# When did you get your period back?



## sophi4ka (Jun 28, 2007)

I am just curious - I am 8 month pp and no sign of period yet...
II guess I should have added the option for - didn't get the period yet







Don't know how to edit a poll


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

17 months


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## fate_loves_flower (Aug 9, 2008)

I'm in a lactation research project and apparently the whole lot of us have got our prior to 3 months too!

My Lactation consultant says that according to her knowledge base we're all just super healthy!....tell that to the chocolate chip cookies I'm eating!


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## Sihaya (Jul 3, 2006)

I got mine at 11 weeks postpartum.

My mom got hers back at 6 weeks pp all four times, so I was prepared for an early return. I wasn't prepared for it to severely affect my milk supply and very nearly end our breastfeeding relationship.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fate_loves_flower* 
My Lactation consultant says that according to her knowledge base we're all just super healthy!....tell that to the chocolate chip cookies I'm eating!

Hmm... that's interesting. As I understood it, a very early return of fertility often indicates a hormone imbalance, not healthiness


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## Mama_Meme (Apr 18, 2007)

10 months and nothing yet. I had a period at five weeks, that lasted 3 days and nothing since. I kinda miss bleeding, I really was in love with it, when I was doing it. Now, I don't even remember what it's like.


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

as far as I'm concerned lactational amennorea was one of the best benefits of bf'ing


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## brackin (Sep 19, 2005)

29 months (DD)
24 months (DS)


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## love2bmom (Jan 26, 2005)

Right around a year with all four. Nurse on demand and at night. Kind of wish I could go without the periods for longer. My youngest will be 1 yr. on the 24th - I just started spotting this week.


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## Taradactyl3 (Jun 9, 2006)

Both times I got mine at 6 months pp. My MW said that everyone has a different sensitivity level to the hormones. So around 6 months when my babes began spreading out their nursing a little my body felt the shift whereas someone else's body might not respond to that shift as readily. That explanation made sense to me but certainly didn't make me feel any better about EBFing a baby and getting my period back so early. I was using birth control again at 6 months pp! That seems crazy!

T


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## Xpcting#3 (Nov 7, 2007)

With each child, my periods have come back sooner. After DC#1, it was 10 months, after DC#2, 6 months, and now after DC#3, 2 months.


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Moving to fertility, as this isn't about parenting a baby.


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## Ks Mama (Aug 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bri276* 
as far as I'm concerned lactational amennorea was one of the best benefits of bf'ing

So jealous. If only it were true for all women!

With both of my children, I had it back before 4 months PP.

6 weeks with my daughter (yep, you read that right).
14 weeks with my son.

I breastfed each on demand, around the clock, exclusively for 6 months, and for the first 2 months, every TWO hours because they both were severely jaundiced. No bottles, no pacis, wore them constantly, and slept with them IN my bed.

Period came right back like I wasn't even nursing.

And with my son, I was still nursing my daughter... so TANDEM nursing on cue, it still came back at 14 weeks.


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## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

My period returned at about 4 months with our first two. My period also returned rapidly, after just a couple of weeks, with each of my miscarriages. DS will be four months on the 9th, so I'm expecting my period any time.

All of our kids have been fast nurses, with minimal to no night nursing early on. I'm under the impression that night nursing does the best job at suppressing the return of AF.


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## kittyhead (Oct 28, 2005)

26 months.


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## nolonger (Jan 18, 2006)

6 weeks with dd1--pacifiers without my permission and "we're going to try putting her on formula for a day or two to see if that brings down her bili levels and if it doesn't youy can always try to see if you can breastrfeed her again. here's a cheap hand pump and an ace bandage and an asprin for the pain."

about a yeAr for dd2 abnd ds1--ecologically breastfed until solids were introduced at or about 4 months.

Not a sign of her with ds2. i hope she comes back so i can say goodbye before she goes away for good.


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## bdoody11 (Aug 16, 2005)

17 months. I had been pumping twice a day from 3-6 months, once a day from 6-12 months, stopped pumping at 12 months completely, night and weekend nursing on demand.


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

21 months, right after a two week attempt at night weaning.


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## Nanethiel (May 21, 2008)

I noticed a hormonal shift when my son was 4 months old. That's also when my hair started to fall out. Then about 3 weeks later (so, close to 5 month PP) my period returned.

I was less than thrilled!









I, too, breastfeed on demand, still exclusively at 9 months 1 week. I found it to be really strange that it returned so soon.


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## Ks Mama (Aug 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sihaya* 

Hmm... that's interesting. As I understood it, a very early return of fertility often indicates a hormone imbalance, not healthiness









Where have you read/hear that it indicated hormone imbalance? That doesn't seem to jive with my experience.

When my periods came back both times (6wks pp & 14wks pp), it came back regular as clockwork, just as before I was pregnant. I didn't experience any milk reduction, nor hairloss pp after return of my period. Never so far as I know had any hormonal imbalances or fertility problems, both dcs were conceived the first try, and have always used nfp - I chart & am extremely regular.

I'd be really interested to understand a connection between hormonal imblanace & early period return after birth as I've always felt my periods returning early & regularly just indicated my body was "back in shape" so to speak - ready to conceive again. Not that I ever would WANT to be pregnant again that early!!


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## Carlyn (Jun 11, 2007)

My pp AF just returned this week, and babe turned 19 months today.

First baby was artificially started with BC pill.
Second baby it came at 14 months (got pregnant immediately).
Next period was when baby #3 was 20 months. (1 month after baby #2 weaned).
And this time 19 months.


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## sophi4ka (Jun 28, 2007)

Oh my god - it takes so long for some of you!
I so want to get pregnant again, but my 8 mo DD is still exclusively breastfed, including at least 3 times at night. I guess it will take time







:


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## Eaglevoice (Nov 30, 2004)

DD is 16 months and still no sign of AF. I was expecting to get it by now because with dd1 I got it at 6 months...


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## Ofwait (Feb 16, 2008)

DD1 10 months
DD2 14 months
DS 14 months
DD3 15 months and not back yet


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## stacyann_1 (May 25, 2004)

27 glorious months







I have twins though (still nursing at 33 months)


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## Sihaya (Jul 3, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ks Mama* 
Where have you read/hear that it indicated hormone imbalance? That doesn't seem to jive with my experience.

When my periods came back both times (6wks pp & 14wks pp), it came back regular as clockwork, just as before I was pregnant. I didn't experience any milk reduction, nor hairloss pp after return of my period. Never so far as I know had any hormonal imbalances or fertility problems, both dcs were conceived the first try, and have always used nfp - I chart & am extremely regular.

I'd be really interested to understand a connection between hormonal imblanace & early period return after birth as I've always felt my periods returning early & regularly just indicated my body was "back in shape" so to speak - ready to conceive again. Not that I ever would WANT to be pregnant again that early!!

I never had pp hair loss, no fertility problems, conceived ds after 1 time dtd during my fertile time (we weren't technically even ttc that cycle), have charted for a while and had very regular cycles before getting pg. I also have hypothyroidism, a form of hormone imbalance, which I take medication for, but still experience symptoms of, including very low temps when charting.

When I was researching why my milk supply dipped so low at 3-4 months pp, I read and was told repeatedly that hypothyroidism can cause your period to return very soon after giving birth. So, maybe not all early return of fertility is caused by hormone imbalance or sign of a problem, but mine was. I would give my arm to not get my period back until 5 or 6 months and be able to feed my baby my own milk for that long.


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

Quote:

So jealous. If only it were true for all women!
don't be too jealous I had to pump exclusively







at least I got a few perks


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## chirp (Feb 9, 2008)

i didn't vote because there is not yet a "not yet" option...

but i am 4 months pp. still no period.

commenting because i read that getting your period back isn't to do with healthiness or with hormonal imbalance, but is mostly determined by caloric intake...

which back in caveman times might have been an indicator of health...but these days its easy to get calories.

i'll try and remember/post where i read that.


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## chirp (Feb 9, 2008)

oh and you can TOTALLY conceive without getting your period.


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## waylonsmama (Apr 1, 2007)

ds is almost 26mo and still no AF...I have been getting really crampy around the same time of the month for about 6 months now...so...maybe soon.


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## Ks Mama (Aug 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sihaya* 
When I was researching why my milk supply dipped so low at 3-4 months pp, I read and was told repeatedly that hypothyroidism can cause your period to return very soon after giving birth. So, maybe not all early return of fertility is caused by hormone imbalance or sign of a problem, but mine was. I would give my arm to not get my period back until 5 or 6 months and be able to feed my baby my own milk for that long.

I'm so sorry you had trouble with nursing mama. Hugs. Darn right I'd give my arm as well. And I praise you for giving baby donated milk instead of formula.

I should research about hypothroidism... I know my mom has thyroid problems. Nothing's ever come up in my health so far to indicate problems... but its always good to be educated.

Take care.


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## Purple Sage (Apr 23, 2007)

dd#1 - don't remember but I think it was around 4 months pp
dd#2 - 13 months
ds - 17 months

(all were exclusively nursed, no bottles, no pacifiers, cosleeping)
No rhyme or reason!


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## Sihaya (Jul 3, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chirp* 
commenting because i read that getting your period back isn't to do with healthiness or with hormonal imbalance, but is mostly determined by caloric intake...

Thank you for sharing this - it makes so much sense to me. When my milk supply first dipped, my midwife thought it was due to my caloric intake (which was very very low). But, we worked on that and my supply still remained so low that DS was diagnosed as FTT. What you're saying is that my poor eating may have triggered AF, which in turn depleted my supply? So maybe all I have to do next time is eat enough calories to prevent AF from returning and I'll be able to supply my baby's nutritional needs? That's would be awesome! Unless you're saying AF comes back when you have a high enough caloric intake....

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chirp* 
which back in caveman times might have been an indicator of health...but these days its easy to get calories.

For most people above the poverty level in industrialized countries, this is true. But for those of us with food issues/eating disorders, not so much.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ks Mama* 
I'm so sorry you had trouble with nursing mama. Hugs. Darn right I'd give my arm as well. And I praise you for giving baby donated milk instead of formula.

Thank you. We were extremely fortunate to have that option readily available to us and suggested by our midwife and other people close to us.

If your mom has thyroid issues, I would get tested. I was only diagnosed because I went to get tested after my mom was diagnosed. My levels were only borderline low, but many of the symptoms fit things that I had always just thought were unrelated family health issues. Going on thyroid medication helped lift me out of depression and improve a lot of other symptoms of mine (allergies, joint pain, and many more.)


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## sophi4ka (Jun 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chirp* 
oh and you can TOTALLY conceive without getting your period.

Uhm, really???








I thought that you can only if you are just lucky to get your period exactly that month or something like that.


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## mamamille (Nov 30, 2006)

once at 6 m and the not again until 9 m...

I was told it has a lot to do with night time feedings. When you are up every hour or so then it is unlikely to get it back. When they taper off , then the body signals that you could handle another one.


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## because (Sep 11, 2003)

26 months after #1
27 months after #2

Both were still nursing but nightweaned. Had lots of returning fertility signs for about 10-12 months before first AF each time. Ovulated before each one, too, with 10 day LP.


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## because (Sep 11, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sophi4ka* 
Uhm, really???








I thought that you can only if you are just lucky to get your period exactly that month or something like that.

You may or may not ovulate before your first AF. If you do ovulate (like I did) then you can get pg before ever bleeding (like I did but it was a m/c).

You will not _not_ have an AF if you do ovulate, though, unless you are pg or have a rare condition.


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## loveandgarbage (Feb 5, 2008)

my fertility returned at 15 months pp, and i conceived that month without knowing it. ds' nursing schedule hadn't changed, but i had recently gained back 5 lbs of weight that i had lost by nursing, and walking around the city with ds for literally several miles everyday.
i read, and can't remember where, that if you want to get pregnant, and you've become skinny with nursing (like, below your pre-baby weight), you should gain some weight to improve your chances of getting your period again. anyone ever heard of this? is there really a link between how much fat is on your body and the return of your period, or your fertility in general?


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## essnce629 (Oct 26, 2005)

6 WEEKS!














:














:

I had already had a pp period when I went in for my 6 week postpartum check-up (at 7 weeks). BooHoo! I'm praying that AF stays far far away when I have baby #2.


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## Justmee (Jun 6, 2005)

6m (the twins, but I was working & pumping even though they were EBF I think this affected it)
18m after Rivka
almost 7 months and counting this time.


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## MamaJenese (Aug 14, 2006)

No bottles no pacifiers,and cosleeping.
DS 11 months
DD almost 14 months.
What is wierd is I swear DS nursed waaaaay more.


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## JamesMama (Jun 1, 2005)

No bottles, no paci's, nursing round the clock with DS it was 18 months, 2 weeks after I got a part time job and was away for more than 5 hours at a time.

No bottles, no paci's, nursing round the clock with DD, 10 months and counting


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## Clairesoula (Oct 11, 2007)

21 mo. pp. Night weaned ds at 13 mo and got down to just bed time and wake up. I am ovulating and getting a regular cycle since June and want another babe very badly. DS couldn't handle the pace of weaning though so we added 1 daytime session back in. My Dr. thinks this level of nursing is preventing us from getting pregnant and I hate even contemplating more weaning to get pregnant. It's very hard. I was ready to get pg with #2 when DS was 12 mo. old...11 mo. ago. I'm feeling impatient. And torn.


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