Menstruation After Birth

Cycle recovery after childbirth

After childbirth, women experience vaginal discharge known as lochia. This is part of the cycle recovery after childbirth. Lochia can vary in consistency, color, and duration. They somewhat resemble menstrual discharge but are not menstruation, which is why many women wonder, “When will menstruation start after childbirth?”

Lochia are vaginal bloody discharges that begin immediately after childbirth. They consist of blood, mucus, and damaged uterine tissues. Their duration ranges from 4 to 6 weeks and ceases when the uterine wound surface heals. After some time, menstruation is expected to resume.

The menstrual cycle after childbirth depends on:

1) method of feeding the baby (breastfeeding, mixed, or formula);

2) the mother’s lifestyle (observing sleep and rest routines, proper balanced nutrition);

3) and most importantly, the hormonal background of the woman, which is responsible for the return of menstruation after childbirth.

Why hasn’t menstruation returned after childbirth?

Many mothers are concerned about the question: why hasn’t menstruation returned after childbirth? Everything in its own time.

The menstrual cycle recovery after childbirth during breastfeeding can begin after several months of nursing or may not occur at all during the entire lactation period. The sooner the mother stops night feedings, the sooner menstruation will return, since it is during the night that the hormone called prolactin, which is responsible for breast milk production, is produced.

On average, cycle recovery takes 1.5-2 months for both breastfeeding and formula-feeding mothers. However, the absence of menstruation can last from six months to a year and a half, which is completely normal. While a mother is breastfeeding her baby, she often experiences no discharge, although ovulation occurs every month.

It’s important to caution women against a common mistake: many naively believe that as long as there are no regular menstrual cycles during breastfeeding, pregnancy is impossible and they can relax regarding contraception. This is a misconception. Pregnancy does not occur because of menstruation; it depends on ovulation. And it’s not easy to know when ovulation occurs. Although with formula feeding, the menstrual cycle recovers much faster than with natural breastfeeding, in this situation ovulation can happen as early as 1.5-2 months after childbirth. Therefore, pregnancy is possible even before the first period after childbirth appears.

Norm for Menstrual Cycle Recovery After Childbirth

Generally, the return of menstrual periods after childbirth aligns with a normal cycle. However, this is not always the case; the cycle may take time to adjust over the first two to three menstruations, so a delay or, conversely, an early onset of periods is permissible and can be considered normal. However, if the menstrual cycle is still not established after several months, it is recommended to visit a gynecologist to rule out inflammation or other conditions.

Normally, a period lasts 3-7 days. The majority of blood is lost on the 1st and 2nd day. However, more significant blood loss after childbirth is also a reason to see a doctor.

The duration of menstruation and the time between them can vary. But if they correspond to physiological norms, that’s good.

The way childbirth occurred (natural or cesarean) does not affect how the menstrual cycle will recover, and it depends more on how the mother feeds the baby.

It happens that after childbirth, the nature of menstruation can change. For example, if there were cycle irregularities before childbirth, menstruation may begin at regular intervals afterward. If menstruation used to be painful, it might now be much easier to bear. The pain syndrome is often associated with the bending of the uterus before childbirth, which hinders the outflow of menstrual blood from the uterus. However, with the onset of pregnancy and after childbirth, the uterus assumes a more physiological position, so the pain symptoms disappear.

More detailed information about the recovery of the female body after childbirth can be found on the online course at momslab.com.