The birth of a child stimulates the production of breast milk in a woman's body. Usually the entire period of lactation continues amenorrhea. But this is not the case for all women. Menses sometimes appear before the baby is weaned. It depends on many factors. It is possible to determine the norm of the interval, which is released for "lactational amenorrhea", conditionally. The combination of menstruation and breastfeeding is of particular concern to women. With their onset, milk production slows down. For the occurrence of menstruation, the hormonal background of a woman must change. The hormone prolactin produced during lactation must be replaced with progesterone, which ensures the maturation of the egg. In the case when menstruation begins while breastfeeding, the reproductive system produces both hormones. There is no danger to the he alth of the child. However, it is best for a woman when the lactation process is completed before the onset of critical days. Is it possible to breastfeed during menstruation? The article will discuss the causes of menstruation, the normalization of hormonal levels and the characteristics of lactation during this period.
Can I breastfeed while on my period
The combination of menstruation and lactation is not uncommon. There can be many reasons for this condition. For example, if a nursing mother feeds a child on time because of her desire to strictly observe the lactation schedule. Sometimes, for some reason, there is a refusal to breastfeed at night. It can also lead to abnormal periods before lactation is complete.
When women ask whether it is possible to breastfeed during menstruation, the answer, of course, is yes. After all, the origin of menstruation does not affect any of the indicators of milk. A woman, continuing to breastfeed her child, can create a condition for the cessation of critical days and the order fixed by nature.
With increased breast stimulation, the more prolactin produced by the body, the less likely it is to have a period.
If you introduce artificial nutrition or give a newborn water, then the amount of breast milk decreases, which will reduce the level of prolactin and lead to the appearance of menstruation.
Why does my period disappear
Feeding schedule is not always observed. Because of this, the production of prolactin decreases. Menstruation occurs when its level decreases, which is associated with a violation of the feeding regimen. And when the frequency of application increases, then menstruation stops.
Can I breastfeed my baby during menstruation? The occurrence or absence of menstruation has no effect on this process.
To maintain a high level of milk in the breast and the hormone prolactin in the body of a woman, it is necessary to feed the baby at short intervals. Then the appearance of menstruation can be delayed.
If babies are fed with a bottle, then the level of the hormone decreases, and the sudden onset of menstruation may disappear. If a woman has a similar situation, then the hormonal balance has returned to normal.
When to expect the start of menstruation
The resumption of menstruation should occur after the end of lactation. Because menstruation and breastfeeding are caused by different hormones, the two conditions are basically incompatible.
On average lactation is 1 year. In order for menstruation to begin after this, a woman needs to wait 6-8 weeks. If after the expiration of this period, menstruation has not occurred, then you should consult a gynecologist.
Can I breastfeed if I'm on my period? In a situation where lactation has not stopped, but menstruation has appeared, nothing dangerous happens and the transfer of the child to artificial nutrition is not required. There is no threat to the he alth of the baby if the mother observes the rules of personal hygiene. Menses before lactation stopsoccur against the background of mixed or artificial feeding. The less often a woman puts her baby to her breast and the larger dose falls on complementary foods or artificial nutrition, the higher the likelihood of a resumption of menstruation. With different feeding options, periods can occur:
- fully breastfed - 1 to 2.5 years;
- mixed - 3-6 months;
- artificial - 1-2 months.
Women can rely on these approximate dates for the start of menstruation.
Factors of menstruation
Since the appearance of nipples with bottles and milk formulas, more and more women have critical days without cessation of lactation. Although this is completely inconsistent with the mechanisms of regulation of menstruation laid down by nature itself. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes breast milk is not enough for a baby or he needs to be fed urgently, and the situation does not allow resorting to a natural source. Then bottle feeding is very useful for the baby. However, this situation affects the hormonal background of a woman. Her condition begins to change, the body recovers and prepares for the next pregnancy. Therefore, despite the fact that the woman continues to breastfeed the baby, she gets her period.
Menstruation sometimes occurs despite full breastfeeding. Anxiety and unrest in women about this should not arise. In this case, hormone replacement did not occur.
Can I breastfeed if I'm on my period? Carry out lactationit is possible and necessary, and there will be no harm from it. The female body is individual.
Immediately menstruation is not fully restored. Within 2-3 cycles, they either shorten or lengthen. A longer period of absence of stable periods may indicate he alth problems.
How not to confuse
Often a situation arises when a woman states that her period has gone during lactation, and it turns out to be wrong. It would seem that she is able to find out on her own whether the critical days have begun. But the birth of a child can make its own adjustments.
During lactation, women are often surprised by the occurrence of menstruation, when they do not expect them at all. In the first 2 months, mothers must put up with postpartum discharge. They can easily be confused with periods, but women will soon discover a number of significant differences:
- lochia starts immediately after birth and lasts 6-8 weeks;
- in the first three days, the discharge is bright red, from the 4th to the 10th day they become pinkish or brown with impurities;
- postpartum discharge is usually heavier and more abundant at the beginning than it is different from menstruation.
This will allow women not to confuse two completely different processes. Postpartum discharge is necessary to cleanse the body, so you can not do without it.
How does menstruation affect lactation
Can I breastfeed my baby during menstruation? This must be done, however, there are severalnuances.
At first, lactation decreases due to a decrease in prolactin production. However, these changes do not affect the quality of milk. The child needs to continue to eat it.
Therefore, experts do not see any negative interactions between critical days and lactation. When they occur, women must comply with all personal hygiene requirements. This manifests itself in showering and other methods. Weaning a baby from the breast is not worth it.
Cycle failure
Can I breastfeed while on my period? Knowing that lactation during menstruation is not prohibited, women can continue it further.
Menstruation is not a dangerous sign, you must be attentive to all the special functions of the body. If there was a loop and then a failure, this can be explained as follows:
- When menstruation is delayed during lactation, women most often suspect pregnancy. This situation happens most often. The fact is that due to the scarcity of menstruation, it is difficult to find safe days. And because of the maturation of the egg, the woman's reproductive system is ready for a new pregnancy. Such a failure is not dangerous if the birth of a child is not foreseen, and she should take care of contraceptives.
- Irregular periods can be a sign of a hormonal imbalance that requires appropriate treatment.
- Taking certain medications causes menstruation to fail.
- Violationthe periodicity of critical days may occur due to the process of inflammation, which should be treated by a doctor.
The disappearance and appearance of menstruation during lactation can occur when the level of prolactin fluctuates. Stimulation of the mammary glands by applying the newborn to the breast contributes to the stable production of the hormone and the successful course of lactation.
Possible Complications
When asked by women about whether it is possible to breastfeed if menstruation has come, experts answer positively.
Sometimes the appearance of menstruation leads to complications that you need to know. The occurrence of menstruation leads to:
- unplanned pregnancy;
- reproductive exhaustion;
- hormonal failure;
- development of inflammation.
Many breastfeeding moms can get their period before they stop breastfeeding. However, you need to be careful about this and follow all the recommendations of doctors.
Expert opinions
Recently, doctors have been seeing women who breastfeed their babies during their period. Because of this, they have questions about whether it is possible to breastfeed during menstruation, and whether to stop lactating.
Women should not worry about this, the quality of milk does not suffer from this. Its taste remains unchanged.
The combination of critical days and lactation does not indicate pathology. After all, this happens to many women. mothersthey feed with their milk while it is there, and menstruation comes much earlier. Deadlines for critical days:
- 6 months after the birth of a child - about 7%.
- Within 6-12 months - 37%.
- In 13-23 months - 48%.
- More than 24 months - 8%.
All indicators are normal. Don't be afraid of hormonal imbalances. But to improve the condition of a woman's body, it is necessary to stimulate the work of the mammary glands. This happens by increasing the frequency of attachment of the baby to the breast and the rejection of complementary foods and artificial nutrition.
Conclusion
Can I breastfeed if I'm on my period? Women should not worry about menstruation during lactation. They need to continue breastfeeding their baby. If menstruation is accompanied by negative symptoms, then you should visit a doctor.
