What causes delayed menstruation during breastfeeding?

Many women will experience varying degrees of delay in menstruation after giving birth, especially breastfeeding mothers. Many of them will not have their first menstruation until three months after giving birth. This is mainly because during pregnancy and childbirth, women lose a lot of blood and their bodies are insufficient in qi and blood. During breastfeeding, the mother's nutrients will also enter the baby's body through breast milk, so the body will appear weaker. The following editor will introduce some reasons for delayed menstruation during breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding increases the level of prolactin in the mother's blood, which reduces or stops the secretion of gonadal hormone (GnRH) in the hypothalamus, resulting in no gonadal cycle and no ovulation. Or due to the increase of prolactin in the body, the ovaries respond poorly to gonadotropin, the follicles stop developing and therefore no ovulation occurs. The longer ovulation is delayed, the longer menstruation will be delayed.

The normal menstrual period lasts for 2 to 7 days, and in some cases it lasts for 3 to 5 days. If your period lasts longer than 7 days, it is considered a prolonged period. Prolonged menstruation should be taken seriously and the cause should be thoroughly investigated. Commonly associated with:

(1) Blood diseases such as thrombocytopenic purpura and aplastic anemia are often accompanied by menstruation. If severe uterine bleeding occurs, the menstrual period will be prolonged. Other conditions such as chronic anemia, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, nephritis, etc. can make the blood vessel walls fragile, increase permeability and cause bleeding.

(2) Pelvic inflammation, intrauterine polyps, endometritis, etc. are all caused by intrauterine femoral blood circulation.

(3) Chronic uterine hypertrophy (myometritis) is caused by pelvic congestion and continuous increase in ovarian estrogen, which causes thickening of the uterine muscle layer, resulting in excessive menstruation and prolonged menstruation.

(4) Uterine fibroids, especially submucosal fibroids, can cause menorrhagia and prolonged menstruation due to the expansion of the uterine cavity area and abnormal contraction.

(5) Dysfunctional uterine bleeding, such as anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding and irregular endometrial shedding, are both caused by endocrine dysfunction and lead to prolonged menstruation.

(6) Endometriosis often causes menorrhagia or prolonged menstruation due to affecting the contraction of the uterine muscle layer or due to endometrial enhancement.

(7) Insertion of an IUD can also cause prolonged menstruation.

Therefore, if menstruation is delayed for a long time during breastfeeding, it is best to go to the hospital for a detailed examination, and then carry out effective conditioning according to the specific situation. If it is found that it is caused by certain diseases, relevant treatment should be carried out in time. During menstruation, you should avoid eating raw, cold and spicy foods.