When Will You Get Your First Period After Having a Baby (And What Will It Be Like)?

Unfortunately, there’s no one answer to that question. The timing depends on various factors, including your health and how long you plan on breastfeeding your child for (as well as how frequently you do it).

Read on to learn more about when you can expect your period to come back and exactly what determines this.

Put simply, most mothers don’t have periods after giving birth because they’re breastfeeding.

As you probably already know, periods are caused by ovulation—the release of eggs from your ovaries. When you breastfeed, your body releases a hormone, called prolactin, that sends a signal to your body not to release any more eggs. 1 You won’t menstruate (have periods) until you begin ovulating again.

This pause in your periods is called lactational amenorrhea, and it isn’t anything to worry about. 2 In fact, if you’re someone who’s always suffered from painful cramps or had other unpleasant symptoms during your period, it might come as a welcome break.

Your body will usually keep making prolactin as long as you keep breastfeeding regularly. When you stop (or begin to taper off), it will stop producing this hormone, and you’ll start getting periods again.

This means that when you can expect your period largely depends on whether you:

• Frequently breastfeed: If you breastfeed your baby every few hours, your period probably won’t return until you stop nursing them. This is particularly likely if you exclusively breastfeed and don’t use formula at all.
• Rely on baby formula: If you start bottle-feeding your baby with formula right away, your period will return sooner—often within 4 to 8 weeks, although it’s been known to resume sooner. 3

Your period is more likely to return if you go for longer stretches without breastfeeding (e.g., if you rely on pumping and don’t breastfeed at night).

In general, many women find that their periods return within 9 to 18 months of giving birth, since this is around the time that most babies start consuming solid food and water. 4 However, this isn’t universal. 5

Other factors that affect when your period will return

To some extent, when you get your first period will also be determined by your:

• Overall health
• Nutrition
• Stress levels

The timeline varies from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy, so there’s no way to predict when you’ll get your period again with perfect accuracy.

Postpartum bleeding vs. your first period: what’s the difference?

It’s worth noting that shortly after you give birth, you’ll experience something called lochia. This is a type of postpartum bleeding that can look and feel a lot like a period, although it’s actually quite different.

Like menstrual periods, lochia is the result of the shedding of the uterine lining. However, unlike periods, it isn’t caused by ovulation. It’s the result of your body healing itself after giving birth.

Lochia starts as bright red blood and gradually transitions through stages—pink, brown, and then cream or white—over the course of 2 to 6 weeks. 6

Again, this isn’t linked to your menstrual cycle, and it doesn’t mean that your periods have started again. You might not get your first real period until weeks or months after lochia stops.

Your first postpartum period might be different from what you were used to before you got pregnant. You can expect:

• A heavier flow: Your period might be heavier than normal, and may also have larger blood clots.
• Unusual cramping: Some recent mothers experience milder cramps—something to hope for—while other, less-lucky women experience the opposite, finding them more intense than before.

After your first period passes, you may also find that your cycle is irregular for a while, meaning that your next period may arrive earlier or later than you expect. (Note that this won’t necessarily have any bearing on your fertility—it’s entirely possible to get pregnant with irregular periods.)

It may take several months to one year for your cycle to become regular again, especially if you keep breastfeeding (even if it’s just occasionally) after you resume menstruating.

After childbirth, it’s important to be careful about what menstrual products you use.

If you don’t plan on breastfeeding (meaning your period may come back relatively quickly), you should use pads, not tampons or a menstrual cup, until at least your six-week postpartum checkup. 7 This will protect you from infections and other complications while your body recovers.

Although some unpredictability in your postpartum menstrual cycle isn’t a cause for concern, you should see your doctor if you experience:

• Prolonged periods: If your period comes back and lasts much longer than usual, it could indicate a health issue, such as thyroid problems or fibroids.
• Heavy bleeding: Excessive bleeding (soaking through a pad every hour) is known as postpartum hemorrhage. It can be accompanied by other symptoms, such as dizziness or unusually pale skin.

Again, seek immediate medical attention if you have either of these symptoms.

What if your period doesn’t come back?

Try not to worry if your period doesn’t come for a while after pregnancy. As mentioned, many women don’t resume menstruating for months.

With that said, if your period doesn’t come back within 3 months of you stopping breastfeeding, it’s worth consulting with a doctor. It could easily be nothing, but there are rare postpartum conditions that can cause missed periods, such as:

• Sheehan’s syndrome (damage to the pituitary gland during childbirth) 8
• Asherman’s syndrome (scar tissue in the uterus) 9

Both conditions can impact your ability to conceive in the future, so it’s important to rule them out.

Yes, it’s possible to get pregnant, even if you haven’t had your first period after giving birth yet.

Remember, your period will come back after you ovulate (release an egg from your ovaries)—and whenever you ovulate, you can get pregnant. This means that if you’re not ready to conceive again, you need to use contraception when you resume sexual activity.

Safe birth control methods for recent mothers include:

• Condoms
• Diaphragms
• Certain IUDs
• Progestin-only pills

Avoid combination birth control pills—these can increase your risk of deep vein blood clots. 10 Moreover, these include estrogen, which can decrease your milk supply. It’s best to consult with your doctor about the best options for you. 11

Note that even if you are ready to conceive again, your doctor may recommend waiting at least 18 months after giving birth before doing so. 12 This waiting period will give your body a rest and reduce the risk of complications, such as preterm birth.

Can you use breastfeeding as a birth control method?

If all this talk about how breastfeeding delays ovulation has made you wonder whether you can use it as a method of contraception, you aren’t alone.

The answer (perhaps surprisingly) is yes—you can use breastfeeding to prevent pregnancy. However, it isn’t a foolproof method for the reason outlined above: even when you’re breastfeeding, you can’t tell with perfect accuracy whether you’ve started ovulating again or not.

How this method works

The “lactational amenorrhea method” (LAM), as it’s called, requires: 2

• Exclusively breastfeeding (never bottle-feeding)
• Feeding frequently, at least every 4 to 6 hours
• Not using pacifiers or formula supplements

The LAM is most effective when your baby is less than 6 months old. Under those conditions, it can be about 98% effective in preventing pregnancy, but once you introduce solids or your baby starts sleeping for longer stretches, its effectiveness decreases. 13

Again, there’s no way to tell exactly when your period will return after you give birth. If it comes back quickly, take that as a positive sign that your postpartum recovery is well underway. On the other hand, if it stays gone for a while, try not to worry about it, and do your best to enjoy the break.

Get plenty of rest, eat well, and pay attention to your menstrual cycle. Remember that it’s never a bad idea to get in touch with your doctor if anything about it worries you, even if it’s just for a little extra peace of mind.