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Medical Video: How long will it take for my period to return after delivering a baby?
It's hard to ascertain exactly when your menstrual period will start again. The time can vary for each mother, depending on your body and whether you are breastfeeding.
When you breastfeed, this can help delay the return of your menstrual period. If you are still breastfeeding day and night, your period may start in about a year or so.
If you are one of the lucky ones to have a baby who sleeps during the night even though he is still a few months old, your period may return sooner. Your menstrual period can begin in three to eight months.
The same is true if you replace breast milk with formula milk. In other words, the more your child suckles and the more time the child spends on your breast, the longer you will restart your menstrual period.
However, even if you breastfeed and give exclusive breastfeeding, you may still ovulate. So if you only use breastfeeding as a contraceptive method, you risk getting pregnant again. You are less likely to get pregnant again only if:
- Your menstrual period has not returned to normal
- Your baby is less than six months old
- Your baby is breastfeeding full and often, day and night
Some mothers use breastfeeding as a contraceptive method. This is known as lactational amenorrhea method (LAM). The effectiveness of LAM as a contraceptive method is more than 98 percent, if used properly. Whether this method is effective or not depends on how often and how long your baby is feeding.
Remember that your body will release the egg about two weeks before your menstrual period continues. So, unless you can depend on LAM, it's safer to use contraception when you start having sex again. It's still possible to get pregnant before your menstrual period starts again.
If you give your baby formula milk, your period may start again between five weeks to three months after giving birth. So you can be fertile again three weeks after giving birth.
