When Is The First Period After Delivery

The first period after delivery will depend on how the woman carries her recovery or postpartum process. Breastfeeding often delays it.

Despite the multiple demands that the care of a newborn implies, there are many mothers who are also concerned about knowing when the first period will come after childbirth. Some more than others, but the issue goes through everyone’s head.

Factors such as whether breastfeeding began, when you can resume sexual intercourse with your partner, or whether you want to prevent or are interested in getting pregnant again influence determining that date. Just as each pregnancy is unique, each puerperium is also unique.

Puerperium and first period after delivery

The puerperium is the period that a woman’s body needs to recover after pregnancy. After 9 months of complete hormonal overflow, absence of menstruation and ovulation, the woman’s body needs a period of time to recover its normal cycles.

The length of that period will depend on many factors. There are those who say that it lasts about 40 days, between 6 and 8 weeks.

From there, the famous quarantine that women must keep so that their body recovers physiologically, can return to have sex and the first rule of postpartum appears.

However, the truth is that this is not the case. Neither the internal organs regain their place, nor the hormonal cycles restore their pre-pregnancy function in such a short time.

Even less emotional recovery. There are several factors that affect this.

What about breastfeeding?

When the woman who has just given birth begins the path of breastfeeding, the date on which she will see the first period after childbirth, can extend from 6 months to 2 years. It all depends on how long you breastfeed.

When the placenta leaves the uterus, the production of prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production, is triggered.

While the woman is breastfeeding, prolactin will increase, thereby decreasing the production of estrogens and progesterone. Without these hormones, the menstrual cycle is delayed.

When the baby is started on complementary feeding, the production of prolactin decreases, so the period can appear at 8 or 10 months. However, this is not a fixed rule either.

It works for many women, for others it could take from 18 months to 2 years, without anything abnormal being considered to be happening.

What if the baby is formula fed?

When the woman’s body is not stimulated by the suckling of the milk that the baby makes, after a period of between 8 and 10 weeks the first menstruation should appear and the periods begin to regularize.

• As there is no breastfeeding, sucking does not stimulate the production of prolactin, which is what disrupts and paralyzes ovarian activity.
• Prolactin will drop to pre-pregnancy levels, whereupon the woman will regain her regular menstrual cycles.

•  If after two or three months after delivery the first menstruation has not decreased, the woman should consult her doctor.

What are postpartum lochia?

During the puerperium, there is an expulsion of vaginal secretions known as lochia. It is a discharge that contains blood, cervical mucus and remains of the placenta. It has an odor similar to menstrual flow so they can be confused.

The expulsion of the lochia is part of a normal physiological process, necessary to eliminate the remains of the lining of the uterus, as well as the secretions that are produced after the detachment of the placenta.

• These flows will be more intense between 8 and 15 days after delivery, but then they will diminish.
• This process should not take more than 6 months; if so, you should consult your doctor.
• While this process is taking place, it is not advisable to use tampons.

Final thoughts

Each woman will have her own postpartum recovery process. The important thing in case of any doubt is to consult with the doctor.

It is often said that with breastfeeding there is no menstruation. However, there are women who begin to have a regular period while breastfeeding. This is still considered normal.

Nor should we trust that there is no conception in breastfeeding. If the woman initiates sexual intercourse, it is important to use a contraceptive method, as it is possible to become pregnant  without having seen the first menstruation.

The same is applicable in the case of the woman who does not breastfeed. To do this, it is best to follow the recommendation indicated by your gynecologist.

Postpartum recovery takes time. Be patient. Little by little you will regain normalcy and the first period after delivery will arrive.