TTC whilst breastfeeding

[AriadneO]

Any medical professionals here to offer their view on this - does breastfeeding make it harder to conceive ONCE YOUR PERIOD HAS RETURNED? I know breastfeeding can help delay the return of your period, but once it's back, does breastfeeding still have a negative impact on fertility?

I'm struggling to conceive my second, and I wonder if it's to do with breastfeeding DD (18months). I still feed her 2-3 times a day, in the morning/before bed. It's a lovely cuddly thing we do, and I'd rather not forcibly stop her unless I have to in order to conceive. We've been trying for close to 6 months now, whilst we conceived DD immediately. Early 30s, healthy and don't smoke or drink.

I have tried OPKs, but the reading is never such that I'm totally sure I'm ovulating. The line gets darker, but I'm never sure if it's fully as dark as control.

Thanks in advance

After stopping breastfeeding I got pregnant immediately.

@AriadneO Kellymom.com have a brilliant piece called "Transition to full fertility" which explains this. There are ways to increase fertility which stop short of weaning from the breast.

I have fallen pregnant 3 times while breastfeeding older babies / toddlers (and carried healthy babies to term in each of those pregnancies). However, it can mean cycles are anovulatory, as your Doctor has suggested, or shorten your luteal phase to the point an egg doesn't have time to implant before a period.

Good luck on your journey and hopefully this time next year you'll have your much wanted DC2

Thank you @DCIRozHuntley here's a link for others who are interested kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/fertility/

I found kellymom useful when I was first breastfeeding, but are they at all biased? I find, for example, La Leche League very biased, and now can't trust the advice it gives me about breastfeeding and fertility.

Can I recommend temperature charting? OPKs can be misleading as you might have an LH surge but that not trigger ovulation. Temperature charting is a more reliable way of confirming if you are actually ovulating. Might be worth giving that a go before you definitely decide to wean if you are still enjoying your bf relationship.

Thanks @crazychemist I hadn't realised you could surge without ovulating.

I had understood that BBT charting was only reliable if you have a steady period of uninterrupted sleep prior to measurement. If that's right then I'm not sure I can do it, as our toddler is a poor sleeper and I wake up at all manners of hours

@AriadneO I have a 28 day cycle so a short luteal phase. My googling suggests a common cause is high levels of prolactin so dropping the feeding should sort it. Based on the kellymom article I’m at step 2 do I guess that’s a positive!

@AriadneO depends what your financial situation is... I’m a horrific sleeper and wake up a lot during the night, so have opted for Ovusense. You insert it like a tampon and wear it overnight, it discards unusual readings caused by you waking and then gives you a time-average. It’s expensive though.

@crazychemist ovusense sounds fab! I will investigate. I'm going to wait and see if AF comes this month. If I'm definitely not pregnant - and I fear I'm not - I'll invest. Thank you

Good luck @AriadneO, hope whatever route you take you get your bfp soon!

I think I'm ovulating! The blood test results have come back, and my progesterone level suggests this month at least I ovulated. So it's possible breastfeeding is affecting implantation, or I'm just unlucky this time round. I'm glad to be able to (largely) rule out anovulation as a cause.

On the off chance anyone is still following, I've now got a BFP!

An observation for those wondering about the impact of breastfeeding on fertility - I did cut out nighttime feeding entirely in the last cycle, so nothing after 7pm. We did bed-share sometimes, but I stood strong and didn't feed. I've read in a few places that nighttime feeding in particular hampers fertility, so wonder if this did it. Or it could just be chance, who knows!

Huge congratulations! All the best for your pregnancy.

Congratulations @AriadneO, glad this has worked out so well for you

Thank you!

That's great news @AriadneO! I can't say cutting out the night feed helped me as I've not done that since May, but I appear to have ovulated earlier in the cycle this month so fingers crossed!