Periods after weaning

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Not sure if this is the right place to post this but...

Was hoping someone could advise me.

I've just fully weaned my daughter, who's 16m. Whilst breastfeeding her I didn't have a period/spotting/anything.

I've charted my temps and kept a close eye on things over the last month.

According to my chart I ovulated 18 days ago. I got a clear temp rise, and all the other signs (high, soft cervix, EWCM, ovulation pain etc). Since then my temp rose a little and then fell slowly, going below my coverline about 4 days ago.

Over the last week I've had clear PMS symptoms: proper cramps, spots, irritability, nausea etc. I've also had a little bit (and only a little) of spotting during the last two days. Today I just feel heavy, heavy, heavy and bloated around my hips... However I've not had any proper bleeding at all. Nothing that would even remotely resemble a period.

Is this normal? Could it be that I ovulated, but didn't get enough of a endometrium wall to get a proper period (but the spotting is my egg being ejected)?

I'm hopeful that all the signs this month show that my hormones are kicking back it, but I was so hoping to get a proper period this month, and am so disappointed that I haven't (we want to start TTC#2 in the new year).

Any advice/experiences/knowledge? Thanks.

Thanks.

Bump

Hello, didn't want to leave you unanswered. I am in a similar situation, DS is 16 months old too, he's been weaned about 6 weeks now. I also haven't had a period as yet and had lots of cramps, spots and bloating but nothing more. We've not been using contraception for a good few months and would like to TTC#2 soon. Well I finally got fed up of waiting and went and saw the doc today - he said it can take a while for things to get back to normal after weaning, you can have periods without ovulation and ovulation without periods for the first few months. He recommended a blood tests to look at my hormones and take it from there. I might start temp charting too. How long ago did you wean DD? And it might be stating the obvious but have you tested - you are not pregnant already are you? Hope you get some better answers from those more clever than me!

Hello - thanks for replying :)
No way that I'm pregnant unfortunately - DH has vetoed TTC until the new year (almost there!) so no unprotected fun for me... :(

It's quite a long story for me really - I had to stop BF DD in August (when she turned one) since I had to have a big operation and was told I couldn't BF with all the drugs I'd have to have. That really hurt - think I'll always be upset about being told to stop... Anyway - in September I had some fertility treatment to make some embryos for freezing, and then in October I had a 28 day course of hormones to 'suspend' everything whilst I had some further medical treatment (the fertility treatment was in case the medical treatment harmed me - very small risk - but it doesn't seem to have). So although I technically weaned DD in August, my body thinks it was only last month since it hasn't been allowed to just get on with things since then. Hope that makes sense...

I've been charting since the start of November, and my first chart showed clear ovulation. I had all the signs too (as my OP explained), so was really surprised that all I got was a few small drops of (bright red - so fresh, which is good...) blood about 10 days later. For my charts, I've counted that as my 'period', which would mean that my luteal phase is currently probably a bit short (but I've seen loads of post-weaning mums complaining about this, and it generally sorts itself out over time so I'm not too fussed about that - I clearly naturally have a decent LP otherwise I wouldn't have DD!).

I'm pretty sure that I ovulated again this Friday (which would be cycle day 10, if CD 1 was the first time I noticed this vv light spotting) - same signs, even more O pain. I had a fever at the start of the week though, so my chart is totally screwy this month which is a real pain... I did use OPKs for a bit of fun and they were definitely darker around CD9/10 and have got lighter now, but who knows if it's just me having less concentrated urine today. My skin's broken out though this month too which is lovely.

Really interesting what your doctor said. I posted my question on another board here and was given a link to Kellymom - don't know if you know the website - www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility.html The poster also said that she'd had exactly the same for a few months, and then everything slowly sorted itself out and got back to normal.

Look about half way down the link and there's a description of the return to fertility post breastfeeding. I think that I (and probably you from the sounds of things) are in stage 2 (Ovulation without luteal competence) - so we may well be o'ing but not getting the period since the uterine lining isn't developing adequately (since our hormones have yet to sort themselves out adequately) and therefore just spotting (you may well be spotting too, just not enough for it to make its way out. Sorry - gross). Unfortunately I can't find the original medical journal the Kellymom description is based on (without paying a fortune to join a website anyway) - think it would be very interesting.

It was such a relief to find this - I thought I was going mad.

I've also looked in the book 'Taking Charge of your Fertility' (Toni Weschler - amazing book if you don't already have it) which agrees although not in as much detail and describes how BF women will "almost always have a warning of returning fertility through their cervical fluid" and how they'll get longer and longer patches of fertile fluid as their bodies try to reach the oestrogen threshold needed to ovulate. I haven't really noticed this I have to say, but I may well be producing less fluid than normal because of all the drugs I've had over the last few months.. Who knows.

You may as well get your hormones checked out, if only for reassurance. But I think that we both basically just have to give it time, which is a pain (patience is not my biggest virtue..).

Apologies for the essay - hope it helps.