# How long until return of menstruation?



## fireHC11 (Nov 21, 2009)

How long until your period returned? If you have multiple children, mark all that apply.

Thanks, mamas!









If more than 12 months, please vote on this thread here:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1169352


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## Marlet (Sep 9, 2004)

13 months for both my children. Currently only a few days postpartum with my third but am expecting the same timeline. Return of fertility though is different for me. I'm only truely cycling again (i.e. ovulating and getting real periods) at about 15-16 months with the ability to actually get pregnant (and stay that way) by 18 months.


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## MadiMamacita (Jan 29, 2006)

8 months. still bf all night and often during the day.


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## fruitfulmomma (Jun 8, 2002)

With my oldest it was about 6 months. I can't remember exactly with the girls, but it was longer each time. Last time was 13months. LO's 1st b-day is next week and no sign of it yet.


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## Yippy! (Jan 2, 2007)

14 months, came right before a major roadtrip of course







Nursing all day and night.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

DS1: I weaned him at about 10.5 months.







I got my period back the following month.

DD1: Exclusively breastfed to 6 months, self-weaned at 21 months. I got my period back at _4 months_ pp.

DS2: Exclusively breastfed to 6 months, weaned him at 27 months (I was pregnant, and it was just too painful). I got my period back at...14 or 15 months pp, can't remember which. This was my vote on the poll.

DD2: She's 5 months old, and exclusively breastfed. No period yet.

I'm hoping this time is like with ds2. I got it back so fast with dd1, and I don't even know why, although she was squirrelliest nurser ever, which might have had something to do with it. After having my lochia continue for 5-6 weeks, getting my period back at 4 months was just too much. I wanted a break!


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

With all four kids, it was right before their first birthday so I voted 11 mos. (I think, gosh, I can't even recall for sure







)

It didn't seem to matter with regards breastfeeding. My first two were weaned around a year, My 3rd nursed until he was over age 3 (day and night!) My 4th had to be weaned cold-turkey at 13 mos (also nursing day and night at that point).

I think I just regain fertility around a year post-partum -- though I'm not sure I was ovulating regularly at that point. I recall some wonky 84 day cycles and such.


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## curiouscanadian (Aug 28, 2009)

Currently 15mo pp and still waiting...


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## TXmom2 (Sep 20, 2009)

i put 1 and 2 months because even though we are EBF'ing, mine returned at 6 wks PP.
DD is nearly 5 months and I've had 3 periods....don't know when I'll be fertile again







but it's back already...


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## LianneM (May 26, 2004)

15mo with my first, still nursing strong
13mo with my second, tandem nursing


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## cschick (Aug 28, 2007)

I had some spotting every eight weeks or so starting at 18 months (when he stopped nursing 3x times at night) through 25 months pp. I was also taking the mini-pill.

At 23 months pp, I stopped the minipill but was still doing the every eight weeks spotting thing. At 25 months pp, I got the copper IUD and had my first full period start a few days afterward.


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## Bellabaz (Feb 27, 2008)

10 months ,almost 11, with dd1. Currently at 3 months with dd2 and no sign yet.


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## flower01 (Aug 1, 2007)

16 months for me. Dd was still nursing quite often at this point...i got pregnant 3 months later.


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## hollytheteacher (Mar 10, 2007)

Mine returned when DS was 15 months old on black friday of last year (ugh that means i've had it back for a whole year now huh?) I can't wait to get preggo again (although probably still a few more months away) so that I can get that huge break again!


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

11.5 months with DD. She was still nursing through the night and close to exclusively bfed until 15 months (95-98+% bfed).

25 months with DS. He was still nursing through the night (and continued to do so for another 2.5 years) and was getting close to 75% of calories from bmilk.

From what I read (and this was a while ago), if you are nursing the average is 8 months w/out AF. If you are nursing ecologically (so, through the night/on demand/no pacifiers or bottles) the average is 14 months. Each additional child usually increases the time. If you are underweight that increases the time.


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## Teenytoona (Jun 13, 2005)

8.5 months. BF at home/pumped from work exclusively until about 6-7ish months, coslept and nursed overnight.


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## Mama2Bug (Feb 18, 2005)

Pregnancy wonked up my thyroid pretty badly, which gave me PCOS-like symptoms. One of those was a period that just never came back, until it was induced medically. I did nurse DD until she was almost 3, but when she weaned, it still didn't return. My cycle has been spotty ever since. I'm still trying to get my thyroid straightened out so that we can start TTC again.


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## simplemama32 (Jul 16, 2009)

Between 13 to 14 months. I was (and am) breastfeeding...my period returned when I stopped pumping at work during the day, though we continued to BF at home.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

The first was about 12 months. I don't have an explanation really. That's about when she got interested in solids, so maybe that's why?

With the second, it came back after only a month. I was EBF around the clock with both, although #2 did sleep better. She started sleeping 5 hours pretty quickly. I assume that's what was going on there.


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## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

15.5 months PP for me both times, due to breastfeeding (first kid nursed till close to 5 and was tandem nursing with second still when AF came back). Hoping for at least that long again this time!


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## mommajb (Mar 4, 2005)

never before 15 months, currently at 27 months since #5 was born.


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## MamaMelis (Oct 23, 2009)

I guess technically it would be 12+ months, but only because I was pregnant before my EBF baby turned 5 months old and before I got a PP period.







So I guess I ovulated around 4 months pp? My second time around (also EBF) I think that it was around 3 or 4 mos PP also, though I had an IUD with horrible side effects so it was hard for me to determine just what was what.

My kids were really great sleepers as newborns and gave me long stretches of sleep with cosleeping, so I don't know if it was that or it is just the way my body is wired.


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## funkymamajoy (May 25, 2008)

by 5 months with all 3;
#1 had a pacifier, slept independently and I went back to work full-time at 12 weeks
#2 was/is a thumb sucker, co-slept and I went back to work full-time at 8 weeks
#3 ebf on demand, co-sleeping, no pacifiers, no bottles until I went back to work part-time at 6 months yada, yada, yada









actual fertility returns between 11-15 months


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## MettaSutta (Oct 21, 2006)

22 months for me!









We did ecological breastfeeding. My DD never had a bottle or a paci, we nursed lying down for naps and bedtime, co-slept and nursed on demand.

She did start solid foods at 6 months but never had a milk substitute until she was 12 months old.

And considering that I am a FT WOHM I am very happy that we were able to do it!


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## calpurnia (Sep 26, 2004)

I had my first pp period at around 9 months, but then I didn't have another till 12 months. Since then they've been regular.


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## paxye (Mar 31, 2005)

10 months for the first two (when they started solids)...

about 18 months for #3

With all three I exclusively breastfed, never gave a paci or bottle, co-slept etc..


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## AutumnAir (Jun 10, 2008)

I voted 2 months, though it was actually just over 6 weeks. This despite EBF with a babe who nursed for 45-60 minutes every 1.5/2 hours round the clock at the time.

So much for natural contraception!


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## GoBecGo (May 14, 2008)

Another "lucky" person who got AF back 6weeks PP despite round the clock EBF never more than 1 3hour gap in 24 hours... It's genetic i think, my mum had 3 boys within 22 months (no twins!) because they told her (and she believed TWICE) that if she EBF she wouldn't fall PG again...


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

I have two children and with both of them it came back at 8 months. The second time I was tandem nursing, so I guess I just can't go longer. What really sucked is that I didn't stop bleeding from the birth until my son was 3 months old so I only got 5 months off.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

With DS1 it returned around 9 months... with DS2, I *swear* I had a period at exactly (to the day, nearly to the frigging hour!!) 8wks pp... but nothing since (DS2's now ~17 or so weeks). I don't *think* I'm pregnant (I keep forgetting to buy a test, and we've used protection 100% since Ds2 was born.... but I suppose anythings possible...), so I really don't know wtf is up... I only voted for Ds1


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## Shannie77 (Jan 16, 2007)

20 months, DD was nursing, but around that time it wasn't quite as frequent.


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## seaheroine (Dec 24, 2004)

11mo, was still BFing...


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

DD1: 2 months, but I was EPing.

twins: That's complicated. I had some spotting around 4 months, for a day or two, when DS was getting formula supplements. I think my supply was low-- I was very sick with a bad flare of my ulcerative colitis. Then it went away. At ten months, DD2 learned to sleep all night, and I had a few random spotting episodes here and there, that never lasted more than a few hours. But AF didn't return for real until 16 months, when I weaned the twins to start immunosuppressant meds.


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## rabbitmum (Jan 25, 2007)

Five weeks...







and I was excusively breastfeeding, of course, around the clock!


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## kittyhead (Oct 28, 2005)

two years and two months. i was breastfeeding.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

For me, it never returned a couple of months after I night weaned. That was 16 months for ds and age 3 for dd!


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

14 months, anovulatory until 17 months. DD nursing all night and several times a day.


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## springmum (Aug 30, 2008)

19 months and counting, even with nightweaning (8hrs no nursing at night for a couple of months now)


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## NYCVeg (Jan 31, 2005)

5 months with an EBF baby nursing 'round the clock. I felt SO robbed.


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## Honey693 (May 5, 2008)

i just got mine back 3 days ago and DD is 13.5 months.


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## Biscuits & Gravy (Jul 17, 2008)

With DS1 it was right around 12 months. I was a WOHM then, and it happened when I dropped a pumping session.

With DS2 we are less than 2 wks from his first birthday and I've had no signs of it coming back yet. Fine with me!!


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## crazydiamond (May 31, 2005)

10 weeks the first time and 12 weeks the second time. Both kids were ecologically breastfeeding, although DD did get a pacifier at first to help with a bad latch. I have PCOS and I suspect that has something to do with me getting my period back so soon.


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Moved to Fertility


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## Megamus (Oct 14, 2008)

Six months and four days...which put it squarely on Valentine's Day. Yay. Xander was still BFing like a maniac. I found (and still find) that it hurt(s) to nurse for a day or two beforehand.

OK, technically it was really light and short that time and it came more heavily about 6 weeks after that, but I still think it counts.


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## demottm (Nov 15, 2006)

With my first it was 16 months, with my second it is 13.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

6 weeks on time both time, both children we EBF but I still got my fertility back right away.


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## dmpmercury (Mar 31, 2008)

I got it back at 13 months both times followed by a cycle with a 4 day lp. I wouldn't of minded getting mine back sooner. My sex drive is much higher when I have my cycles and I wanted to be able to ttc earlier with my first. I'm still waiting on a long enough lp to try for my last child.


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## 77589 (Mar 7, 2007)

For me there was no difference from exclusively breastfeeding and exclusively expressed feeding, both were 2 months. My middle one was 4 months, not sure why that one was different.


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## TwoPlusTwins (Dec 30, 2006)

My period started back on my daughter's 2nd birthday. Ironic


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## tanyam926 (May 25, 2005)

I chose 12 or more bc it was 21 months w/ds1 and 21 months w/ds2. Ds3 is almost 15 months now.


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## kltroy (Sep 30, 2006)

Had my first PP ovulation at 16 months after my son. Got my first PP period at 17 months with my daughter. I nursed my son until 20 months, my daughter is still nursing at 17 months of age, though only 2x/day.


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## limette (Feb 25, 2008)

with dd1 at 14 months with dd2 at 5 months







.

both nursed all the time. well dd2 still does.


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