Breastfeeding and conception

[Starfish83]

Hello!

I'm looking for some advice about breastfeeding and conceiving. I am ebf and have a five month old. My periods have not yet returned and I understand that they may not return until I stop breastfeeding? Is this correct? Sounds like a silly question, but will I still ovulate or not? I would like to try for another baby in the not too distant future, but am not quite sure how it all works alongside breastfeeding.

Thanks in advance x

You ovulate two-ish weeks before your period. Unless you fall pregnant from that egg.

Some women don't ovulate and therefore have periods at all when breastfeeding. Some still do. All it can take is your baby going a little longer between feeds for your body to start ovulating. You may also notice that you don't ovulate/have periods as regularly if they do happen.
Personally, mine have come back at around 5/6 months each time when my babies have slept for a bit longer at night but have only started being regular this time at around the year mark (still breastfeeding though).
Some women find that if they're not getting their cycles back but they want to TTC then night weaning can kick start things. I wouldn't recommend that at 5 months though!

I'm 11 months in and my periods haven't yet returned. As @NoseringGirl was saying some women s cycles don't return until they've completely stopped breastfeeding, Some it just takes a reduction in feeds. You ovulate before a period so you don't have to wait for your first period to be in with a chance of conceiving, but there's no way of knowing when you'll start ovulating again

I've been breastfeeding my DS and didn't ovulate until I stopped completely at 2 years. We've stopped now but my periods haven't settled yet.

Some people get pregnant whilst breastfeeding though!

My period came back at 14 months, I was still BF at that time but only 2x a day. I got pregnant the month after I fully weaned, a few months later.

But I have friends who got pregnant while BF so it’s possible!

My periods returned at 10 months. Still breastfeeding at 19 months and have conceived in that time which unfortunately ended in miscarriage.

I think they say there needs to be a certain time between feeds I.e. Through the night. I think the Kellymom site has some information. I'll see if I can find it.

Here's some information

kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/fertility/

The site has loads of interesting articles.

Most return at some point. Mine did at 19 months. The average is between 1 and 2 years so I am pretty average. Some return earlier although they may not be regular and you may have a insufficient luteal phase for a little while as hormones adjust and you get back to normal.

Just to add: when my periods returned at 10 months my daughter fed loads still through the day and night. I don't think it can be predicted.

My periods returned at 8 months with DD1 so I would assume that's when I was likely to be fertile again.
With DD2, my periods returned straight away as she was in NICU for 2 and a half months, so while I was 'breastfeeding' by pumping it wasn't as regular or as much as what a term newborn would be having. Despite having a period in the first few weeks it took 5 months to conceive DS so unsure if I was actually ovulating straight away.
If you haven't started getting periods again by the time you want to start TTC I'd look into pumping in the day to replace the night feed, we were told once she stopped feeding in the night I was more likely to become fertile again.

Mine returned when DS was 7 months but my luteal phase was very short - about 8 days. Then we night weaned at 9 months and they became more regular and luteal phase increased to 12 days.