During pregnancy, women have the opportunity to feel various privileges, such as fantastic glowing skin or nine months without menstruation. After childbirth, the body slowly begins to return to its normal state.
During the next few weeks, ie months after the birth, the menstrual cycle will be established. When the first cycle will start depends to some extent on whether you are breastfeeding your baby.
Find out when the cycle is established after pregnancy, how breastfeeding affects its establishment, whether you should use contraception before the first menstruation occurs, and whether it will be the same as before pregnancy.
When the first menstruation occurs after childbirth?
The first menstruation after birth usually occurs after six to eight weeks, if you are not breastfeeding your baby. If you are breastfeeding your baby, the period in which it will appear can vary.
Menstruation can be absent during the entire period of breastfeeding, but only if the mother is "exclusively breastfeeding". Exclusive breastfeeding means that the baby is fed only breast milk and does not take anything else, not even water. So in this period, which usually lasts the first five to six months, menstruation is also absent.
However, it should be emphasized that this is not the rule either and that every woman is different, and thus the time of the appearance of the first menstruation after childbirth.
Can tampons be used?
If your cycle is established very soon after the birth, ie within the first few weeks, your gynecologist will probably advise you not to use tampons in the first period, but only pads.
In the period after giving birth, your body recovers from pregnancy, and by using a tampon, you can injure yourself. Consult your gynecologist about this at the first check-up scheduled six weeks after delivery.
The first menstruation after childbirth - the impact of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding usually prevents ovulation and delays the first menstruation after childbirth. The reason is that prolactin, a hormone responsible for milk production, suppresses the secretion of reproductive hormones.
Therefore, there is no ovulation, nor the release of the egg for fertilization, so there is no menstruation.
Some women, therefore, consider breastfeeding a contraceptive method.
Postpartum contraception
Although breastfeeding has the effect of reducing fertility, it is not an absolute guarantee that you will not stay pregnant.
If you breastfeed and your cycle is established, you are no longer protected from being pregnant. It is important to note that you do not know when your first period after childbirth will appear. The moment the cycle is re-established, you will ovulate before you get your period and realize that the cycle has been re-established. That way you can get pregnant, thinking that you are still protected by breastfeeding.
Therefore, it is still recommended to use contraceptives after childbirth, regardless of whether you are breastfeeding or not. Consult your gynecologist about choosing a contraceptive.
Will menstruation be different after childbirth?
When the first menstruation occurs after childbirth, there are chances that it will not be the same as before pregnancy. Your body adjusts to menstruation once again, so you may notice or feel some of the following differences:
Cramps that are more or less pronounced than before
The appearance of small blood clots
More intense bleeding
Bleeding that stops then starts again
Intensified pain
Unequal cycle length
During the first menstruation, you may experience particularly intense bleeding compared to before, as well as stomach cramps. In rare cases, due to complications such as thyroid problems or endometritis, a large outflow of blood can occur.
In most cases, as the cycle continues, all the emphasized characteristics of menstruation will slowly subside.
@Andjela99
For women who are now pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, this post is very important! Great topic, and very useful!