Shorter menstrual cycles after childbirth

Many mothers find that there seem to be some problems with their menstruation after giving birth. For example, some mothers have stopped menstruating, some have had longer menstruation periods, and some even say that their menstrual cycles have become shorter after giving birth. In fact, these are all very normal phenomena, mainly caused by the body not yet adjusting. After a period of time, menstruation will return to normal!

1. When does menstruation come after childbirth?

During pregnancy, hormones change and the ovulatory function of the ovaries is suppressed, so the ovaries stop ovulating and women's menstruation stops. About 6-8 weeks after delivery, hormones change again and ovulation function gradually recovers. Ovulation function begins to recover about 42 days after delivery, so normal menstruation will generally resume about 8 weeks after delivery.

However, the recovery time of mothers who choose to breastfeed may be delayed. This is because during lactation, the body secretes prolactin, which affects the production of estrogen. Generally, breastfeeding mothers will resume normal menstruation about 6 months after delivery. For some mothers, it may be possible to advance or postpone the birth by about 1-2 months, so there is no need to worry too much.

2. Duration of menstrual period

The duration of each menstrual period after delivery should be the same as that before pregnancy. It should be judged based on personal actual situation. Each menstrual period is 2-7 days. As long as the menstrual cycle is normal, there will be no abnormalities. If it is sometimes more and sometimes less, you can choose to observe for a few more months. Generally, menstruation lasts for half a month. It is recommended to go to the hospital for examination to see if there are any organic lesions, such as thickening of the endometrial wall, vaginal inflammation, abnormal uterine recovery, etc.

3. Heavy and continuous menstrual flow

Many mothers have reported that their first menstrual period after childbirth was heavy and very dark in color. Is this abnormal? In fact, the amount of menstruation varies from person to person. Some people have more, and some people have less. If you need to determine whether your menstrual flow is heavy, you can check the use of sanitary napkins to see if they are soaked within an hour, or if you have abdominal pain, dizziness, etc. If so, you should go to the hospital for examination in time, as there may be excessive intrauterine bleeding or other abnormalities.