Breastfeeding:Menstruation

How soon after birth will I begin my menstraul cycle if I breastfeed?

If you don't breastfeed your baby, your menstruation will return after about 5-8 weeks. Your menstruation may be irregular in the beginning, so it may take longer than your normal cycle for the second period to appear. Ovulation may return before menstruation, so be careful with regards to contracaeption

Breastfeeding and your menstruation
Breastfeeding delays menstruation. This can be a few months, but it could also delay your menstruation for over a year. Sometimes the menstruation will start `bumpy`, it could for example return once only to stay away for a few more months. The length of your cycle can also differ from the one you had before you had your baby.

When will it return?
It depends on several factors. The most important is your own body chemistry. This is different for all women. The second factor is the frequency of breastfeeding. The more you feed, the longer your menstruation will be delayed. As soon as you stop breastfeeding your baby during the night the menstruation will come soon as hormones that stop your menstruation are no longer produced as much as before.

Menstruation = End of breastfeeding?

Menstruation does not mean the end of breastfeeding. Your milk will keep its nutritious value, even during your period. De amount of milk during your period may drop a little, but this will return to normal after your period. The taste of the milk may differ during menstruation, and your baby may not like this. You may also have sore nipples during a menstruation.

Comments: Breastfeeding - Menstruation

Comments 1 to 24 of about 63.
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~Kristy~ - 5 days ago.
DD is almost 15 months and still no AF. I feed a few times a night usually one side per feed. Getting a little concerned...

jinx - 46 days ago.
my baby girl is now 5.5months and is sleeping through the night 7 till 7 she has started solids but still has breast milk first and i want to continue BF for as long as posible however my fiance and i would really like the next baby close in age and want to start TTC again but no AF yet. when will it come? Ayla has been sleeping through for 3 weeks.

gladek - 46 days ago.
My son will be eleven months on the 20th of this month, and still no period for me. And I would love to actively TTC again, so I hope it comes back soon. I know it is possible to still get pregnant, but it would be a lot easier if I was ovulating on a regular cycle!

manda-may - 46 days ago.
The week I finally eased out of breast feeding, I got my period! Still, it was nice while it lasted. (BF for 10 months).

mrsmoorehead - 47 days ago.
ugh!!!!!! I am 7 wks postpartum with my third child and with each child I have exclusively BF and as with each of the other 2 I got AF at exactly 7 weeks! Why cant I be one of the lucky ones?? I hate that! Its just not right! LOL (not really, Im actually crying!)

DulcianasMom - 53 days ago.
I have EBF baby since birth, she is almost 7months old. We introduced solids a little over a month ago but i would always BF first, then offer solids. She has 3 meals a day and BF around 4-5 times still and i got my period in August :( I couldnt beleive it....shocked! Its not as bad as before i got pregnant, no cramps at all (??) I used to have A LOT of issues with my periods/hormones and I am honestly really scared about what it will be like when she does fully wean (not until the far future hopefully, i would like to BF for at least a year and then let her self wean). I think the only reason i'm not having issues like i used to before i was pregnant is because of the hormones from BF'ing. The only difference i notice is my supply dips down a bit when AF starts. But, it hasnt seemed to effect her at all, she's contented as can be :o)

love-a-belly - 54 days ago.
hi modelimited- you can still get pregnant because you could ovulate at any time if your bub is sleeping trough the night then that lack of a feed could induce AF. but it is normal once there are less feeds your AF will come back and slowly get it's self back into your normal pettern. some women AF will return at 6w after they give birth i got my fisrt one 8 weeks after and i was exclusivly breast feeding for four monthsthen my bub was having his first solids. but some women won't have one untill their baby is weened :) hope this helps

modelimited - 54 days ago.
I had my daughter back in May, breastfed strong until July but still haven't gotten my period. Is that normal? Can I get pregnant if I'm not having a period? I'm so confused!

Stacemingas - 89 days ago.
My daughter just turned one on the 11th and I got my period the 21st. Yuck!! Oh well, at least I got the wonderful break for over a year!! I guess it just surprised me to see blood! I definitely wasn't expecting it! Especially since I am still nursing at night and even 1-2 times during the day. I guess everyone is different!

nikkinumberthree - 94 days ago.
I had my baby almost 9 months ago and had to quit bfeeding in mid July... I still have not gotten my period back?? with my other 2 babies I had it back within a month but this time it feels like forever. I want to start trying for my 4th and FINAL baby in September but am worried that not having my period will throw my body off. Can I even get pregnant w/out having a period?? hmmm?

lovemylove - 96 days ago.
My son is 19 months and nursing strong. Still no period. It has been awesome but I want to get pregnant in Jan 2010 when he turns 2. I dont want to wean him either. Does anyone know if it is possible to get pregnant without a period? Or better yet has it happened to anyone? Thanks!

campimama - 113 days ago.
Ugh, AF has returned. I went 19 months without a cycle, I guess I should be thankful it stayed away as long as it did...

campimama - 120 days ago.
I haven' gotten mine back yet and son is 11 months old. It really just depends on each person. My sis got hers back at 6 months, my mom not till she completely weaned. Some women get it back right away. Your body will eventually get back to normal ;)

Bri - 121 days ago.
My sister never got her period back until about a month or so after her children are completely weaned. Some of you are just lucky not to have to deal with it until after a long time. I got it back when Kekoa was 8 or 9 months.

lynndianna - 121 days ago.
Well, I am now wondering when I will start my period again. My DD turned 7months on the 15th of July. I just started feeding her baby food at 5-6 months. Now she eats 2 jars a day. I am praying I am not pregnant. A couple of weeks ago I thought for sure AF was coming b/c I was cramping really bad but it never showed. I am not on any BC now. I go to the OB this Monday and plan on getting the shot then. Bad thing is BC and AF gives me worse migraines so I am not sure what will happen with that. Anyone with advice on my AF coming or BC would be great! Sorry so long but I haven't wrote in a long while. So, sorry I forgot to say I am breastfeeding and still feeding 2-3 times during the night.

adalynnsmommy - 122 days ago.
Thanks Bri - it's worth a shot!

Bri - 122 days ago.
adalynnsmommy -I think everyone I know has a decrease around their time of the month. But in my situation my son was well past the eating food stage that I was ok with a bit of a drop. How most get around it is during that time you just need to feed more often. Back to when Baby was getting up every couple of hours during the night. I also ate fermented oatmeal which really helped me pump more when I was working. I would start eating it twice a day a couple days before I was due and continue on until it ended. It worked for me. Every women is different though.

adalynnsmommy - 122 days ago.
Hi All. I'm one of those few lucky women who despite exculsively breastfeeding got my cycles back 7 weeks pp. YEAH ME!!! Question is has anyone else in this situation noticed a decrease in milk supply with each cycle? Did anything help you to keep the supply up - I've tried herbs and medication from the dr with no success

kelly-roo - 137 days ago.
got my period back today. the baby and I have slowly been pulling back breastfeeding times. ....I hope my periods are less painful then they use to be! ...I found my periods more painful then childbirth. I thought I dried up yesterday because my supply was so low and the baby was so fussy(thought maybe she wasn't getting anything) ....I've heard milk supply dips around period time so I guess we are there. We want to try for another. ...how consistent is ovulation once the first period kicks in? I'm gonna keep breastfeeding and pumping. The baby has made if very clear that she needs to nurse around 4am for comfort reasons and I won't deny her that. She will accept sleeping in my bed rather then nursing BUUUTTTT I don't prefer that. I can't slep w/ her in our bed. I'm a kicker/turner/swinger in my sleep and to lay still so I won't bother the baby causes me to stay awake.

autty - 175 days ago.
Just started bleeding yesterday....my son is turning one on June 20. I've been on the mini pill since he was 6 weeks old. He's really decreased his eating during the day. Only eats in morning twice and once at night. DARN! I better get on something stronger as I don't want to get preggers yet

SherB - 179 days ago.
Oh now I'm paranoid about the Alesse if its not as safe as the mini pill, still haven't started birth control yet.

izziebo - 180 days ago.
amys 9 months today and i got my 1st period today exactly 9 months from her birth lol weird! andys now terified im 'fertile' again hehe

shirls - 181 days ago.
I got my period back finally yesterday, so now I am not so paranoid about TTC with our 3rd. Although this period has NOT been fun so far. Making up for lost time I guess. SherB - I didn't get my period back from the pill - if you take the mini pill (the one safe for breastfeeding) it is a progesterone only pill, so it shouldn't affect your period. My milk supply wasn't affected at all by the pill either.

SherB - 189 days ago.
I'm breastfeeding (only) and plan to start taking birth control (Alesse) but don't want to get my period as i'm enjoying my time off from it :P How likely is it that I will get my period from starting the pill and has anyone had it effect their milk production?? The milk production part is the bigger problem, I'm scared it will decrease my supply too much at once or something and then i'll have to start my daughter on formula which I definitely don't want to do at all.

shirls - 191 days ago.
My daughter is 9 months old (today) and I still haven't gotten my period. I even gave in and bought a pg test a few weeks ago, because I was starting to get paranoid. :P I've been on the mini pill for 6 months and it didn't affect me getting my period back at all. DH and I were planning on going off the pill and TTC our third (and likely last) starting around our daughter's first birthday. Now, I'm starting to worry that I won't even be ovulating yet.