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After childbirth when the menstrual cycle begins. An important first time, or features of the restoration of menstruation after childbirth

The minimum period for which the female reproductive system is fully restored is just over a month. This occurs when the postpartum lochia discharge ends.

Maximum recovery time– several years, which is associated with prolonged breastfeeding. While maintaining lactation, the new mother’s body continues to produce hormones, and ovulation does not occur.

However, most often a woman’s first spotting occurs within 4-12 months after childbirth, and its occurrence is associated with a large number of factors.

Reasons why there is no period:

. For a woman, childbirth is a psychological and physiological stress; a real riot of hubbub begins inside. After the reproductive system is restored, menstruation will begin.
With established lactation, the hormones oxytocin and prolactin are produced, which together are responsible for the flow of milk. They suppress cyclic processes in a woman’s body, and there are no periods.
Maintaining a daily routine, adequate sleep and proper nutrition. If there is a lack of sleep, nervous or physical exhaustion, the body simply will not be able to recover, which means that menstruation will begin much later. Violation of the psycho-emotional state, for example, postpartum depression, also negatively affects rehabilitation.

Restoration of hormonal levels after childbirth, which depends on the mother’s lifestyle, including

can have a detrimental effect on the menstrual cycle, delaying it further or stopping it altogether.
Taking hormonal medications. The female body is very sensitive to various hormonal medications that can make changes in the cyclicity of menstrual bleeding or eliminate them.
Age of the mother who gave birth. It is also quite possible that pregnancy and the birth of a child occurred just before the onset of menopause in the mother. Then the female body begins a kind of restructuring and stops producing eggs, which entails the absence of menstrual bleeding.

The type of delivery does not affect the arrival of menstruation.

Specialists and many years of experience of mothers confirm that lactation or its absence directly affects when a woman starts her period.

Lactation, by a woman’s decision or for physiological reasons, can last several months, or can reach 3-5 years. The more often a woman puts her baby to her breast at night, the more and longer she will produce the necessary and sufficient milk for the baby.

The hormone called prolactin simultaneously performs another function in the female body during lactation: it prevents the formation of eggs in the ovaries, which eliminates the possibility of the onset of ovulation. With the introduction of complementary foods, the return of ovulation and menstruation is possible before the end of the lactation period. Most often, when feeding up to six months or a year and the baby eats pureed food, the female cycle is restored within the same period.

If the new mother does not breastfeed at all or has completed lactation very early for one reason or another, it the menstrual cycle is restored much faster. It is possible that already a month after the birth of the baby, critical days will begin. From the moment menstruation begins, a woman becomes fertile, that is, she regains the ability to become pregnant and give birth to a child.

Sequence of restoration of the menstrual cycle:

About a week after birth, the cervix and internal os are restored.

During the first one and a half to two months, the size of the uterus decreases, and this female organ becomes as large as a plum. The inner surface also heals after separation of the placenta, and the woman can observe lochia - vaginal discharge that lasts a month.

Features of menstruation after childbirth:

Menstruation becomes more regular and its frequency improves.
If before giving birth a woman experienced painful and unpleasant sensations in the lower abdomen during her menstrual period, then after the birth of the child they may end completely or become relatively weaker.

A large number of women have a congenital condition, which provokes stagnation of blood during menstrual periods, causing pain and even cramps. During childbirth, this pathology is naturally eliminated - the uterus straightens and is more physiologically located among the other organs located in the pelvis.

Due to the correct position of the female organ, blood does not accumulate, and the unpleasant sensations called pain do not appear.

The onset of critical days may be more abundant than they were before the baby was born. The body is rebuilding itself again, this is the norm. However, it is worth noting that the use of several night pads marked with 4 or more drops within an hour is a dangerous sign of bleeding, so you must immediately consult a doctor by calling an ambulance.

Other symptoms to see a doctor:

atypically heavy bleeding is observed for several cycles in a row;
the presence of any established or emerging pathologies, for example, dysplasia or fibroids;
suspicion of a possible pregnancy in parallel with lactation or after its recent completion.

Reasons for visiting a gynecologist

Excess weight stimulates additional estrogen production, which interferes with the regularity of menstruation. Establishing a proper diet and water consumption together with light sports exercises will return weight and the female cycle to normal.
Psycho-emotional and physical exhaustion do not allow the body to recover; negative factors should be eliminated or minimized.
A specialist can prescribe a complex of vitamins aimed specifically at establishing cycle regularity. “Cyclovita”, “Time Factor” and similar tools will help you set up the menstrual function.

Childbirth by caesarean section they can still make their own adjustments to the menstrual cycle. For example, due to surgical intervention in the walls of the uterus, its involution may be difficult.

Caesarean section does not go as easily as is commonly believed in women who have given birth, since it is an abdominal operation, so the incision on the female organ takes much longer to heal than its physiological stretching and narrowing during childbirth. Infections can also be introduced into the suture area, which complicates the restoration of functionality.

Read more in our article about restoring the menstrual cycle after childbirth.

Read in this article

When does the menstrual cycle return after childbirth?

The minimum period for which the female reproductive system is fully restored is just over a month. This occurs when postpartum lochia discharge ends, after which menstrual bleeding may begin.

The maximum recovery time for the female cycle can reach several years, which is associated with prolonged breastfeeding. While maintaining lactation, the new mother’s body continues to produce hormones that inhibit the monthly production of a large number of eggs in the ovary. Those, in turn, do not have time to mature and leave the ovary, that is, ovulation does not occur.

However, most often a woman’s first spotting occurs within 4-12 months after childbirth, and its occurrence is associated with a large number of factors.

Reasons why there is no period

It has long been believed that a woman cannot become pregnant while breastfeeding, and lactation could last up to 3 years, until the child is able to eat food suitable for an adult. With the introduction of complementary feeding, supplementary feeding, or complete replacement of the baby's diet with breast milk and formula, the timing of the onset of menstruation for a woman giving birth has shifted significantly. However, there are many reasons for the absence of menstruation:

The body simply did not have time to recover. For a woman, childbirth is a huge psychological and physiological stress, and a real riot of hormones begins inside her. After the reproductive system is fully restored, menstruation will definitely begin.
The young mother has started or continues to breastfeed. With established lactation, the hormones oxytocin and prolactin are produced, which together are responsible for the flow of milk. They suppress cyclic processes in a woman’s body and prevent ovulation from occurring. And if there is no ovulation, then there will be no menstruation.
Maintaining a daily routine, adequate sleep and good nutrition. Even these 3 factors significantly affect the self-feeling of a new mother. If she has a lack of sleep, nervous or physical exhaustion, the body simply will not be able to recover, which means that menstruation will begin much later. Violation of the psycho-emotional state, for example, postpartum depression, also has a very negative impact on the rehabilitation process after childbirth.

Existing diseases in the chronic stage can also have a detrimental effect on a woman’s menstrual cycle, delaying it further and further, or stopping it altogether.
Taking hormonal medications. Various therapy with such drugs should be carried out carefully and under the supervision of a competent and experienced specialist. The female body is very sensitive to various hormonal medications that can make changes in the cyclicity of menstrual bleeding or eliminate them.
Age of the woman who gave birth. It is also quite possible that pregnancy and the birth of a child occurred just before the onset of menopause in the mother. Then the female body begins a kind of restructuring and stops producing eggs, which entails the absence of menstrual bleeding.

It is believed that the number of female germ cells that can cyclically appear in the ovary is limited and determined in the womb, so it is impossible to predict the age of menopause, each girl will have her own.

It is worth noting that the type of delivery does not affect the arrival of menstruation. That is, it will not be an important factor whether the girl had a cesarean section or whether she gave birth naturally.

Watch this video about why there are no periods after childbirth:

The influence of feeding a child on the cycle

Experts and many years of experience of mothers confirm that lactation or its absence directly affects when a woman begins her period after the birth of her baby.

If breastfeeding

Lactation, by a woman’s decision or for physiological reasons, can last several months, or can reach 3-5 years. If a mother feeds at any time, then her body produces the hormones oxytocin and prolactin. The second substance is considered a milk activator, that is, the more often a woman puts her baby to her breast at night, the more and longer she will produce the necessary and sufficient milk for the baby.

With the introduction of complementary foods, the baby will consume much less nutrition from the mother's breast, which can trigger the onset of ovulation and menstruation before the end of the lactation period. Most often, when feeding up to six months or a year and the baby eats pureed food, the female cycle is restored within the same period.

Ovulation (release of an egg)

If the child is on formula

Today, mass production offers a huge selection of breast milk substitutes. Of course, it is an ideal product for a newborn and an older child, but there are reasons why natural lactation is impossible, undesirable for the baby, or not desired by the woman.

If a new mother does not breastfeed at all or has completed lactation very early for one reason or another, her menstrual cycle is restored much faster. It is possible that already after a month after the birth of the baby, critical days will begin. From the moment menstruation begins, a woman becomes fertile, that is, she regains the ability to become pregnant and give birth to a child.

Watch this video about whether you can get pregnant with breastfeeding:

Sequence of restoration of the menstrual cycle

When a baby is born, the mother’s body tries to quickly return to its pre-pregnancy state:

About a week after birth, the cervix and internal os are restored. During contractions, this peculiar channel stretches in width and decreases in length, so it needs time to return to its previous levels.
During the first 1.5-2 months, the size of the uterus decreases, and this female organ becomes as large as a plum. After separation of the placenta, the inner surface also heals, and the woman may experience leaks - vaginal discharge that lasts for a month.
The ovaries also regain their pre-pregnancy function and begin producing vesicles called follicles that contain eggs.
In the absence of factors suppressing ovulation, the egg becomes capable of maturation and fertilization. Critical days are restored, and the woman can conceive a child again.

Features of menstruation after childbirth

Some women notice that their menstrual cycle undergoes changes after the birth of a baby:

Your periods become more regular and their frequency improves.
If before giving birth a woman experienced algomenorrhea during her menstrual periods, that is, very painful and unpleasant sensations in the lower abdomen, then after the birth of the child it may end completely or become relatively weaker.

The above symptoms are associated with a physiological deficiency. A large number of women have a congenital bend of the uterus, which provokes stagnation of blood during menstrual periods, causing pain and even cramps. During childbirth, this pathology is naturally eliminated: the uterus straightens and is more physiologically located among the other organs located in the pelvis.

Expert opinion

Daria Shirochina (obstetrician-gynecologist)

However, it is worth noting that the use of several night pads marked with 4 or more drops within an hour is a dangerous sign of bleeding, so you should immediately consult a doctor by calling an ambulance.

Possible complications

A woman should know what kind of discharge in color and duration will be observed after the birth of the baby, as well as what to pay attention to or what to be wary of. The following symptoms are a good reason to consult a specialist:

lactation ended several months ago, but the first menstruation never came;
atypically heavy bleeding is observed several menstrual cycles in a row;
during critical days, a woman constantly feels weak and dizzy;

Disruptions in the menstrual cycle can often be prevented if a woman begins to pay attention to her health:

Excess weight stimulates additional estrogen production, which interferes with the regularity of menstruation. Establishing a proper diet and water consumption together with light sports exercises will return weight and the female cycle to normal.
Psycho-emotional and physical exhaustion do not allow the body to recover, so negative factors such as lack of sleep and negative emotions should be eliminated or minimized.
A specialist can prescribe a complex of vitamins aimed specifically at establishing cycle regularity. Cyclovita and similar products will help you adjust your menstrual function.

Recovery after caesarean section

Childbirth that did not go according to plan can still make adjustments to the menstrual cycle. For example, due to surgical intervention in the walls of the uterus, its involution may be difficult.

Caesarean section does not go as easily as is commonly believed in women who have given birth, since it is an abdominal operation; the incision on the female organ takes much longer to heal than its physiological stretching and narrowing during childbirth. Infections can also be introduced into the suture area, which complicates the restoration of functionality.

The time of the onset of menstruation no longer depends on the type of delivery, but on the presence of lactation and the intensity of recovery of the woman’s body.

When a woman practices breastfeeding, critical days come later, but if the child is on supplementary feeding, complementary feeding or artificial nutrition, the onset of the menstrual cycle is possible earlier. Regular critical days can come almost a month after the baby is born, or they can linger for several years.

The method of birth of the baby does not affect the beginning of such days, unless there are additional complications. If you feel unwell or have any unusually heavy discharge, a woman should urgently visit a specialist.

There are no periods during pregnancy. Every woman knows about this. Things happen in the body that contribute to the development and growth of the unborn baby. The pregnancy hormone is actively produced. It is he who is responsible for the normal bearing of the child.

And then, after 9 months, birth occurs. There is another hormonal change in the woman's body. But only this time nature made sure that another hormone was actively produced -. People usually call it the “milk hormone” because it is prolactin that stimulates milk production. At the same time, this hormone suppresses the production of hormones in the ovary. Consequently, the egg cannot mature, which means there is nothing to come out of the ovary (no ovulation). As a result, menstruation does not come again. And this state will last as long as progesterone is actively “working”, that is, milk is produced. Lactation continues as long as the woman breastfeeds the baby.

How ideally everything is harmonious. Just a few years ago, this is exactly what happened to every woman. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers calmly breastfed their children until they were three years old and completely forgot about annoying periods. Today there are several norms. The onset of menstruation after childbirth is precisely the case that has several options, each of which is “normal”.

When does your period start after childbirth?

Based on the above, it is easy to guess that the onset of menstruation after childbirth depends on breastfeeding. In order for prolactin to be actively produced, a woman must breastfeed her baby at any time of the day or night (on demand). The more often the better. Only in this case your period will not come. But as soon as lactation decreases, prolactin production drops, which means that periods are restored again.

And now about the norms and deadlines. Lately, as already mentioned, there are many “normal” deadlines. This is because every woman’s body is individual, and besides, modern “technologies” (hormonal drugs for contraception, medical childbirth) sometimes violate what Mother Nature intended and established.

Early and late onset of menstruation

Early is the onset of menstruation 6-7 weeks after birth. However, it is not a pathology. Most likely, menstruation will be restored so early in those women who, for some reason, have given up breastfeeding. Or the baby is fed mixed. In the latter case, the first menstruation will appear 2-3 months after birth.

Many women believe that postpartum discharge is their period. However, this opinion is erroneous. Bloody discharge from the uterus after childbirth is called lochia. They appear due to the fact that when the placenta is separated from the walls of the uterus, a wound is formed on the same walls, which bleeds for several weeks after birth. In the first days, the lochia is bright red, quite abundant and may have clots, then they become brown and less abundant, and by the end of the 6th week they disappear completely.

Sometimes menstruation does not come for a whole year or even more. If the child is fully breastfed, then there is no reason to worry.

The nature of menstruation after childbirth

It is believed that the menstrual cycle will be fully restored after the first 2-3 menstruation and will become regular. If this does not happen, contact your gynecologist. The cause of irregular postpartum periods can be inflammatory processes of the internal genital organs, endometriosis, tumors of the uterus and ovaries and many other pathologies. The reason for the “non-occurrence” of menstruation can also be a repeat pregnancy, because breastfeeding is not a method of contraception.

Usually the first periods after childbirth are heavy. This phenomenon is very natural and normal if menstruation lasts no more than a week. However, if such periods are accompanied by dizziness, weakness, and rapid heartbeat, then you should consult a doctor.

After childbirth, it is possible to change the duration of the menstrual cycle and the duration of menstruation itself (blood discharge). A normal menstrual cycle ranges from 21 to 35 days, the period of discharge is no more than 5 days and no less than 3. Any deviation is a reason to consult a doctor. Menstruation should not be long and heavy, nor short and scanty. Excessively long periods may indicate uterine fibroids.

Many women are interested in whether the pain of menstruation will change after childbirth. Everything is individual in this matter. After all, pain during menstruation can be caused by various factors. For example, if painful sensations arose due to the bending of the uterus, then most likely after childbirth the pain will subside, because thanks to the birth process the uterus acquires a normal position. However, there are other causes of painful periods: inflammatory processes after childbirth, strong contractions of the walls of the uterus, general immaturity of the body, inflammation of the uterus and appendages.

If pain during menstruation may stop after childbirth, then it is almost impossible to get rid of premenstrual syndrome. To this day, the causes of PMS have not been fully studied, although there are many different versions. However, the symptoms for every woman are the same: irritability, bad mood, tearfulness, soreness and swelling of the breasts, some swelling, pain in the joints and lower back, headache, insomnia, etc. At least one of the signs of PMS is observed before almost every menstruation.

Personal hygiene

The use of tampons and regular pads (with an absorbent mesh) is possible only after the menstrual cycle has been completely restored. Under no circumstances should these remedies be used immediately after childbirth for lochia. Tampons interfere with the free flow of blood, which is extremely important in the postpartum period. But the mesh on the pads can irritate the injured mucous membrane, especially if the woman has postpartum stitches. Also, for lochia, frequent toileting of the external genitalia is recommended, but without “intimate” gels. You can use baby soap. Gaskets should be selected with a smooth surface and changed every 3-4 hours. During the period of lochia, unprotected sex is also unacceptable, in order to avoid possible infections entering the open uterus. Doctors recommend abstaining from sexual intercourse altogether for 6 weeks after giving birth.

Summing up the results about menstruation after childbirth, let us once again draw your attention to when you should immediately see a doctor:

menstruation does not occur within 2 months after stopping breastfeeding;
excessive and prolonged bleeding (more than 7 days, blood loss is more than 150 ml.);
the presence of large clots in the blood, bright red color of discharge;
pain in the uterine area;
discharge with an unpleasant pungent odor;
general deterioration of the condition, especially during menstruation.

Remember also that the restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth depends on many other factors: the psychological state of the woman who gave birth, inadequate rest, stress, overwork, poor nutrition, the presence of a birth injury, and general health after childbirth. All this, one way or another, affects the recovery of “critical days”. But the future health of the young mother depends on how menstruation returns.

Especially for- Tanya Kivezhdiy

When do the first periods appear after childbirth, when does the cycle become regular, what deviations are possible and how to prevent their occurrence.

Excessive anxiety for a woman who has recently given birth is harmful, but it is necessary to know what phenomena indicate the presence of pathology in order to consult a doctor in a timely manner. Therefore, you should study this topic and consider important features.

Some women believe that the cycle will be restored immediately after the birth of the child. But that's not true. There will be no menstruation for a certain period of time, and this is natural. A new mother experiences lochia, which is what postpartum discharge is called. But these are not menstruation, although they resemble them in their color.

Lochia is a uterine discharge that is associated with the body’s need to reject all traces of a past pregnancy. Over the course of several weeks, remnants of the endometrium, placenta and other waste products of the fetus emerge from the uterus. At first, the color of the lochia is deep red, but gradually these discharges become darker and their quantity decreases. After about 1.5 months, the lochia should stop. This is because the inner layer of the uterus has returned to normal. However, there will be no menstruation for some time.

The absence of menstruation in the postpartum period is due to hormonal changes in the woman’s body. In order for her to breastfeed her baby, a large amount of prolactin is released into the blood. This hormone interferes with the functioning of the ovaries, so eggs are not produced and the endometrium does not form. Accordingly, menstruation does not appear.

When does your period start after childbirth?

It is difficult to name the exact time when the first menstruation appears after childbirth. This is influenced by many factors (diseases, individual properties of the body, hormonal levels, etc.). Although in general, periods depend on how complete breastfeeding is.

You should focus on such circumstances as:

1. Presence or absence of complementary foods. If the baby is exclusively breastfed, menstruation does not appear until the baby is weaned. But a year after the baby is born, periods may appear regardless of whether breastfeeding continues.

2. Milk quantity. If there is a shortage of milk, a woman has to use formula milk. At the same time, the production of prolactin decreases, which allows the ovaries to start working. In such a situation, periods may appear after 4-5 months. So there is absolutely no need to worry here.

3. Choosing artificial feeding. Some mothers cannot or do not want to breastfeed their baby. In this case, periods after childbirth begin much earlier - after about 2 months.

4. Features of childbirth. If the baby was born via cesarean section, the onset of the mother's menstruation depends on the type of feeding. When breastfeeding, there are no periods until the baby begins to be fed.

The period when menstruation should begin after childbirth is influenced by the following features:

Following a daily routine
Woman's age
Emotional state.

Therefore, even a doctor cannot provide accurate information.

How long does your period last after childbirth?

Often, after the birth of their first child, women talk about eliminating discomfort during menstruation and the regularity of their cycle. But it’s worth drawing conclusions only 3 months after their first appearance. Before this, the cycle may vary, and the menstrual periods themselves sometimes occur unusually (with shorter or longer duration, excessive abundance or scanty discharge). This is considered normal, although consultation with a doctor is still necessary. This will ensure that there are no pathologies.

The normal frequency of menstruation is 21-34 days with a duration of 3-8 days. The volume of discharge should not be less than 20 ml or more than 80 ml. The duration of the first postpartum menstruation does not matter (if the indicators are normal), it is important that they become regular within 3 months.

Some women experience changes in the characteristics of the premenstrual period. They notice an increase in PMS symptoms, which may bother them. This is usually due to hormonal changes in the body. It is difficult to neutralize this feature; most often you have to come to terms with it. But its appearance does not mean that there are problems in the body.

If PMS is too severe, you should consult a doctor - perhaps the difficulties are associated with disturbances in the hormonal system.

When you need medical help

After giving birth to a child, a woman should not forget about her health. You need to go to the doctor to assess the condition of the internal organs and make sure there are no pathologies. You need to urgently contact a specialist in situations such as:

The first menstruation is too heavy. If pads need to be changed more than once every 2 hours, this indicates bleeding. Also, a large amount of discharge can be caused by endometriosis, endometrial hyperplasia, and hormonal imbalances.
The appearance of bloody discharge with an unpleasant odor after the lochia has stopped. This means that there are remnants of the fertilized egg in the uterus.
Poor or absent discharge for 3 months after completion of breastfeeding. This happens when there is an increased level of prolactin in the body, although its amount should decrease by this time.
The presence of an unpleasant odor in menstrual discharge. If the blood released has a dark tint, and the woman suffers severe pain, this may indicate the presence of disorders in the body.
Irregularity of the cycle 3 months after the start of menstruation. This is also a sign of pathology associated with the hormonal system.

In all these cases, a visit to the gynecologist should not be delayed. It is worth addressing violations at their first manifestations, since the situation may worsen further.

Do I need to protect myself?

Some women, due to the lack of menstruation during the postpartum period, believe that there is no need to use contraception. Theoretically, this is true, since the ovaries do not function, eggs are not produced, and therefore pregnancy cannot occur. But there are many cases when pregnancy did occur, and its presence was discovered only in the later stages.

The reason for this is the lack of accurate information about the beginning of menstruation. It is not known when the amount of prolactin produced will decrease; one can only guess about this. Ovulation occurs 2 weeks before menstruation. Therefore, with unprotected intercourse, a woman can become pregnant again, and the absence of menstruation will be explained by hormonal changes associated with breastfeeding (especially if it has not been stopped).

This means that even during lactation it is necessary to protect yourself. If a couple wants to have a second child, this does not have to be done, although doctors recommend waiting about two years for the female body to fully recover after childbirth.

Why there are failures

For the first three months from the start of menstruation, you should not worry about their irregularity. But if menstrual irregularities persist even after this, you should consult a doctor. This is especially important if additional adverse symptoms are observed. The causes of menstrual irregularities can be different. This:

Sheehan's syndrome (postpartum hypopituitarism). This pathology can be caused by peritonitis, sepsis or heavy postpartum bleeding. It can also be caused by histoses. The result of the disease may be the absence of menstruation or their scarcity, which is associated with necrotic changes in the pituitary gland. Additional symptoms of the syndrome are increased fatigue, headache, swelling, and hypotension.
Hyperprolactinemia. The absence of menstruation in this case is due to disturbances in the functioning of the thyroid gland or the presence of a pituitary adenoma.

Both pathologies can be cured, but to do this you need to consult a specialist.

Breast milk is the healthiest food for a baby. If a child is breastfed, this significantly reduces the risk of developing infectious diseases. But after the start of menstruation, many women do not know whether to continue feeding their baby breast milk, doubting its benefits.

The presence of menstruation does not affect the quality of milk, therefore There is no need to give up breastfeeding. But you need to take into account some circumstances:

As lactation continues, the period of normalization of the cycle may be delayed.
During menstruation, the sensitivity of the nipples increases, which makes feeding unpleasant for the woman.
Milk is secreted in smaller quantities during menstrual periods, so the child may become nervous. This problem can be solved by placing the baby on one or the other breast alternately.

These features may cause discomfort. But there is no need to doubt the benefits of breastfeeding at this time - it can and even should be continued.

Hygiene features

It is very important to maintain good hygiene during the postpartum period. The female body at this time requires careful care, since it has not yet recovered from stressful circumstances for it.

Until the menstrual cycle is restored, Do not use tampons or pads with absorbent mesh. They are also not suitable for lochia. The optimal hygiene product in this case is pads with a smooth surface. They should be changed every 3-4 hours.
The genitals should be washed more often during this time. to prevent infections from entering. It is not advisable to use intimate hygiene gels or scented soaps. These products should be replaced with baby soap.
You must abstain from sexual activity at least 6 weeks. After resuming sexual activity, it is necessary to use barrier contraception - this will help avoid pregnancy and infection in the uterus.

The onset of menstruation after the birth of a child is an individual phenomenon, which is influenced by many circumstances. The woman herself cannot influence this, but she can take care of her body in order to prevent the development of postpartum complications.

One of the questions that often arises in women after childbirth is the question of when should normal recovery occur? menstrual cycle, and what is associated with either early or late onset of menstruation after childbirth.

If we talk about the norms that were initially introduced by nature for a woman, then many experts argue that it is normal to have no periods during the entire period of breastfeeding a child. However, let us repeat - this is the original setting, laid down in those days when mothers fed their children not until six months or a year, as in our time, but until two or three years, that is, until the baby could switch to full-fledged adult food.

Baby food, and with it the early introduction of complementary foods, is an invention of the relatively recent past. Before this, for thousands of years of the existence of the human race, a child was born only naturally, fed exclusively on mother’s milk, and, of course, without any regime, but, as we would now say, on demand. And throughout this long period, the woman did not have periods - this is the physiological norm towards which the woman’s endocrine system is oriented.

However, in recent decades, for a number of reasons, this norm has been disrupted. In particular, this failure is associated with women’s active use of hormonal drugs for contraception, medical childbirth, which also uses hormones, and many other factors.

In addition, early introduction of complementary foods and early (by the standards of our ancestors) weaning of the child from the breast also influence the earlier restoration of menstruation after childbirth. Not to mention the fact that quite a lot of young mothers, for one reason or another, do not breastfeed at all - in this case, menstruation may come a month after giving birth.

So, let's see how a woman's reproductive function, and therefore the monthly cycle, is restored after childbirth.

During pregnancy and childbirth, many systems in a woman’s body undergo quite serious changes. Their recovery usually takes 6-8 weeks. However, for the hormonal system and mammary glands, this period increases due to lactation.

In the postpartum period, a woman’s endocrine system, under the influence of the pituitary gland (“the conductor of the endocrine system”), begins to actively produce the hormone prolactin, the “milk hormone.” Prolactin stimulates milk production in a woman who has given birth and at the same time suppresses the cyclic production of hormones in the ovary. This function of prolactin leads to the fact that a woman’s eggs do not mature and ovulation, that is, the release of an egg from the ovary, does not occur. And if ovulation does not occur, then menstruation does not occur.

Since the restoration of menstruation is primarily a hormonal process, its speed is related to the speed of restoration of the hormonal levels of the female body after childbirth. And this speed depends, first of all, on how breastfeeding goes.

If the child is completely natural, that is, breastfed and receives only breast milk on demand, at any time of the day or night, then menstruation often occurs only at the end of the first year of the baby’s life, that is, at the end of the lactation period.
When a mother introduces complementary feeding, that is, the child stops consuming breast milk so actively, then menstruation may occur before the end of lactation.
If the child’s feeding is mixed from the very beginning, that is, the baby receives not only breast milk, but also artificial nutrition, then the mother’s menstruation usually returns by the 3-4th month after birth.
If a woman does not breastfeed at all, then the ability to ovulate, and therefore menstruation, is restored even earlier, approximately 10-12 weeks after birth.

Note that the period for the restoration of menstruation clearly depends on the method of feeding the child, and not on how the birth took place, as many young mothers believe. Both after vaginal delivery and after cesarean section, the restoration of the menstrual cycle may occur later or earlier, depending on the method of feeding.

Sometimes young mothers are misled by blood discharge from the genital tract in the first weeks after childbirth. They are indeed similar to menstrual flow, but at the same time they have a completely different nature.

These are the so-called lochia - discharge from the uterus. The fact is that after the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus during childbirth, an extensive wound surface is formed on the wall of the uterus, essentially just an open wound. And naturally it bleeds. Therefore, in the first days after birth, the discharge from it is bloody, then the lochia becomes serous-sanguineous, then their number decreases, and the discharge itself becomes yellowish-white. So, discharge from the genital tract from the moment of birth until the 6-8th week of the postpartum period has nothing to do with menstruation and does not depend on what kind of feeding the child is on.

After the arrival of the first real menstruation after childbirth, we can talk about the beginning of the restoration of the menstrual cycle. For many women, the monthly cycle that resumes after childbirth immediately becomes regular, but it is also possible to establish a menstrual cycle during the first 2-3 cycles. At this time, menstruation may be irregular, come early or late. However, after the first 2-3 menstruation, the monthly cycle should become regular.

If this does not happen, then the woman needs to consult a gynecologist, because such symptoms may be evidence of the occurrence of inflammatory processes of the internal genital organs, endometriosis, and even tumors of the uterus and ovaries.

There is an opinion among women that if before childbirth menstruation was heavy, long and painful, then after childbirth this problem should disappear. In fact, often after childbirth the nature of menstruation changes.

Your periods after childbirth may become more regular than they were before pregnancy, as well as less painful or completely painless. The fact is that the pain of menstruation is usually caused by a bend of the uterus, which impedes the outflow of menstrual blood. During childbirth, the curvature of the uterus naturally disappears, the relative position of organs in the abdominal cavity changes, as a result of which the position of the uterus becomes more physiological and pain during menstruation disappears.

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The return of regular menstruation after childbirth is one of the signs of normal recovery of the female body. However, quite often this process occurs with deviations from the norm and even complications, which doctors then have to correct.

Why does the reproductive system go wrong after the birth of a baby? How does the cycle recover after childbirth and what can be done to avoid dangerous complications? It is useful for all women to know such information in order to recognize the pathology in time, seek help from specialists and correct everything.

After the birth of the baby, the restoration of menstruation is the process of returning the endocrine glands, as well as other systems and organs, to their pre-pregnancy state. It begins with rejection of the placenta and lasts from 6 to 8 weeks. During this time, in the female body, those physiological changes that occurred during pregnancy and childbirth gradually disappear. This applies to all systems: endocrine, cardiovascular, nervous, genital organs. The functions of the mammary glands, necessary for full breastfeeding, flourish and develop.

Normally, restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth involves the following processes:

the reverse development of the uterus to the prenatal period is called involution, and it occurs quite quickly;
the muscles begin to actively contract, as a result of which the size of the uterus decreases significantly;
in the first 10-12 days after birth, during recovery, the fundus of the uterus drops by 1 cm daily (this is normal);
by the end of 7-8 weeks, its size already corresponds to its previous, pre-pregnancy size;
so that by the end of the first week the weight of the uterus is almost halved and is about 400 g, and by the end of the postpartum period - only 50-60 g;
The cervical canal and internal pharynx are also formed no less quickly: the first is fully formed by the 10th day, while the closure of the external pharynx is completely completed in the 3rd week after birth, acquiring a slit-like shape (before this, the canal looks like a cylinder).

Such a restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth is considered normal, but there is nothing to worry about if the involution is delayed or accelerated. There may be purely physiological reasons for this, which cannot be considered deviations or pathologies. There's definitely no need to worry about this. You just need to try to understand what happens to the body, which takes so long (or, conversely, too quickly) to recover after childbirth.

Causes of delayed involution

The rapid or slow restoration of menstruation after childbirth depends on a number of reasons that a woman must take into account while waiting for the establishment of a regular cycle. This includes the woman’s general health, her age, the characteristics of pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding.

Typically, involution is slowed or accelerated for the following reasons:

if the female body is too weakened after childbirth;
if this is the third (or more) pregnancy;
if this is the first birth, and the woman is already over 30 years old;
if the birth occurred with deviations, complications and pathologies;
if the regime of the postpartum period was violated;
if a young mother is not eating well;
if she is in and mentally very tired.

If a woman believes that the restoration of her menstrual cycle after childbirth is too slow or that her periods began very early, she should analyze the situation and identify the reasons for this deviation. There's nothing wrong with that. To calm down and banish any last doubts, you can consult about this with the observing gynecologist. He will identify the exact cause of slow or accelerated involution and tell you what to do about it.

Postpartum discharge

What else frightens young mothers during the period of restoration of the menstrual cycle is postpartum discharge. They vary in character, color, and duration. However, you shouldn’t be afraid of them either, since their appearance is a completely natural process. They even have a special scientific name - lochia. What are they?

The uterine mucosa after the departure of the placenta and placenta is a wound surface. Its recovery ends only on the 10th day, the uterine mucosa returns to normal even longer - only on the 7th week. During the healing process, postpartum discharge appears. Their character changes over time in accordance with the processes of healing and cleansing of the inner surface of the uterus occurring at this time:

first days after birth: lochia is mixed with particles of the inner lining of the uterus, which gradually disintegrate, and because of this they contain a small amount of blood, which should not frighten the young mother;
3-4th day: the discharge acquires the consistency and color of serous-sucrose fluid, that is, it becomes pinkish-yellowish, but there should no longer be blood in it;
10th day: lochia is already light, liquid, completely free of blood, their number is gradually decreasing;
3rd week: the discharge becomes scanty, since it contains only an admixture of mucus, which is still formed from the cervical canal;
5-6 weeks: lochia should stop altogether.

If the restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth is characterized by profuse or persistent lochia for too long, this is the first alarming sign of complications. In this case, it is recommended to seek advice from a specialist. As for the volume of postpartum discharge, its total amount in the first week should not exceed 1,500 ml. And don’t be afraid of their not very pleasant, very specific smell of rotten leaves. Sometimes difficulties may arise that only experienced gynecologists can help you cope with:

with slow involution, the release of lochia is delayed;
blood in the discharge may last longer;
if there is a blockage of the internal pharynx due to a bend in the uterus or a blood clot, an accumulation of lochia occurs in the uterine cavity - this complication is called lochiometra;
since accumulated blood in the uterus serves as a breeding ground for the development of microbes, this condition requires drug treatment.

During the period of restoration of the menstrual cycle, it is necessary to monitor the nature and duration of postpartum discharge. If everything is normal with them, then the wait for your period will not be delayed either.

Deadlines

You should know that the restoration of menstruation after childbirth with breastfeeding takes longer than with artificial feeding. This is not a pathology or the norm. This is just what usually happens, since this phenomenon is caused by physiological processes associated with lactation. Knowledge of these features of involution will help women navigate the timing of the first menstruation:

With artificial feeding

Restoring your cycle after childbirth usually takes 6 to 8 weeks.

During lactation

There are two possible scenarios for the development of events:

1 - menstruation in a nursing woman does not occur for several months, or even throughout the entire period of lactation (natural and fairly frequent);

2 - restoration of the cycle after childbirth takes the same amount of time (6-8 weeks) as for non-breastfeeding mothers.

This phenomenon is explained by the fact that the female body contains prolactin, a hormone that stimulates milk production, suppresses the formation of hormones in the ovaries and prevents the maturation of the egg and its further ovulation.

Most often, restoration of the cycle after childbirth during breastfeeding occurs after the introduction of the first complementary foods into the baby’s diet. If the child is mixed-fed, this process may take 3-4 months. If the child is artificial, his mother can expect her first period to arrive by the end of the second month after birth. No deadlines here are either deviations or the norm. These are natural processes that depend on the individual characteristics of the female body. However, in some cases, all sorts of complications still occur.

Complications

When restoring menstrual function after childbirth, young mothers may experience the following problems.

Irregularity

Do not be upset if in the first six months after giving birth the cycle cannot be established. Your period may come later or earlier than the previous period. This is quite explainable by the processes of restoration of all systems of the female body. However, if the menstrual cycle remains irregular even after six months, this is a reason to consult a doctor about this problem.

Cycle duration

There is no need to expect that it will recover completely and will be the same number of days as before pregnancy. In 90% of cases, its duration changes. If previously it was 21 days, for example, now it can last up to 30 days.

Duration of menstruation

Normally, they should last at least 3 and no more than 5 days. If after giving birth you notice that they have become either too short (1-2 days) or too long (over 5 days), you should definitely tell your doctor about this. In some cases, this may be a symptom of quite serious diseases - for example, uterine fibroids (benign tumors) or.

Volume of discharge

Normally it should be from 50 to 150 ml. Accordingly, a smaller or, conversely, larger number of them will not be the norm. How to determine this parameter? During the postpartum period, a regular pad should last for 5-6 hours.

Postpartum discharge

If they regularly appear before or after menstruation and do not go away, this is also considered a complication. Most often this is a symptom of endometriosis or endometritis.

Pain

If during the restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth it bothers a woman too much, prevents her from living, sleeping and working peacefully, and forces her to take painkillers or antispasmodics, this is a pathology. In medicine, it is called algodismenorrhea, and it requires mandatory consultation with a doctor.

Severe pain during menstruation at this stage can have different origins: general immaturity of the body, which could not withstand the stress of childbirth; psychological characteristics, accompanying inflammatory processes, strong muscle contractions of the walls of the uterus.

No pain

Yes, in some cases this is not the norm either. If before giving birth a woman experienced unpleasant, painful sensations during menstruation, and after the birth of the baby they went away, this is not a reason for premature joy. This means that something happened to the uterus, which could change position. In this case, you should also definitely check with a specialist.

Exacerbation of chronic inflammatory diseases

Endometritis and salpingo-oophoritis become more active at such moments and require drug treatment. You can recognize them by severe pain in the lower abdomen, by the abundance of discharge and its unpleasant, uncharacteristic odor.

Premenstrual syndrome

It might not have been present in the prenatal period, or it might not have been expressed so clearly. But after the birth of a baby, it appears in 90% of all women. This condition is characterized not only by causeless irritability, or bad mood, or a tendency to cry, but also by a whole complex of physiological symptoms. These are headaches, engorgement and tenderness of the chest, allergic manifestations, fluid retention in the body and, as a consequence of this, swelling, joint pain, insomnia, absent-mindedness. Unfortunately, there is no cure yet for this baffling and disabling condition. A woman simply must learn to manage her emotions independently at this stage.

Ovarian dysfunction

They usually occur after a complicated birth, when there was bleeding, gestosis with edema, and increased blood pressure to the point of convulsive syndrome. In such situations, disturbances in the development of eggs are common, hormonal changes begin, which lead to a delay in the restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth. Since the matter may end in bleeding, you must definitely seek the help of specialists.

Unplanned pregnancy

The most common complication during the period of menstruation recovery after childbirth. Many women either do not know or forget that ovulation occurs approximately 2 weeks before menstruation, which means that the risk of becoming pregnant is very high. Accordingly, it is imperative to protect yourself if you are not planning another baby in the near future. Contraception methods at this stage should be selected by a doctor.

These are not all the difficulties that a woman may encounter when restoring her menstrual cycle after childbirth. There are many more of them, but they are quite rare. In order to prevent them and not worry about the absence of menstruation for too long, it is better to resolve all your doubts in the doctor’s office. It is advisable that this is the same gynecologist who took care of you throughout your pregnancy. He knows the individual characteristics of your body and the nuances of childbirth. Therefore, it is recommended to start with a medical examination, and then wait for the arrival of menstruation.