When will I start my period after giving birth?

Postpartum bleeding vs period

It doesn’t matter if you had a vaginal birth or delivered via C-Section, everyone will experience bleeding after giving birth. This bleed is different from your period. 

The postpartum bleed is also known as “lochia” and consists of a mix of blood, mucus, and tissue from the lining of the uterus. It’s common for postpartum bleeding to last for around 4-6 weeks after giving birth, but it may continue for as long as 12 weeks. Talk to your doctor if you have questions or concerns about the amount of bleeding you experience.

The bleed will usually be heavy and red or brown in color in the beginning and often becomes lighter with time. Towards the end of this bleeding period, you might only have some pinkish or brown spotting or yellow-colored discharge.

It’s important that you don’t use tampons for the postpartum bleed since they can lead to infection, so make sure that you have maternity pads on-hand for after the birth. (These are more absorbent than regular pads and a bit more gentle on your skin while you heal.)

The type of bleeding you get on your period on the other hand is different. It marks the start of each new menstrual cycle and will usually last somewhere between two and seven days. A period happens when the lining of the uterus is shed in the form of a bleed. This bleeding will mainly be red on heavier days, and brown or pink on lighter days.

How long does it take to get your period after having a baby?

How long it takes to get your first period after giving birth can vary a lot from person to person, so there’s no simple answer to this question that will apply to everyone. Some will get their period back after five or six weeks, while for others, it can take more than a year for their first period to return after giving birth. 

At Natural Cycles, we wanted to learn more about the postpartum experience so we conducted a survey with our users who had given birth in the last 6-24 months. We got over 2,000 answers and found that almost all of the respondents had gotten their period back since they had their baby. One out of four Cyclers actually got their first period within three months after giving birth! 

After six months, half of the respondents had gotten their period back. After a year, three out of four had gotten their first period since giving birth.

The first period after breastfeeding

While there are many things that can impact when you get your period back again after giving birth, one important factor that comes into play is whether or not you breastfeed your baby. 

When you’re breastfeeding, your body releases a hormone called prolactin. Prolactin is what causes your body to produce milk, but it can also stop you from ovulating and getting your period – this is why breastfeeding full-time can be used as a birth control method.

In our survey, we found that there were some big differences between those who breastfed and those who didn’t in terms of when their period returned after pregnancy. The majority of those who didn’t breastfeed at all got their period back within the first three months after giving birth, while only one out of five who were mainly breastfeeding got their period again within that same time.

Interestingly, those who were pumping ended up somewhere between these two groups – almost half got their period back within the first three months after delivery. 

A year after giving birth, most had gotten their period back again – although those who had been breastfeeding were still a bit less likely to have their period back within that time frame.

What to expect from the first period after giving birth

First off, it’s common to have more irregular periods for a while once your period does return after pregnancy. This is especially true if you’re still breastfeeding, since your cycle can be affected by the prolactin, but can happen for everyone. 

The periods themselves can also look a little different from what you’re used to and might include:

• Heavier or lighter bleeding than before
• More or less cramping than usual
• Small blood clots in your period 

If you have a lot of blood clots in your periods, or if you’re concerned about anything related to your period, it’s a good idea to reach out to a healthcare professional for more guidance. 

Birth control after pregnancy

While you likely won’t be fertile right away after giving birth, you can ovulate (meaning that you can get pregnant) before your period returns again, so it’s good to start thinking about birth control options so that you’re all set for when you feel ready to start having sex again after pregnancy. 

In our survey on postpartum experiences, we saw that almost everyone had had sex since giving birth, but less than half had used birth control during this time. Out of those who did, condoms were the most commonly used method. There are a range of hormonal and non-hormonal methods out there that can be used by those who have recently given birth.

If you’re interested in trying a non-hormonal birth control method that also helps you learn more about your body, Natural Cycles could be an option for you. You can get started with Natural Cycles at any point after pregnancy but you will only be given Red (fertile) Days until your first ovulation is confirmed. Natural Cycles is a temperature-based method and you can either measure with a thermometer in the morning or overnight with an Oura Ring or Apple Watch.

Natural Cycles is just as effective if you start using it after pregnancy – 93% with typical use and 98% with perfect use – and the app will let you know when you ovulate and also when you can expect your period. Why not see if Natural Cycles would be a good fit for you?