After all the hormonal ups and downs of pregnancy, you may be looking forward to your body to return to normal. Having your period after nine months of pregnancy is the start of that. However, starting menstruation does not follow directly after giving birth: your choice to breastfeed is the deciding factor of when it resumes.
Breastfeeding
If you choose to breastfeed your child, it will take a while before your period resumes. When you breastfeed, your pituitary gland secrets a hormone called prolactin. Prolactin suppresses the function of your ovaries. Ovulation suppression is a biological response: Prevent a pregnancy while one child is still nursing. Besides preventing ovulation, prolactin can result in irregular periods. Some women may have periods every three weeks, every six months or no periods at all. Once you stop breastfeeding your baby, your period should resume. You may notice a change in the heaviness and duration of your period when it starts again.
Bottle Feeding
If you do a combination of breastfeeding and bottle feeding, your period will resume after the breastfeeding ends. If you begin bottle feeding immediately, your period will start five to six weeks after giving birth. Because you are not producing prolactin from breastfeeding, ovulation is not suppressed and you may become pregnant. During this time, hormone birth control may not be the best choice, as your body's hormone levels are readjusting. Talk to your doctor about how long after the pregnancy you need to wait.
Possible Problems
Possible problems may arise with your first period after your pregnancy. During delivery, your cervix can droop further down and the muscles in your vagina may have weakened. When you start your periods again, tampons are not the best choice. Your first few periods may be painful as your body readjusts. You can reduce the pain and strengthen your vaginal walls by doing kegel exercises.
