the menstrual cycle after childbirth can recover a little later. But these terms will not be so significant.
The only exceptions are cases of complicated delivery, after which bleeding, sepsis, endometritis, or other serious diseases were observed. All of them significantly inhibit the restoration of the uterus, as a result of which the first menstruation will come much later than the deadlines stipulated by the norms.
Now it’s time to answer the most important question of the article: “How much after delivery do menstruation begin?” Recall that all the indicated time intervals will be only approximate. In addition, the onset of the first menstruation depends on many internal and external factors.
When will the menstruation begin, if the baby is breastfeeding?
Restoring the menstrual cycle is closely related to breastfeeding. During the lactation period, the amount of prolactin in the body increases significantly. But this hormone is not only responsible for the production of milk. It stops the cyclic processes in the ovaries, as a result of which ovulation does not occur, which means that menstruation also does not occur. The main goal of the body now is feeding the baby. It is precisely to this that he directs all his forces, preventing a new conception.
Young mothers need to know that the production of prolactin depends on how often the baby is applied to the breast. And this applies not only to daytime, but also to night! This information will be needed by those who want to establish breastfeeding and achieve the production of a sufficient amount of milk. You just need not to refuse the child in nightly applications and in no case to replace the chest with a bottle, especially at night.
Months after childbirth with breastfeeding begin when the amount of milk decreases. This usually happens with the beginning of the introduction of complementary foods, when the baby is 6 months old. The first menstruation can begin after at least one feeding has been completely replaced by adult food.
There are also frequent cases when the menstruation after childbirth during breastfeeding does not begin until the lactation is complete. If a woman during this period does not bother anything (pain, unusual discharge, etc.), then there is absolutely no reason to panic.
Feed or not if menstruation begins?
No matter how strange it may sound, many young mothers ask a similar question. Of course, do not stop breastfeeding! The only thing to consider is that the amount of milk may slightly decrease during menstruation. True, this problem is very easy to fix. It is enough just to put the baby to the chest more often.
Many have noticed that during menstruation, the baby may begin to refuse to breast or eat very poorly. Some experts explain this by a change in the taste of milk, while others are sure that the matter is in the increased work of the sweat glands. Therefore, during critical days, mother needs to visit the shower more often, put the baby to her chest according to every requirement.
When will the menstruation begin, if the baby is on mixed feeding?
If for some reason there is not enough breast milk and the baby is fed with the mixture from the first weeks of life, critical days will begin much earlier than in the previous version. When should the period after childbirth begin in this case? This occurs after about 5 months, although there are slight deviations from this norm.
When will the menstruation begin if the baby is fed with a mixture?
How many months after childbirth do menstruation begin, if the mother chose artificial feeding for the baby? In such a situation, the first ovulation can occur within 9 weeks, which means that critical days will come after 11 weeks. But the average value that experienced gynecologists call is 3 months. That is how much time the body will need to restore hormonal balance after childbirth in the absence of lactation.
What external factors can affect cycle recovery?
The restoration of menstrual function is also affected by many external factors. That is why women are recommended to devote sufficient time to sleep and rest, take various vitamin complexes, do not give up walks in the fresh air, avoid stress, eat well, and so on.
Thus, it will be possible not only to quickly restore cyclic hormonal activity, but also to establish lactation (if this is still relevant).
What periods can be considered "normal"?
In most cases, the menstrual cycle after childbirth is restored very quickly. Menstruation occurs regularly, has a normal duration and intensity, a woman no longer suffers from severe pain and so on.
Although there are some deviations from the norm: an increase or decrease in the cycle, meager or, conversely, more abundant discharge and so on. Note that with regard to the duration of the cycle and menstruation itself, there are some generally accepted norms that gynecologists are guided by:
- The duration of menstruation should be within 4-6 days.
- Menstrual bleeding should be repeated every 21-34 days.
- The amount of discharge should not exceed 80 ml (approximately 6 tablespoons).
What can the deviation from one or several points of the norm indicate at once? Let's get it right.
If your period is delayed or “gone”
It also happens that the periods after delivery are gone. If a woman still supports breastfeeding, there is nothing to worry about. Irregular periods after childbirth can remain for 2-3 months. You just need to remember that soon the cycle will improve, and critical days will come when you need to.
But if there is any suspicion, it is better to consult a gynecologist and undergo a diagnosis. In some cases, irregular periods after childbirth can indicate hormonal imbalance. If this is true, the doctor will prescribe a special treatment that will help to cope with the problem.
Delayed menstruation after childbirth can be associated with the onset of pregnancy. In particular, couples who abandoned the use of contraceptives should think about it.
Change the number of selections
Poor monthly periods after childbirth or, conversely, too many secretions in many cases indicate the presence of serious diseases. For example, an excessively plentiful amount of blood is released when:
- endometriosis;
- endometrial hyperplasia;
- adenomyosis.
A meager period may indicate an increased level of prolactin in the blood. This is also an occasion for an immediate visit to the gynecologist.
When to run to the doctor?
Women who have given birth are waiting for menstruation in order to be sure that everything is in order with their health. But there are several signs, the appearance of which should alert.
It is necessary to seek the help of a doctor in cases when, during menstruation, the following are observed:
- too abundant discharge, in which the need to change the gasket occurs every hour or even more often;
- change the color of the discharge to scarlet (bright red);
- bad smell;
- the discharge did not stop or at least did not decrease after a week;
- blood clots;
- deterioration in overall health, fever.
All these signs may indicate postpartum hemorrhage, so you should not postpone a visit to a specialist.
And finally ...
If a young mother breastfeeds a baby and at the same time feels great, do not worry about the absence of menstruation. Sooner or later they will begin.