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Menstrual Cycle After Childbirth

What You Need to Know About Your Period After Pregnancy

By Shannon McKelden

15 Comments View all >

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During your pregnancy, you'll probably spend a lot of time learning what to expect from labor, delivery and even how to care for your baby after birth. But many women neglect to research what to expect from their own bodies after delivery – including what happens to your menstrual cycle after childbirth.

In terms of menstruation after delivery, you can expect a couple of weeks of lochia, a postpartum vaginal discharge containing blood, mucous and placental tissue. You may continue to spot for up to six weeks after that. But when can you expect to have a real period again? Many women are surprised by the answer.


	The most common thing to affect periods is whether or not you breastfeed.

"After my son was born, I had significant postpartum bleeding for about six weeks, and then no period until several weeks after his first birthday," says Liza Barry-Kessler of Milwaukee, Wis. "I'd also been told that as soon as we started dropping middle-of-the-night nursing times, I'd get my period again. It didn't happen when we went down to two, or down to one, or at all. By the time it came back, I felt like I'd been in the world's longest countdown."

Madelin Zero, on the other hand, got her period only eight weeks after delivery. "I was shocked!" says the New York City resident. "I wasn't expecting to have it until about six months after my daughter was born. I was really bummed."

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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT...

Menstrual Cycle After Childbirth

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Anonymous says

1 week, 3 days ago

I have had my first period after childbirth about two months after delivery, but it has been going on for about a month, its not heavy but is this normal?

Anonymous says

1 week, 4 days ago

mines the oppisite from that my daughters 4 weeks old and i just started my period...is there something wrong with me for starting so soon?

Anonymous says

February 5, 2010

I gave birth on April 1008. I quitted breastfeeding in October 2009. Still, the periods are not comming. Should i be visiting a doctor on this?

onlineposter says

January 28, 2010

Seems as if everyones bodies are just different... Looking at many different online and asking other moms- it seems menstruation can start up as early as 6 weeks postpardum regardless of breast feeding or formula feeding (tho the breast feeding is supposed to delay a bit). For those who think they might be pregnant- go take a test. Milk porduction slows when youre expecting and also when youre about to menstrate, so the only way to know for sure is to pee on a stick. Hope this helps a bit.

Anonymous says

January 22, 2010

My period arrived four months after my son was born, and I breastfeed. My periods have always been heavy and horrible, and I was hoping to get a reprieve from them for a while longer. It's very frustrating.

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