After the birth of a child, the menstrual cycle is not established immediately. Therefore, many women are interested in when they start and how many months after they give birth. Let's try to answer these and other questions.
Postpartum discharge
Do not confuse the menses with excreta, which begin after childbirth and go for a rather long period - lochia. In the first days after the birth of the baby, the lochia are very abundant, they consist of the remains of the mucous membrane, bacteria and blood. A week after the birth, these discharges become less abundant and acquire a brown color. In a week, when the volume of blood in the body decreases, the lochia becomes light, more watery, without blood, and by the 40th day they stop completely. During this period, you must carefully monitor hygiene.
Sometimes postpartum discharges are delayed for a longer period. This is possible with multiple pregnancy, late or problematic birth. It happens that the lochia becomes pale, and then again get a red or brown color. When this happens and the discharge does not end long, a woman may think that the months after the birth have begun. However, this is not considered a norm, and it is necessary to consult a doctor without fail.
When does the period begin after the birth?
In most cases, during the whole lactation period, the monthly does not come. However, it also happens that menstruation begins a couple of months after childbirth, when the mother is still breastfeeding the baby. This case is not a pathology, but it happens much less often.
When the amount of lactation is reduced (supplementing the baby with a mixture, a rare application to the chest, etc.), or stops at all, the production of the hormone prolactin in the body of a woman is on a decline. Shortly after lowering the level of this hormone, the menstrual cycle begins, which will be established until the hormonal system of the female body comes back to normal.
How many monthly periods after birth?
The menstrual cycle is established 2-3 months after its onset. Until the complete recovery of the body after delivery, the monthly irregular and may be different in terms of duration and duration. Terms for the normalization of the cycle depend on many factors, including the mode of feeding the child, the characteristics of the woman's organism and other things.
The nature of the secretions may remain the same, but may change. For example, if before the birth you were tormented by painful menstruation, then after the birth of the child the pains pass. In some cases, this is due to the bending of the uterus - after delivery, its position acquires a more physiological form, as a result of which the painful sensations no longer disturb.
The first months can be very different from their character before pregnancy. It also depends on the contraceptives used. So, when using the spiral, the monthly spells are quite abundant after the birth and go for a long time. And contraceptive use
tablets, on the contrary, reduces the volume of menstrual flow and shorten their duration.
If after 1-2 months after the end of breastfeeding menstruation does not occur - this is an occasion to turn to a gynecologist.- new pregnancy;
- endometriosis;
- inflammatory processes of the genital organs;
- tumors of the uterus and ovaries.
The cause for concern may also be too abundant or prolonged monthly after childbirth, in this case bleeding is possible. Therefore, if menstruation does not end within 7-10 days, and one gasket is enough for no more than 2 hours, urgent medical consultation is needed.