Postpartum cycle: when the first menstrual cycle arrives and when it is regularized
The first cycle after childbirth, also known as the "head of the ward", clearly and definitively indicates the return to normality of the new mother's reproductive system. Despite this, however, a few more months will have to pass before the menstrual cycle returns to normal. as before pregnancy. Do not be surprised, therefore, if the period after childbirth is irregular, it is completely normal and, in part, also depends on breastfeeding.
When is your period regularized after childbirth? When can I go back to taking birth control pills after the head of the ward? We are here to answer these and other questions, to remove any doubts on the subject. In the meantime, however, here is a video with some exercises that are always useful to get back in shape after pregnancy:
When does the first menstrual cycle return after giving birth?
The first menstrual cycle after childbirth generally takes place 40 days after birth, when the so-called puerperium period ends. However, it is not such a categorical rule: a lot also depends, as we will see, on the type of breastfeeding that is carried out.
In the nine months that a woman is pregnant, the body produces more estrogen and progesterone and it is these hormones that block communication between the ovary, hypothalamus and pituitary gland (both in the brain), responsible for regulating menstrual flow, and that is why the cycle no longer comes, but when the baby is finally born, the new mother's body resumes its normal function and the cycle is reactivated.However, the first cycle after childbirth does not always arrive on time and this depends on the constitution of the woman and on breastfeeding.
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Postpartum and breastfeeding cycle: what link is there?
The first menstrual cycle after childbirth should occur 40 days after birth, but about 40% of women who use bottle-feeding or who breastfeed for less than a month have a foreman 8-10 weeks after birth. At 3 months, on the other hand, the percentage reaches 70%, at 6 months it reaches 100%.
Mothers who breastfeed exclusively, on the other hand, have longer times: the prolactin produced by their body has the effect of blocking the cycle. Therefore, according to statistics, 35% of mothers who breastfeed have the first cycle afterwards. childbirth after 3 months from the birth of the baby, 65% after 6 months. There are those who even reach 18 months, and a lot also depends on how much the baby drinks: if he latches on to the breast often and for a long time, prolactin remains high and the cycle will start later.
Is your period after childbirth always irregular? When is it regularized?
That the first period after childbirth may be irregular is normal, you don't have to be scared. Often it appears as more abundant than usual, but in the following months it returns to regularity. The hormonal changes during the period of pregnancy have a positive effect on the body for those used to having a painful cycle: it often happens, in fact, that the pain no longer occurs because the growth of the uterus has solved the problems of adhesions at the pelvic level that they used to cause it! Even those who suffered from polycystic ovary may finally have less pain when the period returns.
The PMS itself is less evident thanks to progesterone: the classic swelling, pain, mood problems and water retention will be much milder. But how long does this state of grace last? Surely for a few months, sometimes even a year, then unfortunately there is a "turnaround: the cycles become more spaced and premenstrual disorders return stronger than before.
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Head of ward and birth control pill
A separate discussion must be made for the use of the pill and other contraceptive methods after childbirth. It is not said that the return of the cycle automatically means the restart of fertility: it may happen that ovulation occurs before the head of the ward! So be careful, because even if your period hasn't returned yet, you could always get pregnant again. If you don't want it, then, take the necessary precautions immediately.
Better to opt, in these cases, for a condom. The methods of natural contraception do not give guarantees in a period marked by the irregularities of the cycle. You can also use the pill, but only one month after the baby is born. However, if you are breastfeeding, choose the minipill instead of the one you used to use, because it does not change the quantity and quality of the milk you produce.
