Can I breastfeed during my menstrual period? Young mothers, please take note.

Women may have their periods during breastfeeding, which is a normal phenomenon. However, there are some sayings among the Chinese folks that you cannot breastfeed during menstruation. Some people say that the milk at this time has no nutrition, and some people say it is poisonous. But experts say that women can still breastfeed during menstruation and there will be no impact.

1. Can I still breastfeed during menstruation?

There is a folk saying that if menstruation comes during breastfeeding, breast milk will no longer be nutritious and may even be toxic to the baby, so weaning is necessary. This statement is unscientific.

Under normal circumstances, the quality of breast milk is best from 11 days to 4 months after delivery. After menstruation, breast milk becomes more concentrated than usual, contains less fat and more protein. This type of breast milk is not harmful to the baby.

In order to avoid the concentration and composition change of breast milk, mothers can drink more boiled water, eat more fish, milk, poultry and vegetable soup during menstruation.

There is no need to wean the baby even if menstruation starts 4 months after delivery. If the milk supply is not enough, you can add supplementary foods such as milk and rice cereal. If the baby's menstruation comes 8 months after delivery, you can wean the baby, reduce the number of breastfeeding times each day, and increase the amount of complementary food.

2. Can I still breastfeed while I am menstruating?

Obstetrician and gynecologist’s answer: Menstruation does affect the quality of breast milk. Under normal circumstances, the quality of breast milk is best from 11 days to 4 months after delivery. 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 may sometimes cause indigestion symptoms in babies, but this is temporary and does not harm the baby. And as long as the menstrual period is over, the quality of breast milk will return to normal. Therefore, whether during or before or after menstruation, mothers do not need to stop breastfeeding, nor do they need to worry that menstruation will affect normal breastfeeding.

The resumption of menstruation after childbirth is a natural physiological phenomenon. The time of recovery varies. Some may have menstruation as early as one month after the baby is born, while others may not recover until the child is one year old. Regardless of when menstruation resumes, it is not a reason to wean.

3. Will I have menstruation during breastfeeding?

When will menstruation resume? In fact, it is normal to have menstruation one month after delivery, and it is also normal not to have menstruation during the breastfeeding period. There is no definite answer to this question, and it varies from person to person.

Generally speaking, during the lactation period, a new mother's milk secretion depends entirely on the hormone prolactin. When the baby sucks the breast, it stimulates the secretion of prolactin, and prolactin inhibits the secretion of estrogen, thereby inhibiting the formation of follicles. If follicles cannot be formed and eggs cannot be released, of course there will be no menstruation.

But from a medical point of view, the ovaries can ovulate 33 to 42 days after delivery. The time of menstruation resumption is closely related to the number of breastfeeding times: the more times you breastfeed and the longer the milking time, the later the menstruation will resume.

Among new mothers who do not breastfeed, 40% resume ovulation around 6 weeks after delivery. Among new mothers who breastfeed, about 25% will resume ovulation and menstruation around 12 weeks after delivery, but most will not fully recover ovulation function until 18 weeks.