Will my milk supply decrease during menstruation?

Women do not have their period immediately after giving birth, so the timing of their period varies from woman to woman during breastfeeding. Because the amount of milk produced by each woman during breastfeeding is different, some women with less milk are more worried that their menstruation will affect the amount of milk produced. Of course, this is also related to hormonal changes in the body. So will the amount of milk decrease during menstruation during breastfeeding? Learn more.

1. Menstruation is produced by the regular shedding and bleeding of the endometrium, while breast milk is produced by the joint action of the brain, prolactin and mammary glands. The two are produced by different systems and do not affect each other. In addition, menstruation after childbirth is caused by changes in the mother's own hormone levels and has no effect on the quality of breast milk. It is not true that breast milk during menstruation is dirty or has no nutrition. Sometimes babies don’t like to breastfeed during menstruation. It’s not because the taste of the milk has changed. It may be that hormonal changes have changed the smell of your body, and the baby is not familiar with it.

2. Due to individual differences after childbirth, the menstrual recovery of breastfeeding mothers is also different. Especially for breastfeeding mothers who are exclusively breastfeeding, menstruation will resume later, while for mothers who are mixed feeding or not breastfeeding, menstruation will resume earlier. The reason for milk secretion is that the body is in a high lactation state and prolactin is at a high level, so there will be a continuous secretion of milk. As the lactation period progresses, the level of prolactin is gradually decreasing. When it drops to a certain level, menstruation will occur. After menstruation, breast milk will decrease significantly. Because the prolactin level decreases, milk secretion will also decrease.

3. There is no need to stop breastfeeding if you have your period during breastfeeding. Breast milk contains at least 400 kinds of nutrients. Even after the baby is one year old, breast milk can still provide the baby with some energy, high-quality protein, calcium and other nutrients, as well as various immune protection factors. If you stick to breastfeeding, your baby will be less likely to be obese or overweight, it will be more helpful for the development of the immune system, and it will be more conducive to promoting close contact between mother and child and promoting the development of the child's sensory, psychological and cognitive abilities.