What happens with your period when your breastfeeding?

Question

I had no idea that women who breastfeed do not have periods. so, a few questions...You do bleed for a while after having the baby right? I did not breastfeed my son but I bled for 6 weeks, so will it still be 6 weeks or what? Why dont you have a period???? Can you still get pregnant?

Answer 1

Yes, you bleed after giving birth, breast feeding or not. I never had my period while breast feeding my daughter but yes, you can still get pregnant.

Answer 2

some women do get a period while breastfeeding. I know more than one woman who has breastfed exclusively and still got their period after four weeks. you still bleed for a few weeks after the birth. that's not different whether you breastfeed or bottle feed.

I think the hormones that are present in the body of lactating mothers usually prevent the period. that's because the body does not want to get pregnant again while there is still a little baby around. it makes sense biologically. you can ovulate without having a period though, so you should still use birth control even if you have not got a period.

I am still breastfeeding my 11 month old and I havent got it back yet. it came back after 8 months with my first child even though I was still breastfeeding.

Answer 3

after i gave birth, i bled for 4 weeks, i had one week off and then i started my period. and i am breastfeeding exclusively, my mom said she had the same thing so it is possible...every woman is different

Answer 4

Women don't usually get periods while breastfeeding because the suckling stimulates certain hormones that suppress the regular hormone cycle.  So you don't ovulate.  

(Nature is clever.  Nature knows that having children too close together isn't good for mother or baby, so she arranges it that a woman will probably not become pregnant while nursing a young baby. As baby gets older and nurses less, fertility returns.)

While breastfeeding is not a guarantee of not getting pregnant, it is a very effective 'method.'  If you breastfeed on demand, with no bottles (as nature expects) you will probably not get a period for at least 6 months.  And if you don't get a period, your odds of getting pregnant during those first six months is about 1%.  (So it's about as effective as the pill.) Once you do get a period, or pass 6 months, (or start supplementing)  the chances of getting pregnant are higher, so it's a good idea to use another method of birth control if you don't want to be pregnant again.

The bleeding you get immediately after giving birth is different. That's lochia -- all the tissue that had built up in the uterus during pregnancy.  Breastfeeding does not prevent lochia. You may bleed for 6 weeks this time, or for a shorter time. But once the lochia stops, you probalby won't get another period for 6-9 months. Some women never get a period until baby is weaned, even if they nurse for several years.