Irregular Period After Pregnancy

Irregular Period After Pregnancy


Contents:


Is It Normal to Have Irregular Periods after Having a Baby and Breastfeeding?

One of the most important questions, which women ask about their health after pregnancy and childbirth, is the menstrual cycle because period is the main indicator of woman's health. After the birth of the child amid renovation of processes, occurring in general in a woman's body, changes occur with her menstrual cycle.

Period can be delayed, be irregular and even disappear for some time. But you don't need to panic, because this is natural and normal. The speed of recovery and establishing of the menstrual cycle after pregnancy in women depends on the physiological parameters of hormonal levels, the presence or absence of breastfeeding, stress, etc. We will discuss in our article the period after childbirth-an irregular cycle, delay, particularities.

Particularities of Period after Childbirth

As practice shows, the menstrual cycle after pregnancy may become a bit unpredictable and possess a number of characteristics. There is no specific time limit within which menstruation is to start after childbirth. The time of its occurrence is individual.

Many women say that within a few months after giving birth, they have irregular menstrual cycle, and period at times occurs very painful. This is because the female body needs some time to return to the normal mode of operation.

Spotting in healthy women should take no more than 3-7 days. Very short (a few days) or on the contrary too long menstruation, ending with the smear of blood, can mean the problems in female reproductive system – tumors of the uterus (fibroids), endometriosis (growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterus).

The volume of menstrual blood also matters. Normally it is about 50-150 ml. Too much or too little of menstrual blood is also indicative of pathology. The duration of the cycle after birth may change. If before the birth the cycle of a woman was, for example, 20-30 days, then after birth, this figure could make 25 days.

Often mothers who have recently given birth have the so called premenstrual syndrome, in which a woman becomes very irritable, whiny, sometimes experiencing dizziness, insomnia, increased feelings of hunger and even nausea.

Some women note the emergence of menstrual pain, which they had not experienced before the birth. The pain is usually caused by the body's reluctance to fully recovery, psychological instability, inflammatory processes in the small pelvis or strong contractions of the uterus. If during menstruation a woman constantly has to drink painkillers and antispasmodics, then she must see a gynecologist.

Quite often the opposite situation happens. After childbirth women who previously suffered from severe pain during menstruation, report that it has become painless. This is due to the change of the position of the uterus in the pelvis, that eliminates the obstacles for normal outflow of blood.

When any anxiety, disturbing a woman about her menstruation after childbirth, she should contact her gynecologist, but usually all of the above-described boundary conditions disappear in a few months.

Particularities of Period after Birth While Breastfeeding

Irregular Period After Pregnancy 1

A great influence on menstruation after childbirth has a breastfeeding of a baby. The woman's body begins to operate in unknown hitherto conditions. Pituitary increases sharply the prolactin hormone, which is responsible for breast milk and lactation process.

It is due to high content of prolactin period after childbirth may be absent for a long time. Nature thus takes care of mother and baby and throws all the body forces to breast-feeding, suppressing the ovary function by blocking ovulation and thus making it impossible a new pregnancy in a depleted body.

The peculiarities of period after delivery while breastfeeding is that menstruation might not occur until the completion of breastfeeding. The menstruation is delayed due to the fact that during breastfeeding of a child pituitary produces the hormone prolactin, overwhelming ovarian function, for example, ovulation, which prevents the occurrence of a new pregnancy while breastfeeding. Prolactin may act as the cause of irregular menstrual cycle after pregnancy.
Irregular period after pregnancy

If a woman is breastfeeding, then the first period after birth comes in about 2-3 months. Moms whose kids are on mixed feeding, i.e. lactation is present, but not on demand, menstruation begins, on average in 4-5 months.

Mode of delivery does not affect the time of first menstruation and establishing of the period. However, women who suffer complications as hemorrhage, septicemia, endometritis, etc. their period can start a little later than it is due, as these processes are delaying recovery of the uterus due to damage from inflammation.

Irregular period after pregnancy is quite common. Often after childbirth, period becomes irregular: period either comes, or doesn't come, is delayed for several days, or vice versa starts earlier than in previous times.

Period can settle up to 4-6 months, but if after this period of time the span between the start of menstruation varies by more than 5 days, this is a reason to see a doctor for advice. The resumption of the regularity of period after childbirth is a sign that the female body has fully restored its reproductive function and is ready for a new pregnancy.

Delayed Period after Childbirth

As mentioned earlier, resumption of period after childbirth is influenced by many factors, among which:

  • the general condition of mom's organism;
  • her psychological condition;
  • presence or absence of full sleep and rest;
  • stress situations;
  • nutrition;
  • complications at childbirth.

An average period recovers after the birth of a child after 2-3 months from the date of completion of spotting (lochia). If after this time period at a woman has not started, she begins to worry about delays and possible pregnancy.

Sometimes it happens that period after childbirth has already begun, then for some time period was regular, and then it began to falter. This is a typical situation while breastfeeding. But if the cycle disruptions continue after cessation of lactation, it is necessary to consult a physician, because such delay of period after childbirth can be a symptom of a number of diseases.

Long delay of period after childbirth can be caused by the following reasons:

  • insufficient release of the estrogen hormone , which is caused by a hormonal malfunction in the body;
  • the presence of cystic changes in the ovaries;
  • infectious disease;
  • the general weakening of organism of a nursing mother, associated with chronic sleep deprivation or stress;
  • inflammatory processes in the genitals;
  • the presence of tumors in the uterus or ovaries;
  • a new pregnancy;
  • Sheehan's syndrome or pituitary apoplexy.

First and foremost, in clarifying the reasons for the delay of period after childbirth, the repeated pregnancy should be excluded. After all, a woman can easily conceive again before the start of the first period after pregnancy because period comes nearly 2 weeks later after ovulation, which is sufficient for fertilization.

If the pregnancy test is negative, and gynecologist at the examination, analysis and ultrasound has not found any abnormalities, the woman should consult an endocrinologist, because long delay of period after childbirth can be a symptom of the Sheehan's syndrome when pathological changes occur in the pituitary gland, causing a breach of the prolactin hormone secretion. This syndrome can be triggered by profuse bleeding during childbirth or other pregnancy complications.

To the women after childbirth for a speedy recovery, we recommend to closely monitor their health, take vitamins, do light exercises, give enough time to rest, walk in the fresh air and sleep, as well as be fully nourished. Daily regime and rational activity will ensure the rapid return to the form, establishing the cyclical and hormonal process and regularity of period.

Remember that not always a long delay in period after delivery or cycle failure are dangerous, but in any case it is not undesirable to self-medicate. In case of any questions and problems with the reproductive system, seek advice from the experts.

6 Comments

  • Carol says:

    Thanks.very informative.

  • Kuntee says:

    I have irregular my after pregnancy nd on nd off after 10 to 15 days nd sometimes painfulI had delivery seven month back nd still baby on breastfeedingShould I consult doctor of its normal

  • lala says:

    i see my period 2 times after delivery then my period is missed until now without breastfeeding. now a days i feel a headach and i’m so worried is it related or is it normal a period missed without breastfeeding?

  • Deepa ravishankar says:

    Hi sir/madamAs my 1st periods started after 7th month after baby born .I got periods on 18/5/18…waiting for 2nd periods…I checked pregnancy test also it’s showing negtive..i am worried that after my first pregnancy same thing as happened but that time I was pregnant for second baby..this time I don’t want the same to happen….shall I wait for some more days or shall I have tablets to gets periods…suggest me regarding this.

  • Sunitha says:

    I have 3 baby last baby now getting one year till now periods not came

  • Comfort says:

    What is the solution of infections after child birth that courses irregular mensuration does it have a solution.if yes how can I get a solution to it.

Leave a Reply to Kuntee Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *