As a breastfeeding mom, you know you won’t be getting your period back for some time while breastfeeding your little one. But how long can you expect Aunt Flo to stay away for, exactly? And what will breastfeeding be like once your period returns?
FACTORS THAT CAUSE A PERIOD TO RETURN
The truth is, there’s no clear-cut answer to this question. It’s something that varies quite a bit from one mom to another. When you get your period back while breastfeeding depends on a couple of different factors, including:
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How frequently you breastfeed
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Whether you’re exclusively breastfeeding, pumping and breastfeeding, or breastfeeding and supplementing
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Whether your baby is sleeping through the night
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Whether your baby takes a pacifier and how much comfort nursing your baby does
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What your individual hormonal make-up is and how your body responds to the hormones of breastfeeding
The reason periods stay away while breastfeeding has to do with hormones. In particular, the breastfeeding hormone prolactin keeps menstruation and ovulation-related hormones like estrogen and progesterone lower. That’s why breastfeeding frequency matters so much—the more your baby suckles, the more prolactin is released, which suppresses ovulation and menstruation.
But there are women who breastfeed around-the-clock without supplements or pacifiers who get their periods back a few weeks after giving birth. There are other moms who have dropped down to only a few breastfeeding sessions per day and still don’t get their periods back. That’s why our own personal hormonal responses come into play here, too.
AVERAGE TIME PERIODS RETURN DURING BREASTFEEDING
Again, there’s just no clear-cut answer here. One study out of Australia found that breastfeeding moms got their period back at an average of 8.5 months postpartum. These women rarely used breastmilk supplements (like formula) and began to introduce solids at around five months. The Lactational Amenorrhea Method of birth control is based on the fact that if a mom is fully breastfeeding without solids, and her baby is under six months, she is unlikely to be fertile, and in this case is unlikely to have her period back.
In my own experience as an IBCLC and breastfeeding counselor, I would say that most moms get their periods back a few months after starting solids, so in the 6-9 month range. But I’ve seen exclusively breastfeeding moms get their periods back at two months postpartum, and I’ve seen moms not get it back till their breastfeeding kiddos were two years old and only nursing a handful of times a day!
PERIODS MAY BE IRREGULAR AT FIRST
Once your period returns, you won’t necessarily go back to getting it monthly (if that was your frequency). Periods can be irregular for a few months when they first return. For example, you might get your period and then not get it again for several months. As you drop more breastfeeding sessions, it should get more regular.
BREASTFEEDING ONCE YOUR PERIOD RETURNS
Many people worry about what will happen in terms of breastfeeding once their periods return, and How The Return Of Your Menstrual Cycle Affects Your Milk Supply. Your experience of breastfeeding once your period returns is also a very individual thing. Some moms really don’t notice much changing once they start getting their periods again. Others notice that breastfeeding is more difficult in the days leading up to their period and the first day or two of their period.
For example, if you get sore breasts before your period, breastfeeding might be uncomfortable. PMS mood swings can make you less tolerable of being touched and of feeling fully relaxed while breastfeeding. Some moms experience breastfeeding aversion before and during their periods.
Milk supply can sometimes be impacted, with moms noticing a drop in supply before and during the first day or two of their periods. Importantly, these changes are temporary and go away once your period starts. For most moms, they are an annoyance, but they don’t meaningfully impact their ability to nurse their babies, and many moms nurse for a long time while getting regular periods.
BREASTFEEDING, PERIODS, AND FERTILITY
Once you get your period back, you are fertile. You can even be fertile if you haven’t gotten your period back, but have ovulated. But this usually only happens after the six-month mark or if you haven’t been exclusively breastfeeding. Most fully breastfeeding moms with babies under six months don’t ovulate before their first postpartum period.
After your period has come back, you’re definitely going to need to think about birth control if you aren’t looking to get pregnant. Barrier methods of birth control don’t interfere with breastfeeding. Many hormonal methods are also compatible with breastfeeding.
In terms of hormonal methods, it’s usually safest to stick to “progesterone only” methods like the “mini pill” or hormonal IUD. Hormonal birth control with estrogen can interfere with breastfeeding, though this may be less of an issue when your baby is older. Talk to your doctor or midwife about the best birth control method for you while breastfeeding.
WHERE TO GO FOR SUPPORT
Getting your period back and all the questions that come with that – including navigating breastfeeding during menstruation and fertility/pregnancy prevention – can be a lot, and you may feel overwhelmed with questions. It can be so helpful to connect with other parents who are going through this, and reaching out to a breastfeeding counselor or IBCLC can be invaluable. Don’t try to navigate this on your own. When in doubt, reach out!
SOURCES
Gross, B. A., Burger, H., & WHO Task Force on methods for the natural regulation of fertility (2002). Breastfeeding patterns and return to fertility in Australian women. The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology, 42(2), 148–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0004-8666.2002.00148.x
Berens, P., Labbok, M., & Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (2015). ABM Clinical Protocol #13: Contraception During Breastfeeding, Revised 2015. Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, 10(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2015.9999
Mother to Baby. Birth Control and Breastfeeding. 2026.
