Your First Period After Pregnancy: What to Expect

Setting aside all the physical ailments of pregnancy, one perk is going nine months without a period. After giving birth, women typically experience several weeks of vaginal bleeding and discharge as the uterus sheds blood, mucus, and tissue. This is called lochia. Once it ends, you may wonder when your first period will return and what it will be like.¹

Every woman experiences a slightly different return to menstruation postpartum. Still, several factors can affect when your period returns and what your first few cycles may be like. You’ll also learn how your period may affect breastfeeding, fertility, and milk supply.

Your first period may return within weeks of giving birth or remain absent for many months, depending largely on whether and how often you breastfeed.^5,6
You can ovulate and become pregnant before your first postpartum period returns.^5,9
The lactational amenorrhea method can help prevent pregnancy only when all three required criteria are met.⁷
Your first few periods may be heavier, lighter, longer, or less regular than before pregnancy. Contact your healthcare provider if the bleeding or symptoms concern you.^11,14

When Will Your Period Return After Giving Birth?

During pregnancy, female reproductive hormones go through major shifts and fluctuations. Pregnancy hormones suppress ovulation so that a woman cannot get pregnant while pregnant.²

For your first period to return after your baby is born, hormone levels gradually shift back toward their pre-pregnancy state, allowing ovulation and menstruation to resume. The time it takes for this to happen varies significantly from woman to woman and depends on several factors.³

How Does Breastfeeding Affect Your Period After Birth?

Breastfeeding is one of the biggest influences on when a woman’s period returns after giving birth. Non-breastfeeding women will likely experience their first postpartum period between six and 12 weeks postpartum. One study showed that nearly half of the non-breastfeeding women had a period by six weeks postpartum, and almost all had a period by 12 weeks.⁵

Breastfeeding women may experience a period this early, or its return may be delayed. Some women’s periods do not resume until they completely wean their child, which may be months or even years later.⁶

According to the La Leche League, a woman’s period will likely return between nine and 18 months postpartum if still breastfeeding. Completely weaning an infant or child often causes a mother’s period to return, although full weaning is not always necessary for menstrual cycles to resume. You should contact your provider if you have weaned your baby from breastfeeding and have gone months without a period.⁶

What Is Lactational Amenorrhea?

Lactational amenorrhea refers to the period during which a breastfeeding woman has not yet experienced a period postpartum. An infant suckling at a woman’s breast inhibits the hormones required to ovulate and menstruate. When specific criteria are met, lactational amenorrhea can be used as a temporary form of birth control called the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM). It can be up to 98 percent effective when all the following criteria are met:⁷

The baby is younger than 6 months
The mother has not had a postpartum period
The baby is fully or nearly fully breastfed, with no more than four hours between feedings during the day or six hours at night

If any of these criteria are no longer met, the lactational amenorrhea method can no longer be relied upon for pregnancy prevention.

Can You Get Pregnant Before Your First Postpartum Period?

Breastfeeding or not, it is possible to get pregnant before your first postpartum period because ovulation sometimes precedes menstruation. According to one systematic review, in women who do not breastfeed, postpartum ovulation typically occurs between six and 13 weeks after giving birth. A period may return between six and 12 weeks; therefore, it is possible to ovulate before a period.^5,9

In another study, ovulation preceded the first postpartum period in one-third of non-breastfeeding women.⁹

If you want to avoid pregnancy, use another form of birth control unless you meet all three criteria for the lactational amenorrhea method. Remember that you can become pregnant before your first postpartum period.⁷

Related: Postpartum Birth Control: Contraception After a Baby

Can Your Period Affect Your Milk Supply?

Some women report a drop in milk supply after they begin cycling again. This supply decrease often occurs between ovulation and their next period or in the second half of the cycle. Some may also experience greater discomfort with latching or during nursing at this point in the cycle. These changes are thought to be hormonal and are usually temporary.⁶

Some women consider calcium and magnesium supplements to help with this temporary drop in milk supply, but evidence supporting their effectiveness is limited. Talk to your healthcare provider before adding any supplements to your diet.⁶

Related: Low Milk Supply: Why It Happens And What To Do About It

How Might Your Period Be Different After Pregnancy?

There is no single way periods change after pregnancy. Some women report a heavier first period after having a baby, while others report a lighter period or no change from before pregnancy.¹¹

Some clotting during your first postpartum period may be normal. Contact your healthcare provider if you pass clots larger than a golf ball, soak through a pad every hour for more than one hour, experience dizziness or weakness, or are concerned about the amount of bleeding.¹² Postpartum period characteristics and symptoms, like menstrual cramps, typically resemble your pre-pregnancy symptoms. One study showed an increase in menstrual flow and period pain after having a C-section.^12,13

It is common for cycles to be longer for the first few postpartum periods, and the earlier your period returns postpartum, the more irregular it is likely to be.^5,14

When To Contact Your Healthcare Provider

Contact your healthcare provider if your period does not return after weaning, is extremely light or nearly absent, or you experience unusually heavy bleeding or severe pain.

In rare cases, extremely light or absent periods after pregnancy may be associated with conditions such as Sheehan syndrome or Asherman syndrome. Contact your healthcare provider for an evaluation if this applies to you.¹¹

Sheehan syndrome occurs when severe postpartum hemorrhage causes hypopituitarism. This can cause absent periods and a failure to lactate. If you experienced severe postpartum hemorrhage and are dealing with these symptoms, reach out to your provider.¹⁵

Asherman syndrome refers to uterine scarring or adhesions that can occur after a dilation and curettage (D&C), uterine fibroid removal, or C-section. Doctors sometimes perform D&Cs after a miscarriage or delivery, particularly in cases of retained placenta. If you had a D&C or other uterine surgery and are now experiencing light periods, infertility, or menstrual pain, contact your provider to rule out Asherman syndrome.^16,17

There is no exact way to predict when you might get your first postpartum period, as it is affected by factors such as breastfeeding and birth control. Your periods may be different from what you were used to when they first resume, although they may become more regular over time. If you are ever concerned about your period, your provider is an excellent resource for reassurance or further investigation.

The return of your first period also signals that fertility may be returning, but remember that you can ovulate before that first period. If you are sexually active and do not want another pregnancy, talk to your healthcare provider about postpartum birth control. Waiting for your period to return can feel like a mystery, but a delayed postpartum period is often normal, especially while breastfeeding. In the meantime, you can enjoy the break from your monthly period.