Missing your period is a classic sign of pregnancy as your period usually stops at this time. Some pregnant women may experience light bleeding but it is usually not related to your menstrual cycle. After giving birth, your period does not return immediately as there are major hormonal changes in your body. Resumption of menstruation after giving birth varies from woman to woman depending on various factors. So when will your period resume after giving birth? In an interaction with the OnlyMyHealth team, Dr. Kavita Kovi, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aster Women and Children’s Hospital, Bangalore, answered the same question.
Read more: Menstrual health after giving birth: Expert insights and advice for managing the postpartum period
How long does it take for my period to start again after giving birth?
“After a woman gives birth, her menstrual cycle changes,” Dr Covey says.
She stresses that for women who are not breastfeeding, it usually takes six to 12 weeks for menstruation to resume after giving birth.
But if the mother is breastfeeding, it can take several months or even a year for menstruation to return, depending on the feeding method, she added.
Factors affecting postpartum menstruation
Interestingly, there are many factors that determine when menstruation will resume after giving birth, including breastfeeding habits (frequency and exclusivity), an individual’s hormone levels, weight, general health, stress, and more.
According to Dr. Covey, women who exclusively breastfeed tend to resume their periods later than those who mix breastfeed or don’t breastfeed because certain hormones stimulate milk production and suppress ovulation, causing prolonged periods of amenorrhea in nursing mothers.
Therefore, doctors reiterate that if a woman exclusively breastfeeds frequently, she may not get her period until about 6-12 months.
Is it menstrual bleeding or postpartum bleeding?
When you get your first period after giving birth, it’s easy to confuse it with a pregnancy-related problem, as the symptoms overlap. To distinguish between these two conditions, you need to consider the following:
Postpartum bleeding, also called lochia, occurs within a few weeks after giving birth and is not the same as menstruation.
This is a normal part of the healing process as the uterine lining sloughs off and gradually reduces in size.
Menstruation may resume after a few weeks to a few months, depending on individual factors.
Lochia are usually light in color and may appear watery or white.
What to expect?
Regardless of when your period starts again, don’t expect it to follow a predictable menstrual cycle.
“Your first cycle after giving birth may be irregular,” says Dr. Covey. Hormonal changes and your body’s systems adjusting to the new normal of pregnancy will result in changes in cycle length, flow, and symptoms. It may take a few cycles before your period becomes regular again.”
In fact, it can take up to a year for your menstrual cycle to return to normal, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center.
It’s important to note that while the early postpartum period is characterised by heavy bleeding and severe cramping for many women, it can also be milder and involve a range of symptoms such as fatigue and mood swings.
Dr. Covey concludes that it typically takes several cycles for menstrual flow and symptoms to return to normal.
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