Reasons for irregular menstruation during breastfeeding

We all know that it is normal for women to experience irregular menstruation and blood clots in the first month of breastfeeding, but starting from the second month of breastfeeding, menstruation will generally become normal. If female friends have irregular menstruation during breastfeeding, it may be because you often stay up late or have irregular diet. Therefore, we recommend that everyone should know the reasons for irregular menstruation during breastfeeding.

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. Based on the tissue morphology of the endometrium, the ovaries may be able to ovulate as early as 33-42 days after delivery. In addition, the presence of a corpus luteum after ovulation can also be observed 6 weeks after delivery. Therefore, if the mother does not breastfeed, menstruation usually comes within 6 to 8 weeks 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 periods 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.

Since the first menstruation after childbirth is usually an anovulatory cycle or is caused by dysfunctional corpus luteum induction, and the ovaries are still not very sensitive to the stimulation of gonadal hormones at this time, various abnormal phenomena are common, such as the continuous dripping of postpartum lochia, occasional irregular and repeated small amounts of bleeding, or bleeding similar to menstruation during the confinement period.

I hope female friends can pay attention to the reasons for irregular menstruation during lactation introduced above, because this will cause great harm to the body of female friends. Irregular menstruation during lactation may be due to endocrine disorders, which may affect the breastfeeding process and the quality of breast milk.