What is the reason for menstruation during breastfeeding?

After a woman becomes pregnant, her menstruation stops immediately. After a long ten months of pregnancy, her menstruation will slowly return to normal after giving birth. During the breastfeeding period, new mothers' minds are basically focused on feeding their children. The sudden menstruation has a significant impact on normal life, and the reasons behind it become the most concerning thing. So, what happens if you have your period during breastfeeding? Let’s take a closer look below.

After giving birth, the resumption of menstruation and the timing of ovulation will be affected by breastfeeding. Mothers who do not breastfeed usually welcome their "old friend" 6-10 weeks after giving birth. The recovery time of menstruation for breastfeeding mothers is generally delayed, and some mothers may not have menstruation at all during the breastfeeding period.

There is a phenomenon worth noting: the first menstrual-like vaginal bleeding after childbirth is regarded by many mothers as menstruation. In fact, through basal body temperature measurement, 60% of them are anovulatory. Strictly speaking, it is anovulatory menstruation, which cannot be regarded as real menstruation. The amount of bleeding and duration are much longer than normal menstruation, and the menstrual cycle is also irregular. Therefore, many mothers will have abnormal menstruation for a period of time after giving birth.

The resumption of menstruation after childbirth is a natural physiological phenomenon. How long after giving birth will menstruation come? This is a common question. The time of recovery may be early or late. Some women may have menstruation as early as one month after the baby is one year old, while others may not recover until the baby is one year old.

From a medical point of view, based on the tissue morphology of the endometrium, the ovaries may be able to ovulate as early as 33-42 days after delivery. Research data show that 40% of non-breastfeeding mothers resume ovulation 6 weeks after delivery; by 8-12 weeks after delivery, only about 35% of mothers have not resumed ovulation and menstruation. About 25% of breastfeeding mothers will resume ovulation and menstruation 12 weeks after delivery, and most breastfeeding mothers usually take until 18 weeks to fully resume ovulation function. However, it is sometimes difficult to clinically determine the exact time of the first menstrual period after delivery, and a small number of women will begin to have intermittent bleeding of small to moderate amounts immediately after delivery.

For new mothers who breastfeed their babies, ovulation and menstruation will resume later, and some may not have their period until a year later. For most people, their first menstrual period is heavier than usual, but their second period becomes normal, so no treatment is needed.

When menstruation comes, the amount of milk a breastfeeding mother produces generally decreases, and the quality of the protein and fat in the breast milk also changes slightly, with the protein content being higher and the fat content being lower. This milk sometimes causes indigestion symptoms in babies, but this is a temporary phenomenon and will return to normal after the menstrual period. Therefore, mothers do not need to stop breastfeeding whether during or after menstruation.

Irregular menstruation during breastfeeding

It is normal to have irregular menstruation during breastfeeding. During breastfeeding, endocrine system is not very regular, which is affected by the body's prolactin and estrogen. Once you stop breastfeeding, it will slowly return to normal.

Menstruation may be irregular during lactation, but ovulation will occur, so you should pay attention to contraception. You can use a condom or an IUD.