Can there be an irregular cycle after childbirth. Restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth: features, timing, complications. Possible complications after childbirth

Physiological amenorrhea is one of the first signs of pregnancy. The process of restoring the cycle of menstruation starts immediately after the birth of the baby, but it is impossible to predict exactly when menstruation will resume. This is influenced by many factors, which will be discussed below.

Menstruation, or as it is also called, monthly or regular, is the rejection of the endometrium of the uterus, accompanied by bloody discharge from the vagina. Normally, it repeats at regular intervals in the range from 3 to 5 weeks and has the same duration.

Is postpartum discharge considered menstruation?

In the people, postpartum discharge is often called menstruation after childbirth. In fact, the correct name for these secretions is lochia. They have a nature of origin different from menstruation. Lochia occurs due to the fact that after the separation of the placenta and membranes from the uterine wall, the latter is wound surface. In addition to blood, fragments of the placenta, placenta, and endometrium may also be included in lochia.

How long is menstruation after childbirth (lochia)

The duration of postpartum discharge is one and a half to two months with a tendency to decrease in profusion. After a surgical delivery, the recovery process of the uterus is slower, because lochia can go up to 10 weeks.

In the early days, the lochia is abundant, bright red, since the bulk of them is blood. They have a characteristic smell of rotten leaves. Further, the color of the discharge changes to pinkish-brown, even later - to pinkish-yellow. By the 10th day after childbirth, there is normally no blood in the lochia, the discharge becomes transparent and liquid. By about the third week, the discharge becomes mucous in nature, and their number is significantly reduced.

If the lochia does not become more scarce, or vice versa, stops abruptly, lasts less than 5 or more than 10 weeks, changes color to greenish or yellow-green, or acquires a putrid odor, then you should immediately contact a gynecologist.

How long does it take for the menstrual cycle to return after childbirth?

Recovery process menstrual cycle depends on many factors, including:

• The course of pregnancy and childbirth, postpartum complications. Endometriosis, bleeding, inflammation negatively affect the involution of the uterus.
• Chronic diseases.
• The age of the mother. It is believed that primiparas over 30 years of age recover longer.
• Number of births. In women who have given birth many times, the uterus recovers more slowly.
• Natural or artificial feeding of the baby.
• Hygiene in the postpartum period.
• Nutrition. A diet that is poor in nutrients also negatively affects the restoration of the menstrual cycle.
• The mental state of a woman. Lack of sleep and moral exhaustion can also slow down the recovery of the menstrual cycle.

It is impossible to predict exactly when the cycle will be restored after childbirth. On average, in non-breastfeeding women, menstruation begins 2-3 months after childbirth, in mothers whose babies are mixed-fed - after 4-5 months, in breastfeeding women, menstruation may not be throughout the entire feeding period, but most often the cycle is restored between 6 and 12 months postpartum.

Menstruation a month after birth, even for mothers of artificial babies, is an unlikely phenomenon. Doctors tend to believe that menstruation resumes no earlier than 6 weeks after birth. Menstrual-like bleeding at an earlier date is a reason to do an ultrasound to determine the cause of the discharge.

Why the menstrual cycle after childbirth with breastfeeding is restored later

When breastfeeding, the hormone prolactin is produced in large quantities. This hormone has a direct effect on the luteinizing (LH) and follicle-stimulating (FSH) hormones responsible for ovulation and indirectly on the growth of the endometrium. Therefore, in lactating women, the menstrual cycle after childbirth is restored later.

It is on this phenomenon that the method of lactational amenorrhea is based - a natural method of protection. Its essence lies in the fact that until the child is six months old, and the mother breastfeeds him exclusively at intervals of no more than 3 hours during the daytime and no more than 6 hours at night, then the probability of becoming pregnant is extremely small. However, practitioners this method contraception, women need to listen especially sensitively to their body. Ovulation precedes menstruation, therefore, there is a risk of becoming pregnant again without knowing about the restoration of the cycle.

Menstruation after childbirth

• duration. The duration of menstruation and the intervals between them may become the same as before pregnancy, or they may decrease or increase. The main thing is that the duration of menstruation should fit within the framework of 3-7 days, and the length of the cycle as a result should not be shorter than 3 and longer than 7 weeks.
• Regularity. The menstrual cycle after childbirth can immediately become stable. And maybe "tune" a certain time. Normally, menstruation should become regular within six months after the resumption of the cycle.
• Soreness. Feelings during menstruation can also change. If the pain during menstruation was caused by the bending of the uterus, then after childbirth there is a great chance of getting rid of discomfort. This is due to the adoption of the uterus in the correct position. But it also happens that the first menstruation after childbirth becomes more painful. This is due to strong contractions of the muscles of the uterus or the inflammatory process that began after childbirth.
• The volume of allocations. Abundant menstruation after childbirth is normal, especially in the first cycles. If the discharge has a characteristic dark red color, and the sanitary napkin fills up no faster than 4-5 hours, then there is nothing to worry about.

Conclusion

Many factors influence the recovery of the cycle after childbirth: from the way the baby is fed to the balance of nutrition and the psycho-emotional state of the young mother.

It is impossible to know the exact date of the resumption of menstruation, the doctor can only guess when menstruation will begin after childbirth in a particular patient.

The first few cycles may be irregular, and the length and interval between periods may also change. If the new cycle fits within the boundaries of the norm, and the color and smell of the discharge does not cause alertness, then there is no reason to worry.

Menstruation after childbirth has some features. The cycle can last a different amount of time: from 21 to 32 days is the normal duration of such a period. The main characteristic of the stability of menstruation is their regularity and, accordingly, the constant length of the cycle. There are various reasons that affect the stability of the intermenstrual period, and one of them is childbirth.

Menstrual cycle - the time period from the beginning of menstruation to the beginning of the next day. The process is characterized by cyclicity and biological complexity of regulation. The phases of the cycle prepare the female body for possible pregnancy, but if the process of fertilization has not occurred, menstruation occurs.

Another option - fertilization occurred, the woman became pregnant. The body changes, hormonal changes take place, the purpose of which is now to maintain pregnancy. During the period of gestation, menstruation does not go.

After nine months of pregnancy, the birth of a child occurs, and the female body begins to restore functions. The hormonal balance is normalized, organs and systems return to their usual functioning, as it was before conception.

postpartum recovery

All changes during pregnancy and after childbirth are physiological in nature, and recovery lasts up to two months. All organs and their systems return to their normal state. However, the mammary glands are changing: their functional development is directed to the process of breastfeeding a newborn.

Restoration of the reproductive system after childbirth begins with a reduction in the uterus. Then the cervical canal is formed, the external os is closed. The duration of the process depends on various factors:

• the number of transferred births;
• the possibilities of the organism;
• correct mode;
• pathological childbirth.

Women who have given birth several times often have a weakened body and take longer to recover. Those who have given birth for the first time after 30 years, who have undergone pathological childbirth, feel physiological changes harder, it takes more time to return to normal. Doctors advise to observe the postpartum regimen, which significantly accelerates the resumption of prenatal functions.

The duration of recovery depends on the method of feeding the child. Important factor while lactation.

The timing of cycle resumption differs between breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding women. The reason for this is due to the production of prolactin. The hormone causes the female body to produce milk, and the mother's body directs forces to feed the newborn. And since the birth has already taken place, a new conception is not expected. Based on this “logic”, prolactin inhibits reproductive function, and with it, menstruation.

Non-breastfeeding mothers whose babies are formula-fed have their periods 6-8 weeks after the baby is born. Prolactin in this case does not suppress the development of the egg, and the first menstruation begins after childbirth. The specified period is considered average.

Mothers who breastfeed their babies only note that menstruation can begin after the introduction of complementary foods. Prolactin controls milk production by suppressing hormonal processes in the ovaries, and those who breastfeed for more than a year do not have periods. But there are also opposite cases: with established breastfeeding, menstruation can begin from 3-4 months after the birth of the baby.

Nursing mothers are advised to undergo regular gynecological examinations to detect pregnancy, invisible in the absence of critical days, and to diagnose possible diseases.

Another case is mixed feeding containing breast milk and complementary foods. Representatives of the weaker sex, who combined these types of baby nutrition, note the onset of menstruation in a period of 3 to 4 months. The reason is that in this case, less prolactin is produced.

And independent childbirth is a little different. The time of the appearance of critical days and the normalization of the cycle are the same, but there are additional factors that change the described process:

• psychological condition;
• food quality;
• the possibility of rest, the duration of sleep;
• the age of the woman in labor;
• complications.

These factors affect the time of onset of menstruation, the period of arrival of which strongly depends on the characteristics of the organism. The duration of postpartum is always individual.

Peculiarities

For the first postpartum period, the following features are characteristic:

• irregularity;
• soreness;
• changing the length of the cycle;
• duration of "critical days";
• abundance of secretions.

The menstrual cycle that began after childbirth is characterized by irregularity. The failure lasts from 2 months to six months (2-3 cycles). Important detail: monthly cycle, which has not returned to normal in six months, indicates possible problems. Violation menstrual cycle after childbirth is an important problem. In this case, a woman needs professional advice from a gynecologist.

Representatives of the weaker sex during the first postpartum “critical days” often feel pain. The reasons are hidden in the complicated course of childbirth, exhaustion of the body, psychological fatigue, pathologies. After six months, the pain gradually subsides. On the other hand, girls who felt menstrual pain before childbirth, often stop complaining about her after. Why? The uterus acquires the correct position, its possible bend is smoothed out.

Often after the birth of a child, changes in the duration of the menstrual cycle are noted. The standard duration becomes different. Normal prenatal values ​​(21 or 32 days) often average around 26 days.

Normally, menstruation lasts 3-5 days, but after childbirth, their duration varies, reaching 7-10 days. If it is longer than this period, then bleeding has developed. Young mothers who notice a reduction in the duration of discharge to 1-2 days or a continuation of more than 10 days require medical consultation.

After complicated childbirth, the abundance of discharge often changes. Blood loss of 50-150 ml is recognized as standard. This parameter is considered normal: with the most abundant secretions, the usual gasket is not replaced for 4-5 hours. In the same time profuse menstruation after childbirth is a state when each new pad is used for 1-2 hours.

Large volumes of unpleasantly smelling dark-colored discharge and pain are a reason to consult a doctor.

Other features also influence the timing of the restoration of the menstrual cycle: exacerbation of chronic diseases, increased premenstrual syndrome. Sleep, proper daily routine, high-quality nutrition, and a stable psychological microclimate help normalize reproductive function.

Doctors advise to adhere to the basic recommendations. The body of a mother who has given birth to a child has special needs. You should get enough rest, do not exhaust yourself physically. Vitamins and microelements will help to establish the functions of the ovaries, mammary glands. But the course and drugs should be prescribed by a doctor.

You can get the vitamins you need by eating right. Nutritionists advise eating low-fat meat products, better boiled, it is good to drink plenty of milk. The most useful cereal is oatmeal. Thermally processed fruits and vegetables are also considered useful. Nursing mothers are advised to avoid allergens in food.

Newborns require careful care, but do not forget about the health of the mother. Stable, restful sleep helps to avoid overwork, weakness, psychological depression. Lack of sleep reduces the ability to quickly restore the menstrual cycle. Night sleep and daytime rest will support the health of the new mother.

An important tip is to pass examinations on time. AT postpartum period chronic diseases are activated, new ones may appear. Menstruation that has not improved after childbirth, an abundance of discharge, long delays, the duration of menstruation for more than ten days - all these are very serious reasons, noticing which you should consult a doctor.

The birth of a child greatly changes the body of a woman. Normalization of the menstrual cycle is a complex process that takes a different amount of time and is determined by individual characteristics, as well as the state of health of a young mother. Women need to eat useful products, maintain a good psychological mood, rest, then the restoration of reproductive function will go faster and without complications.

During pregnancy and childbirth, many systems and organs of a woman undergo significant changes. And recovery takes some time - from 6 to 8 weeks. However, this does not fully apply to the chest and reproductive system. It will take much more time to fully return to its original state and normalize the menstrual cycle.

After childbirth, a woman's endocrine system actively produces the hormone prolactin, which stimulates milk production. At the same time, it suppresses the cyclic process of egg production.

The restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth is a hormonal process and its speed is associated with the speed of restoration of the hormonal background after childbirth. And this, in turn, directly depends on how it happens.

The menstrual cycle after childbirth, depending on the type of feeding of the child:

• if a woman breastfeeds her child exclusively, and does it on demand at any time of the day or night, the monthly cycle after childbirth is restored only by the end of the first year of the child's life - by the end of the lactation period;
• with the introduction of complementary foods, when the child is no longer so actively breastfeeding, the menstrual cycle can recover earlier - before the complete end of lactation;
• in the case when from the very beginning the feeding of the child is mixed, the menstrual cycle after childbirth is restored by 3-4 months;
• if a woman does not breastfeed at all, then ovulation is restored by 10-12 weeks after the birth of the baby.

As you can see, the period of restoration of the menstrual cycle depends not so much on how the birth took place - naturally or by caesarean, but on the way the child is fed.

It is possible to talk about the restoration of the menstrual cycle only after the arrival of the first real menstruation (not to be confused with the discharge of lochia). But even here you should not expect that menstruation will immediately become regular - after childbirth, the cycle usually goes astray. Violation of the menstrual cycle after childbirth and an irregular cycle in the first few months after the onset of menstruation is normal.

Failure of the menstrual cycle after childbirth is associated with hormonal changes in the body. Menstruation can go 2 times a month or be delayed for several days. Be that as it may, the cycle after childbirth changes. And this has a lot to do with continued feeding.

But it recovers after some time. This time is individual for each woman, for someone the process of complete recovery takes 1-2 months, for someone the cycle fails for another six months. But, in the end, everything will “settle down” and return to normal.

In women who have given birth, the nature of menstrual flow may change - sometimes after childbirth, a woman notes that the previously uncomfortable sensations of menstruation have been replaced by absolutely painless ones. This may be due to the fact that before pregnancy the woman had, which made it difficult for the outflow of blood. After pregnancy and childbirth, this defect has changed or disappeared completely, so pain during menstruation are no longer worried.

Sometimes after childbirth, menstruation becomes more abundant. This is due to experienced stress and stress, including on the nervous and endocrine systems. And this is the reason for the change in the number of allocations. The problem can be solved with good rest and nutrition.

And remember that the restoration of the menstrual cycle is not only a physiological, but also a psychological process. Therefore, worry less about this, because each organism is individual. If you don't provoke nervous breakdown in the postpartum period, the monthly cycle will recover earlier. If you have any doubts or questions, please consult a gynecologist.

Regular and painless periods are one of the indicators of a woman's health. They serve as an indicator of the ability to give life to a person. Their absence during pregnancy and in most cases during breastfeeding enables a young mother to give her vitality to a baby who has just recently announced her presence in this world. The arrival of menstruation suggests that a woman is able to conceive and bear a child again.

What is the menstrual cycle

The menstrual cycle is a multifaceted biological process in the female body that affects the functions of both the reproductive system and others (cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, and others). A cycle is the length of time between the first day of menstruation and the last day before the next discharge. Its duration should be regular (from 21 to 35 days), approximately the same each time. Each such cycle prepares a woman for pregnancy. It consists of the following phases:

1. Preparing for ovulation. The ovaries produce the hormone estrogen, due to which the inner layer of the uterus swells, the follicle (the bladder containing the egg) matures.
2. Ovulation. The mature follicle bursts, the egg is released from it into the abdominal cavity. Usually occurs in the middle of a cycle.
3. Readiness for fertilization. The egg begins to move fallopian tubes into the uterus. This process takes an average of three days. If fertilization has not occurred during this time, the egg dies. ovaries in in large numbers produce the hormone progesterone, thanks to which the endometrium (the inner layer of the uterus) prepares to receive a fertilized egg. In the case of pregnancy, there are no periods.
4. Menstruation. If fertilization does not occur, the endometrium begins to be shed, which is due to sharp decline progesterone production. Bleeding starts.

The restoration of the menstrual cycle means for a woman the possibility of a new pregnancy

In many countries earlier, and in some even now, girls and women during menstruation are treated in a special way. Some believe that a woman becomes unclean. So, some of our compatriots do not even go to church during critical days. In some eastern countries, girls are forbidden these days to cook food, touch idols, do housework, so as not to defile anything.

In other regions it is considered or was considered earlier that women have special power during the days of menstruation. So, in the 16th century, the Korean general Gwak Cheu wore red clothes dyed with the menstrual blood of virgins during the war. The general believed that the dark female yin energy turned his clothes into armor inaccessible to enemy fire - the personification of the male yang energy.

How to distinguish menstruation from lochia and postpartum bleeding

After childbirth, a woman has spotting, which is abundant at first, and then more and more scarce. These discharges have nothing to do with menstruation and are called lochia. Immediately after childbirth, lochia is very abundant. But after a few days they become like menstruation, after which they gradually subside. After about a month and a half, they disappear without a trace.

Sometimes lochia stops faster, while the uterus does not have time to take on its original size (a noticeable tummy remains). This may indicate that the uterus is poorly contracted or the cervical canal is spasmodic. Such pathologies are diagnosed using ultrasound diagnostics. Too dark blood in the form of clots can also indicate similar problems. Its color indicates that it has been in the uterus for a long time and managed to oxidize.

If the uterus seems to have contracted, the lochia almost stopped, but suddenly there was a copious discharge of blood, and less than five weeks had passed after the birth, which means that the bleeding began. In this case, you must immediately consult a doctor. The reason for this situation is hidden in a piece of the placenta remaining in the uterus. Pathology is diagnosed using ultrasound, and confirmed with hysteroscopy or curettage.

Video: the doctor talks about discharge after childbirth

When to expect periods after childbirth

The monthly cycle of a young mother is restored gradually: for some, a month and a half after birth (but not earlier), while for others, even a year later, which depends on many factors. But first of all - from the hormonal background of a woman.

The level of hormones in the body is subject to changes, and the beginning of menstruation also depends on how much they are present in the body. If a woman is breastfeeding, her body produces large amounts of prolactin. It dampens the work of the ovaries, thereby preventing the restoration of the menstrual cycle. So nature takes care that female powers were aimed at a baby already born, and not at a new pregnancy. If, for some reason, the mother completed breastfeeding, this is a sign for the body - the woman is free, you can prepare for a new pregnancy. That is why, in most cases, mothers whose children are fully breastfed do not have periods. The cycle is restored soon after the baby is transferred to artificial or mixed feeding, or complementary foods are actively introduced.

Thus, most often the recovery time of the cycle depends on the nature of the baby's nutrition:

• if a baby up to a year is completely breastfed, receives milk on demand at any time of the day, and complementary foods are only an addition to mother's milk, menstruation should be expected when the baby is one year old and “adult” food takes the main place in his diet;
• if the baby is actively fed from 5–6 months, gradually replacing breastfeeding with solid food, menstruation will appear when the baby is seven to eight months old;
• when the baby is mixed-fed, the discharge is likely to begin three to four months after birth;
• in mothers of babies on artificial feeding, menstruation appears one and a half to two months after childbirth.

The hormone prolactin, produced in large quantities in the body of a nursing mother, inhibits the work of the ovaries and the resumption of menstruation

At modern woman in her entire life, there are about 450 menstrual cycles. A few centuries ago, this figure was less - about 160 cycles. And in ancient times - about 50. This is due to the fact that they used to give birth to many children and breastfeed them for a long time.

What else affects the onset of menstruation

Of course, other factors also influence the onset of menstruation, however, to a much lesser extent than lactation:

• the presence of diseases complicates recovery after childbirth, which means that menstruation is delayed;
• difficult pregnancy and complications of childbirth slow down the recovery process, so it will take longer to wait for the arrival of menstruation;
• the level of other hormones is interconnected with the production of prolactin, and hence the onset of menstruation;
• proper balanced nutrition, the intake of a sufficient amount of essential trace elements and vitamins contribute to the full functioning of the body and the speedy restoration of the monthly cycle;
• observance of the sleep and rest regime contributes to the recovery processes;
• stress, depression emotional condition adversely affect reproductive health and the restoration of the menstrual cycle;
• the use of hormonal contraceptives can make adjustments to the functioning of the hormonal system: along with the stimulation of progesterone production, their use reduces the amount of prolactin. Therefore, the early onset of menstruation is possible, but at the same time, a decrease in the amount of milk produced;
• age and number of births affect the functioning of the reproductive system. A young unworn organism returns to normal faster;
• excess weight does not contribute to the timely onset of menstruation;
• the body of women who have given birth several times, as well as those who have given birth for the first time after 30 years, as a rule, recovers longer after childbirth.

Recovery after caesarean section

The restoration of the menstrual cycle does not depend on whether the baby was born as a result of natural childbirth or after surgery caesarean section. However, in some cases, recovery may be delayed due to complications in the postoperative period: inflammatory processes in the uterine cavity, as well as in the suture area. In all other respects, the method of delivery does not matter.

The restoration of the menstrual cycle after a caesarean section, if it passed without complications, is no different from the recovery after natural childbirth

Features of the menstrual cycle after childbirth

After childbirth, menstruation may have a completely different character than before childbirth, although not necessarily. It happens that their periodicity, and duration, and the nature of the secretions, their intensity also change. Often they are no longer as painful as they used to be.

Restoring the cycle takes some time. The first menstruation after childbirth does not immediately become regular, the same in duration and do not always occur with the same frequency. The body needs time to adjust to a new way. On average, this takes two to three months.

Table: what should be the normal monthly

Often, before the start of menstruation, a woman is overtaken by premenstrual syndrome (PMS), even if in the prenatal period of her life it was uncharacteristic for her. This condition is characterized by:

• mood swings;
• irritability;
• sleep disorders;
• distraction;
• swelling and mild soreness of the mammary glands;
• fluid retention in the body, edema;
• joint pain;
• allergic reactions.

Many women determine the approach of menstruation by changing their well-being.

Soreness, profusion of discharge and duration of menstruation are usually much greater in winter than in summer.

How to help the body recover

During pregnancy and after the birth of a baby, the load on all organs and systems (especially the nervous and endocrine) of a woman is very large. Contribute to the restoration of the cycle, the proper functioning of the body will be:

• proper sleep and rest;
• peace of mind, peace of mind;
• proper, balanced nutrition, intake of vitamins;
• mobile lifestyle, full walks in the fresh air.

How does menstruation affect breast milk?

Moms whose cycle has recovered often worry about how changes in their body affect lactation. With menstrual flow, sometimes the amount of the hormone prolactin in the body decreases, which reduces milk production. At the same time, the quality, taste, composition of milk remain the same. It is worth putting the crumbs to the chest more often so that he remains full and calm, and also drink more fluids.

Menstrual flow in a young mother does not affect the quality of her milk in any way, but may slightly reduce its quantity.

Table: menstrual irregularities

Such violations are rare, but in order to prevent them in time, all women who have given birth are given an ultrasound examination and tests are prescribed, and they are also recommended to visit a gynecologist regularly, especially in the first time after childbirth. By ignoring these recommendations, a young mother puts both her health and the health of future children at risk.

The restoration of the menstrual cycle after childbirth is one of the conditions for the physical well-being of a woman. healthy image life, a positive attitude and timely contacting a doctor in case of anxiety will help make the process easy and natural.

Irregular menstruation or complete absence after the birth of a child is one of the most exciting topics for new mothers. This is not surprising, because the regularity of the menstrual cycle is one of the most important indicators. women's health. However, do not forget that during pregnancy, childbirth and lactation, a woman's body undergoes significant changes that cannot but affect all the processes occurring in it.

The postpartum period and the resumption of a regular menstrual cycle

The postpartum recovery period lasts an average of 6 to 8 weeks. During this time, the uterus contracts to normal size and restores its epithelium, damaged during childbirth. The remains of the blood and the fetal membrane come out in the form of the so-called. goofy. Menstruation returns only after the end recovery period.

The rate of recovery of the menstrual cycle depends on many indicators:

• how big is the hormonal imbalance of the mother after pregnancy;
• how was the pregnancy and were there any complications in childbirth;
• the general physical and psychological state of the mother;
• whether the baby is on natural, mixed or artificial feeding;
• what chronic diseases mother suffers;
• how fully she eats and rests, etc.

If for some reason a woman does not breastfeed her baby, her cycle is restored much faster than in lactating mothers. Already 2-3 months after the birth of the baby, the first menstrual flow begins. Sometimes the process begins much faster: a month after the birth.

If the child is bottle-fed, the mother's cycle is restored much faster than in mothers who breastfeed their children. This usually happens almost immediately after the completion of the recovery period - 2-3 months after childbirth. However, there are cases when menstruation began within a month after childbirth.

As a rule, after the resumption of menstruation, the cycle can remain irregular for up to six months - the body needs time to restore the normal operation of all systems. However, if after this period the length of the cycle fluctuates by more than 4-5 days, this is a reason to consult a doctor.

After the birth of a child, the menstrual cycle can change significantly: become shorter or longer, painful, or, conversely, it will flow easier. Women who have never experienced mood swings may experience irritability and tearfulness on certain days of the cycle.

A normal menstrual cycle can range from 21 to 35 days, plus or minus a week from the average of 28 days. The duration of the menstruation itself can normally vary from 2 to 6 days, and the volume of blood lost should be no more than 80 ml.

Dmitry Lubnin

http://www.sovetginekologa.ru/helpful/menstruacii

The resumption of the regularity of the menstrual cycle after the birth of a child is a sign that the female body has fully restored its reproductive function and is ready to bear the baby again.

Menstrual cycle during lactation

Breastfeeding has a huge impact on the monthly cycle. The hormone prolactin is responsible for successful lactation, which suppresses ovarian function, making ovulation difficult, if not impossible. So nature makes sure that a new pregnancy does not occur, and the mother is able to fully feed the newborn child. It follows from this that a variant is possible in which menstruation will resume only after the completion of breastfeeding. This condition is called lactational amenorrhea.

Postpartum amenorrhea during breastfeeding can last for two to three years. The duration of amenorrhea in nursing mothers may correspond to different periods, but in any case, the absence of menstruation is considered as a physiological disorder (that is, a disorder that is not painful and normal for the body within its natural state).

http://simptomer.ru/bolezni/zhenskie-zabolevaniya/302-amenoreya-simptomy#header5

During breastfeeding, the hormone prolactin is released, which suppresses ovulation.

About three months after giving birth, when I was already completely used to the role of a mother, and life gradually returned to normal, I began to worry that my periods still did not come. Before giving birth, problems with the cycle never arose, so the absence of even a hint of the approaching menstruation puzzled me very much. Since my doctor could not say anything specific about this, I went to one of the parenting forums and found out that while I was breastfeeding, almost any cycle or its absence would be considered normal (provided there was no severe pain, discomfort, suspicious discharge, temperature, etc.). I won’t say that it calmed me down a lot, but there were a lot of worries with the baby and I just didn’t have the strength to seriously worry about this. I took the information into account and plunged headlong into everyday chores. I breastfed for a year and nine months and never had a period during that time. Three weeks after weaning my son, my cycle returned. It became shorter by two days, but there were no problems with regularity.

Lactational amenorrhea - video

Quite often, the cycle begins to recover when the baby reaches the age of about six months. It is at this time that exclusively breastfed children begin to introduce complementary foods, the need for milk decreases and less prolactin is produced.

An irregular cycle during HB (breastfeeding) will be the norm rather than a pathology. The duration of periods can vary within a few days, sometimes menstruation may not occur at all, and in the next period they return again. Allocations may differ from prenatal and be very slight (“smeared”). The cycle can be constant for a certain time, and then begin to change again. But if significant fluctuations (up to 5 days) continue after the end of the lactation period, you need to see a doctor.

Causes of prolonged lack of menstruation after breastfeeding

It is unlikely that anyone will be able to accurately answer the question of when your regular cycle will be restored after weaning the baby from the breast. Menstruation is a multi-level process that involves all the systems in your body. And if any of them still has not returned to normal after pregnancy and breastfeeding, this will definitely affect the cycle. In 80% of women, the first menstruation begins within 6 weeks after the end of breastfeeding. Experts recommend consulting a doctor if menstruation has not yet resumed three months after the baby is weaned.

Consultation is also necessary if, after the third or fourth cycle, menstruation lasts less than 3 or more than 5 days, the discharge is very scarce (less than 50 ml) or large clots are present.

A long delay in menstruation after the cessation of lactation can be caused by a number of serious reasons:

• in which the release of estrogen is not enough;
• cystic changes in the ovaries;
• infectious diseases;
• general depletion of the body;
• tumors in the uterus and ovaries;
• inflammatory processes of the genital organs.

However, first of all, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of a new pregnancy. It is important not to forget that fertilization occurs during ovulation, which on average occurs 2 weeks before the onset of menstruation. Therefore, regardless of whether your menstrual cycle has returned, and how regular it is, use protection if you are not ready for a new pregnancy.

With a long absence of menstruation, first of all, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of a new pregnancy.

If your pregnancy test is negative and you don't get your period, see your doctor as soon as possible.

How to adjust the menstrual cycle after childbirth

As trite as it sounds, try to eat well: eat more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. A balanced diet combined with sufficient fluids will help bring your hormone levels back to normal faster. Rest and spend time outdoors as much as possible. Light physical activity will also have a beneficial effect on your physical and psychological state.

Refuse to take hormonal contraceptives - they can increase the imbalance of hormones. Until your cycle has recovered, opt for condoms.

Folk methods for restoring the menstrual cycle

If disruptions in the menstrual cycle are not caused by serious pathologies, you can try to normalize it with the help of folk remedies.

1. Melissa has long been considered a "female" plant and often has many useful properties. It relieves spasms and pains, has a positive effect on lactation, cleanses the intestines and normalizes sleep. The phytoestrogens contained in the herb will help restore hormone levels and regulate the menstrual cycle. To prepare an infusion, pour one tablespoon of dry or fresh herbs into a glass hot water(not boiling water!) and leave for half an hour. Drink warm. Since lemon balm has sedative properties, it is better to take such an infusion at bedtime and, preferably, an hour or two after eating. Melissa drinks are not recommended for women with low blood pressure.
   

   Melissa has long been considered a "feminine" herb.

2. Royal jelly (or white honey) is truly a storehouse of useful substances, therefore it is recommended by doctors as an adjuvant for a number of diseases, including various female ailments. Regular use of this product will strengthen the immune system, improve performance nervous system, normalizes digestion and helps restore hormonal balance. Royal jelly can be purchased at different forms: tablets, solutions, glucose mixtures, granules or honey with the addition of the product. Therefore, when taking it, you need to focus on the instructions for the drugs. Most often, white honey is taken in the morning on an empty stomach, as it has tonic properties. Contraindications to the use of royal jelly are kidney disease, allergic reactions to bee products, increased blood clotting and infectious diseases in the acute phase.

   Royal jelly comes in different forms

3. Dates are rich in vitamins, including vitamin E, which favorably affects the hormonal background. In addition, they are an excellent substitute for sweets, which should be limited during lactation. To obtain the effect, it is necessary to eat 5-6 fruits daily for a month.

   5-6 dates a day have a beneficial effect on the body of a nursing mother

Although the proposed folk remedies much safer than drugs, they must be introduced into the diet of a nursing mother with caution and in turn, so as not to cause allergic reaction at the baby.

Medicines

It is important to remember that there are no 100% safe drugs for the treatment of any ailment during lactation. Even vitamin complexes, designed specifically for nursing mothers, you can start taking only after consulting a doctor.

If you are concerned about the duration, soreness or nature of the discharge during lactation, you need to visit a gynecologist.

For the treatment of serious menstrual disorders, as a rule, hormone-containing drugs are prescribed that are incompatible with breastfeeding. And only the doctor after the complete examination can prescribe you a particular treatment regimen and, if necessary, recommend that you stop lactating.

Every woman is unique. Therefore, it is impossible to say exactly when her menstrual cycle will be restored. Do not panic and look for terrible ailments in yourself if your periods do not recover while you are breastfeeding. It is better to visit a qualified specialist who will dispel all your fears and doubts.