Is it possible to have irregular periods while breastfeeding

COVID may temporarily affect your period, and researchers aren't exactly sure why. The most common symptoms seem to be light periods or longer…. A period menstruation is normal vaginal bleeding that is a natural part of a woman's healthy monthly cycle. This article details the process. Get the answers to your most burning period poop questions, from wiping tips to how to keep your tampon string clean. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M. Hormones and Breast-Feeding.

What Stops Periods? Changes in Feedings. When Your Cycle Normalizes. The Takeaway. Parenthood Pregnancy. Read this next. Also, some people have a non-ovulatory period before 6 months postpartum, but do not menstruate again for many months. According to The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding p.

This is called lactational amenorrhea. Fully breastfeeding means the baby relies completely on breastfeeding for nourishment and for all sucking needs. Frequent nursing inhibits the release of hormones that cause your body to begin the monthly preparations for a new pregnancy. You are more likely to ovulate and resume regular periods if your baby is going for more than a few hours without breastfeeding for instance, at night and your baby is more than 6 months old. Weaning your baby will almost certainly cause your menstrual cycle to return, but most people find that they do not need to wean in order for their cycle to gradually resume.

More information on this topic can be found at our resource page for Breastfeeding and Fertility. Once your baby is not nursing for several hours at a time during daytime or at night, it is possible that you will ovulate. Babies that feed frequently and drink a lot of milk produce an increase in prolactin levels. And, as hormone levels increase, a woman may experience more irregularity in her periods.

Another important aspect is that, although menstruation may be irregular, ovulation may still be taking place. The first period that occurs after giving birth is an indication that the reproductive system is going back to normal.

Therefore, women can become pregnant. However, there are some suggestions that help women feel more at ease and less worried about these symptoms:. Breastfeeding is a stage that you should enjoy. Having a baby is the most beautiful and wonderful experience in life, but it also has its complicated side.

Gillespie adds that choosing a birth control with your doctor is important. There are studies which show that methods containing estrogen could decrease milk letdown, but other studies have challenged that theory and encourage use of whichever method the patient prefers. Heavy bleeding more than six to eight weeks after pregnancy can be a sign of other abnormal findings such as retained placenta, infection, problem with blood vessels, or cancer, and should be addressed in person with a doctor.

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